I guess I don’t have many idols. I mean, I have examples and people who inspire me, but almost never a superstar. Also, I have never screamed over a popstar. I have never been that girl who had posters of a specific idol on the wall. Artists are just people to me, so I never really understood the whole fangirling thing. However, recently I have seen a documentary of an idol which I really appreciated and I want to share it with you: I’ve seen Miss Americana by Taylor Swift.
Miss Americana
Miss Americana is a documentary of about 1,5 hours about Taylor Swift. It’s a biography, but then in a documentary form. You follow Swift’s life story, from when she was very young and started to become famous until now. The documentary tells the story of Swift’s musical life, how she found her voice in singing and songwriting, but also a personal story. The story of how she found her voice in terms of responsibility and personal growth.
Swift has battled an eating disorder, toxic internet culture, sexual assault and more. The documentary really shows sensitive subjects and tells a real story. Artists are people and they face problems like all humans do. Swift telling that story is extremely important, it breaks taboos. The film is set when Swift was about to release her album Lover and has also been chosen to be one of the top 5 best documentaries of 2020.
Influence
What made me respect Taylor Swift so much after seeing this documentary is that she took responsibility for her beliefs. She spoke out. She let the world know what she thinks. Usually popular artists don’t get involved with politics or anything that might harm their popularity. That’s what I still remember from seeing a documentary series about Micheal Jordan, he didn’t step up. But Taylor Swift did. She stepped up for the LHBTQ+ community for example, against all advices from managers and people around her. Not only did she speak up for other people, she also spoke about her personal problems. That’s brave and extremely important if you ask me. It really shows that she knows what responsibilities and power she has.
Courage
Maybe music should just be music. Maybe we shouldn’t make it complicated or political. But I think we should. You should be able to love someone’s music and listen to their political views. Music can shows us that different people have different beliefs. And because of that it could unite us and raise awareness about topics too. And maybe it should. Artists can make us think on a really deep level. So why not about politics? It happens with love (since most songs are about love).
I think music artists can inspire us in completely different and new ways. They have so much power. I think that they should use it to make the world a better place. If popular artists would all speak out about a troubling subject, I think they’d be better artists. Yes, music can heal you and do so much for you. But political views can do so too. Artists could raise awareness about poverty, human rights, animal rights, etc. That’s what Taylor Swift did if you ask me. And that’s what makes me respect her.
Disclaimer: there are more artists who speak out about specific problems and take responsibility, but the first time I’ve seen anybody do this was with Taylor Swift.
Yours sincerely,
Romee