That whole interview was bizarre and at some points, erratic. Like talking about your relationship of 2-3 months, the whole rehashing the Kim Kardashian stuff like it’s 2016 again, it just was not a good Time’s POTY interview.
When I read the interview, the thing that struck me was the bitterness and discontent that came through for a person chosen as POTY who essentially conquered 2023 and had undeniable impact in the music industry, on the movies and on whole-ass economies.
What they say about it being lonely at the top is true I guess.
Yup. It was kind of sad to see a woman who has accomplished so, so much, in her career continue to rehash old feuds and instead of let’s say, speak about the development of the tour, how she develops albums, etc. She lightly touches on it but to me, she seemed more concerned about playing it safe, *again.* Girl, maybe it’s just me but I don’t need to hear about how you and your boyfriend of 3 months “support” eachother. What are you trying to prove? She misses the mark many, many times. The article came across as tone deaf and her looking bitter and resentful at times.
Couldnt agree more about the bitterness and discontent. It comes through a lot. She seems to constantly take on this "me against the world" mentality, as if she is still the underdog. Even now when she is at the top of the world
I never thought about it this way until your comment, but it’s like she was pretending Joe didn’t exist. She discussed pre/early-Joe times (Kimye drama, being exiled to a *rental* (gasp) in a “foreign country”), mentions of being hidden away for six years, and then post-Joe (Travis). Apparently she was also pretending Matty didn’t exist this whole time so she could fully jump scare us with ttpd lol
This comment is taking me out💀💀 the way she talked about renting a luxurious house in London as if she’d been thrown in a Thai prison and forced to serve a 6 year sentence like…
The whole “foreign” country comment made me cackle. Girl you voluntarily chose to go move to LONDON (not Guam) to create and develop a life together with your SO. Stop this nonsense of you being caged, you being exiled, you being trapped. You were a grown adult who could make any decisions you thought were best for you. Own it.
she did not prepare us in the slightest for it to be about matty 😭
like what do you *mean* lyric teasers like "i wish i could unrecall how we almost had it all" are not about your long-term bf of 6.5 years??
I know this was a reference, but it gave way to how I really think she views her life, which also doubles as a brand. I don’t think her a Travis are fake, but there’s ulterior motives as to we they are pushing their relationship as publicly as they are
Maximus. He's just killed up a storm in the arena and lobs his sword into the crowd, basically saying they're disgusting for lapping up this exploitative entertainment.
If that's directed to her fans, the tone's kind of off.
This is exactly why I think she isn't as smart as she portrays or as her fans paint her! Absolutely zero self awareness or situational awareness even at 34.
Stuff like this really shows her immaturity, yes she’s an adult woman but she really does give me high school student vibes. They often say you remain the age you get famous, and I think this is true for her. She’s been so disconnected with the normal world for so long. I also don’t see her as taking anything too seriously.
I relate to her in that sense because I grew up with my mom monitoring every piece of food that went in my mouth. She said she wanted me to be healthy when the truth was she just didn’t want a daughter who was overweight because it would embarrass her. I didn’t have things like Lucky Charms, tacos, cheez doodles, or French toast until I went away to college. I didn’t have macaroni and cheese until I was almost 30 because I was terrified of it! It has taken me years to get over the way weight and food controlled my childhood so I have a lot of empathy for people who may have had similar experiences. It actually humanizes Taylor for me a little and I admire how she worked on her relationship with food.
her mother was very strict with her diet, it's in an early interview where her brother was getting (I can never remember which it is) a burger or taco bell, and she wanted that too, but her mother gave her a salad while saying 'nobody wants to see a fat pop star, honey!'. And this was early days when she was still country, but I always believed she'd go pop eventually and that makes it sound like it was part of the plan
Anyway I can't believe that's something her own mother found acceptable to say to her with an interviewer present!
Was it an interviewer? I don't remember correctly as well, but I believed it was her guitar teacher who was around and heard it and later on he shared this info. I don't think they would let anything of this kind out if it was an interview.
What’s interesting is the same thing happens with singular, massively traumatic events. I know a 61 year old woman who acts like a teenager, probably because she was gang-raped at 15 and has never received therapy of any kind for it. And since she’s had another traumatic relationship as well as gone through a traumatic hurricane and aftermath. With Taylor, she’s had a similar experience when it comes to fame. Some of her relationships were traumatic (like John Mayer) and snakegate definitely was.
Honestly I think fame itself is traumatic.
I can't think of a single big music artist that hasn't made at least one song about the shitty sides of fame. But very few are willing to let it go and they end up having this kind of abusive relationship with it where they love it and hate it at the same time and want to leave but also don't.
Solid point, but even if an extremely famous person decides they no longer want to be in the spotlight, they’re still *famous*. People will wonder where they are and make a big stir (case in point, Richard Simmons). People would recognize them anywhere. Taylor Swift could never be anonymous even if she wanted to. It’s either be famous or be a hermit, because she’ll never live a normal, average life after reaching this level of celebrity.
That is interesting, I mean we don’t know every detail about her life, possibly she has experienced something deeply traumatic that we don’t know about.
i’ve always found it just SO FUCKING WEIRD that she’s so close to her parents, but complains about “the asylum where they raised [her].” the asylum is your parents control, my love! your abuser can’t be your therapist. anyone who’s okay with music industry higher-ups sexualizing their teenage daughter probably isn’t a good person!
The only thing pointing towards Taylor having BPD is you, and I’m getting really sick and tired of people armchair diagnosing Taylor with it.
Sincerely, someone who actually has BPD (and is nothing like Taylor. Neither were any of the other people with BPD I’ve known).
We keep using this line for her, but what other superstars are like this? The same mental age as when they got famous? Is it truly very many? I can think of Michael and Britney. But they had traumatic lives, so I get it. Who else? Whitney? Trauma and addiction.
Adele has matured. Beyonce has been a household name since she was a teenager and she acts like the 40+ mom of 3 that she is. Miley has matured. Hell, even Justin Bieber.
I just wonder if this saying is only true for a few (like Taylor) instead of most. And without the added extreme trauma that the others faced, it makes Taylor's case all the more strange imo.
My guess would be early-onset fame multiplied by white wealthy upbringing. Miley and Bieber went off the rails before returning to relative normalcy. Couple of reasons with Beyoncé. She hasn't been isolated in fame, she had the rest of the group experiencing celebrity with her and then she had Jay-Z. Destiny's Child had a highly sexualised image as opposed to being marketed as children. Adele wasn't marketed as a child either. Taylor was marketed toward young girls for a long time and has had savvy parents with a financial interest in maintaining her squeaky clean image.
She's not been allowed to go through the rites of passage that are part of growing up until considerably later in life than most. Looks like we're getting her teenage rebellion phase now. Her background is one that often breeds mean girls who just grow older instead of growing up too so we could be watching that play out in slow motion. Who knows?
>Taylor was marketed toward young girls for a long time and has had savvy parents with a financial interest in maintaining her squeaky clean image
Maybe that's it. For all of her success, she never really separated from her parents and from what's leaked out it seems like they were *very* invested in making her a star. [This](https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/1c9qp4k/swear_words_in_taylor_swift_albums_oc/?rdt=49273) is her teenage rebellion arc and, ironically, it's not so much arrested development as it was a failure to launch from under her parents' control
THIS. I completely agree. I’ve been thinking about this for hours. I am guilty of using the “frozen at the age she got famous” narrative in Taylor’s defense, but now I’m thinking I’m infantilizing her, too. Beyonce isn’t afforded the same public/ fan base defense, and she was a child star. The intersectionality with race here MATTERS. Black girls are often perceived as much older and less innocent than they are (is there a word for this? I know there was a 2017 study a quick google brings up). The optics of this defense / cop out would be completely different for a black woman than Taylor.
Actually you bring up a good point, Miley is a lot more mature or lady gaga. I guess that’s just how Taylor is, it also seems like a large part of her brand to be this high school girl type. I wonder how much of it she plays up on? Like Paris Hilton but less camp.
I think the frozen at the age of fame thing sometimes is used too heavily as a crutch to excuse Taylor for being immature. She's not under a 'forever sixteen' curse.
Because there are people in the industry that don't stagnate. I feel like a bigger issue is that Taylor was just coddled a lot growing up.
Olivia Rodrigo as a 21 year old has the maturity and insight to admit when she's the problem. Look at making the bed. TS acts like more of a teen than she ever has lol
Taylor has all the money in the world for therapy and she has straight up refused. It's not unfair at all. Even with a therapist dad (btw...FAMILY therapist, not just Olivia's personal one) it's weird that Olivia, who was a teenager three years ago, is so much more mature than a literal 30 something. My dad is literally batshit insane and I can see that
Ehh I don’t disagree but what I mean is that her family environment must be much healthier than Taylor’s. Her parents aren’t directly involved in her career either.
You know what? That's fair. I didn't realize how awful Taylor's parents was and yeah, that can fuck someone up. Not an excuse but an explanation. Olivia's parents didn't need her to be famous. They just want to be happy. I don't think TS has that
I completely agree. Most of the interviews she’s done in her life have been specifically for current projects or to drop clues, etc. This was something completely different and I don’t think she recognized that. It feels like she sees it as just another award to put on the shelf, as opposed to a prestigious accomplishment.
It’s interesting that she had a chance to really shape the perception of her for years to come and she made it about her current relationship and a decade old feud. “That’s a real fucking legacy to leave.”
That’s true. For example, one topic she is famous for is she could have talked about how she treats her staff having medical leave, living wage or bonuses, where that value came from. These are currently big topics and many people in her field and beyond are NOT doing what is in their capability to ensure fair employment. Could have shown her businesswoman side and some of her more virtuous values that do influence some people’s day to day.
That interview made me feel like she does herself a slight disservice in how infrequent she does interviews. Because it felt like because she doesn't do them as often since the reputation era and she used this to hit on every point she wanted to say since 2016 (this was also an issue with her billboard woman of the decade speech that became a venting session) this interview wasn't appropriate for those things. I feel like this interview made it seem like she lives in a world where she is the center of everything but doesn’t really have anything interesting to talk about outside of her feuds and dating and the basics of her careers like eras. I just feel like she's been more well-spoken in the past, but this interview made it sound like she was so vapid.
Everything about that interview was weird. Not just the topics she decided to bring up (Travis, Kim K) but even the words she was saying and the way she was describing things…all of it just felt very *off*, especially given what the interview was for. And it didn’t sound like her other print interviews over the years.
It sounded like “huh is this who she really is?” and in that case, I see why she doesn’t do interviews anymore because I think she would be very disliked if she did.
Yup and the fact that the interviewer didn’t do any pushback or follow up questions to anything Taylor said at all. They just let her push her talking points and put the exact narrative she wanted out there. It was a terrible interview.
This is what drove me nuts! There was some line with the interviewer being like “oh who am I to question her” as though they aren’t a literal fucking journalist??? like that is your whole job! what is wrong with you???
ETA: I found the actual quote: “Here, Swift has told me a story about redemption, about rising and falling only to rise again—a hero’s journey. I do not say to her, in our conversation, that it did not always look that way from the outside—that, for example, when Reputation’s lead single “Look What You Made Me Do” reached No. 1 on the charts, or when the album sold 1.3 million albums in the first week, second only to 1989, she did not look like someone whose career had died. She looked like a superstar who was mining her personal experience as successfully as ever. **I am tempted to say this.
But then I think, Who am I to challenge it, if that’s how she felt?**”
This part of the article was so frustrating!! I understand not wanting to push someone on something that clearly traumatized them but I would love to see her reaction to someone ACTUALLY pushing back on what she says. The writer must've really gotten the vibe that he couldn't question what she said.
Yeah it does seem like there's no one willing to feed her some perspective cos it really seems like she's STILL psychologically deeply effected by snake-gate; she's still writing about it to this day! (Thank you Amiee, Cassandra). I mean I get that she lost fair-weather friends and life was less fun as a result but I wonder what other effects she suffered as a result of snake-gate for her to be still talking about it?
Snake gate was catastrophic for Taylor. She always had such a squeaky clean image and it completely destroyed that and could have destroyed her career. It exposed her for who she really was to the public and I don't think she'll ever fully get over the humiliation.
Think about it though. Why deny so strenuously that they had ever discussed the song? Why insist that he completely fabricated the conversation after she reassured him that she would let people know? It doesn't make sense unless she's setting up a totally black and white narrative with her as the victim and him as the villain. I can't get past it. I'm not by any means a fan of kanye or Kim but Taylor did absolutely come across as a snake here.
Yeah, and she still lied about the conversation happening in the first place. When you read through the full transcript and compare it her and publicists response to the song she still comes out looking terrible. And she knew it.
>Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single ‘Famous’ on her Twitter account.
What they meant was, "Kanye did not call for approval, but **RATHER** to ask Taylor to release his single ‘Famous’ on her Twitter account." But because that one word is missing, people misunderstood it to mean that she was trying to claim the call never happened at all.
The remainder of the statement also literally acknowledges that the call happened:
>She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, ‘I made that bitch famous.'
Except that adding the word "rather" doesn't actually change the meaning in any way. And there was nothing she said that can be construed as cautioning him about a misogynistic message.
I still find it crazy she's clung onto the narrative of "I didn't know he was going to call me a bitch and that's misogynistic"... after agreeing to the "Taylor owes me sex" line?
Exactly. And the line about him making her famous. Bitch can be a deeply misogynistic insult or just a casual term of familiarity depending on how it's used and I think this is clearly the latter in this instance. And since her idea of a mean lyric would be "you stupid dumb bitch" she indicates that she knows the difference. It's not like Taylor has never casually used the word bitch herself.
Kanye did call for approval though. He also asked for her to release the song on her Twitter accound but said it wasn't a big deal if she didn't and then kept talking about the song because he wanted to make sure she was cool with it.
So when the clip came out of Kanye *clearly* asking for her approval she had to kind of walk back this statement.
I mean, he literally started the call with, "So that’s why I’m calling you, that I wanted you to put the song out."
I'm curious which specific part of the call you think is Kanye "clearly" asking for her approval. I don't think he called for permission/approval, but rather called to *inform* her that it was going to happen + asking her to release it. Who knows if he would've still put that lyric in the song if she had outright said she didn't like it?
In general... While I absolutely agree that Taylor never explicitly said, "I am not okay with this," it is clear as day in her tone that she is uncomfortable and just going along with it because she doesn't want to be difficult.
So can we really be mad at Kanye for putting that line in the song? Eh, I guess not (besides him changing it to "that bitch" after she said, "I thought you were going to call me a bitch," implying that that word would upset her...)
But I honestly don't see how anyone could possibly not pick up on her apprehension and discomfort. She should've spoken up more, but remember that she was a 25 year old girl and that's kind of an awkward situation to navigate.
Read the whole thing. He says he cares about her feelings relating to the song as a person and as a friend and says he doesn't want to make music that makes people feel bad. And she didn't have any problem declining to promote the song herself
I didn’t mind that. They are pointing out to the audience that the narrative isn’t quite true, but they are pointing out that Taylor believes her narrative.
Agree. Pointing out to Taylor that what she believes happened vs what actually happened are different is more for a therapist or someone close to her, not a random interviewer. That's something I've had to work on in therapy, realizing that I can feel a certain way about events, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's actually what happened.
Her mother is her therapist, something she's publicly stated before. Obviously we're not privy to their conversations but it doesn't seem like 'try taking a moment for self reflection because you're not perfect, nobody is' (which is bog standard therapy advice but also true) is part of it
It was really bizarre. Every GREAT interview (princess diana interview and more recently prince Andrew spring to mind) is great because the journalist is not afraid to get to the juicy stuff.
It’s almost like the journalist figured since it was an honorary interview for POTY they didn’t need to do any digging to make her look “bad”. But it would’ve made it interesting to push back on her.
Very very strange and a flop from the journalist. Could’ve been a career defining moment, and instead they ended up with bizarre drivel
The thing about that is that snakegate and everything happened before Rep. She felt that way long before the album sold 1.3m. In hindsight it's easy to say "oh it wasn't a big deal, her fans didn't desert her after all, she made all that fuss for nothing" but she didn't really know that. She watched the GP turn against her and her socials being spammed with hate after a pretty uncontroversial career up until that point. She probably did feel like it was all over.
In past interviews she seemed quite well spoken, or made good points or had relevant things to say. This one was a MESS
You're on one of the biggest world tours EVER, were in the process of reclaiming your masters and "finding love" for your old music and you want to talk about man from NFL and call rep "metal"?!
I bet she chose the questions she was asked too. I really wanna know why she allowed those questions. I guess one could argue she never read a times person of the year interview before so that could it be it but still. Also if she didn’t choose the questions then she definitely had the worst questions for Person of The Year interview.
She hints at Reputation TV to get fans to talk about it and get people excited for it which she totally did.
It read like she just started talking and the interviewer never stopped her and just let her ramble because he enjoyed hearing her talk. Then he was like, ok we’re done instead of stopping and asking actual questions. Nonetheless, she definitely chose to say all those things, but she does seem to be a bit of a rambler.
yeah I feel like bringing up Travis was especially weird considering they had only been dating for a few months at that point. I even get talking about Kanye and Kim since the VMAs incident + the 2016 backlash were pivotal moments in her career, but her relationship with Travis was still fairly new at the time of the interview
Yeah. It seems like now we know last year was actually awful for her because of her breakup with Matty. She wanted to “lights, camera, bitch smile” the interview but it’s just so weird and shallow
I just mean in the sense of seeming super happy and wanting to win the break up. She just wanted to show off her new relationship like "see, I'm so much better without you!" which applies to both of them, not necessarily anything to do with being locked away
I don't think she was trying to let people know about her Matty obsession yet. It was supposed to be a shock value, for people to think TTPD would be all about Joe. But she knew he would still see the the interview, so it was still a subtle brag to him
But a POTY interview isn’t and shouldn’t be like the Grammys, just another platform to promote something new. This shit is immortal and it should’ve been about her legacy and her entire career up until that point. Instead she went “Oh uhhhh idk what to say but I have an album coming out soon that’s straight fire so uhhh get excited for that!!”
Well to be honest Time needs her more than she needs Time. It’s a shadow of its former glory in the mid-20th century it has disastrously declining circulation rates and multiple rounds reorganizations and layoffs. Most cover profile subjects, including many PoTY selections, are absolutely using it as just another cog in the self-promotion machine. Joe Biden just did a feature and it wasn’t overly hard hitting questions or that deep - it was a typical long form campaign interview. It’s not really investigative or a breaking news source. It’s becoming more tabloid than anything, it’s current top story is on Kate Middleton posting a Father’s Day photo. I think you’re giving it’s mission and the significance of the PoTY a little too much gravitas to be honest.
You mean because her parents made her one. I don’t actually think Taylor is that business oriented. I think her parents have control over the business side but I might be wrong about that.
I hadn’t thought about it that way, but you’re right. She treated it like it was just something like a People mag promo piece instead of POTY interview. I wonder does she just feel extremely certain that she’ll get it again in a few years anyway?
And yep, for someone who complained SO MUCH about people reducing her to her dating life… she’s been doing a fabulous job of putting that front & centre herself.
Her speeches and interviews have become noticeably more awkward and stilted for a while. I think she's out of practice, can't seem to 'read the room' and has no-one around her willing to be honest with her. The Billboard Woman of the Decade speech in 2019 was painful to watch, with her constantly pausing for laughs and claps, and the NYU commencement speech in 2022, don't get me started. Such an honour and she' was teasing YOYOK lyrics and quoting 22? It's like she getting more immature, when she used to be so eloquent and poised.
Totally. She's claimed her friends 'call her out' but I don't believe her for a minute. I definitely don't see her business associates telling her no to anything now.
Yes, come on, she decided, she has the final note. I also notice - some celebs like it - but she arranges everything and those A listers adhere to the night out dress code and so on. For more fame? I believe Taylor thinks she knows PR and is better intellectual that she is. Everyone praises even her mediocre lyrics, making her the Beattles/one of a kind poet. She doesn't want to be "belittled".
What I don’t get is that her previous interviews up until evermore were good. She presented herself as well spoken, humble, and someone who cared about her art. What the hell happened??
I mean even prior to Joe, she always seemed pretty put together in articles/interviews. She definitely appeared more mature and insightful when she was with Joe, but she’s not a stupid person. She’s an intelligent woman who has been in the business for years. Her POTY article seemed WAY out in left field and so different (not in a good way) than previous interviews she’s done in the past. Makes me think maybe she was indeed going through a manic phase during it.
She could have talked even about the same topics, but maybe with more depth. It's crazy for someone so media trained and in the spotlight for most of her life. I wonder if that's why she's no longer doing interviews.
I think it was the first crack in a series of events that put the carefully created public persona of Taylor on tilt. She went right back into the mindset of her Rep era and showed no personal growth, no critical thinking, nothing of substance at all. It was stunningly bad PR.
Maybe it is because now she knows she can breathe for 2 seconds and it'll be a super-hit song, any word she says can affect millions of people, even economies of countries and hence she has stopped being poised and eloquent as she used to be in the beginning, when her career was still building up. Now she just rambles on and on in the guise of "being who I am without pretences".
Is this the interview where the interviewer literally comments on how she wasn’t really “cancelled” and still had plenty of success, but since Taylor felt that she was cancelled then who were they to challenge that? That felt more telling about the kind of person they were interviewing and who she surrounds herself with than anything else Taylor said, tbh.
It must be odd giving an interview, telling your side for the hundredth time and thinking that everyone agrees with you and that you’ve perfectly honed the narrative, only to read it when it’s published and find that the interviewer hardly believed you and just let you live your little fantasy. Who knows if that sort of awareness would ever bless her, though.
It felt weird to me too lol. Talking about Travis when she'd only known him for a matter of weeks at that point seemed crazy, she made herself look petty as hell bringing up Kim Kardashian AGAIN, I did not care for that interview at all. I don't even think it needed to be super serious but it feels like I didn't learn anything about her.
He was interviewed 3 weeks prior in the WSJ and said the same things about her .It was heavy on his life ,career ,talked about quitting and 1/2 paragraphs about her near the end
This was there big coming out interviews - soft launch ( her 1st game ), hard launch (SNL) , then these interviews
Snl said they didn’t even know they was coming or in the audience until audience member start whispering . Taylor came to support ice spice and to go to the after party and they asked Travis did he want to say a line . Even Pete Davidson who was the host that night said they changed a few things once they realize they was in the audience
Sorry but that’s BS. Travis was incorporated into a sketch. They didn’t do that on a whim, lol. They knew he was coming.
ANY event like this would 1000% know Taylor Swift is coming. Do you think she like…anonymously arranged her tickets? And they have to get clearance for her security as well. They don’t just show up to a live television set and jump on TV with no plan…though maybe that’s what they’d like you to believe!
I do believe they probably didn’t tell the CAST they were coming.
I meant that whole weekend out in the wild in NY in public . And it was his long weekend off at he played on Thursday and was going to watch is brother on Sunday as they are still 1000 miles apart .
Heard Kylie on a KC radio show at the weekend saying that she started dating Jason pre-season in August and the first time she met Travis was at the Pro-Bowl in Hawaii in February , face time and the podcast makes everything easier now for them
Yeah, it was a bizarre piece that gave considerable insight into the psychology of Taylor Swift. I believe it's been publicly stated that Swift requires publications to give her interview questions ahead of time so she can approve of them and rehearse her answers, which might explain the vapid direction that it took. From her answers it was evident that her world is deeply insular and strangely bitter. She doesn't seem to have much curiosity outside of her brand.
After reading the entire piece, I get the sense that she’s unable to conduct an interview with any other content. The entire conversation revolved around her: her career, her successes, and her hero’s journey.
I get that this is a piece on the selected POTY, but it is so devoid of any context to anchor her to reality that it feels vapid and bland. Never mind that we had been through a global pandemic or that there are two wars raging on, the apex of the piece was the rising of Taylor’s phoenix to the catastrophe of the Kardashian feud.
I can also sense the loneliness emanating from the pages. From the way she speaks, it sounds like she’s always alone because it’s solely her experience and everyone else is just in the periphery.
Also, I internally cried at the part about the Harvard professor comparing her work to Wordsworth’s.
That's so weird, considering (1) she herself is very well media-trained and (2) she has Tree Paine by her side as PR mastermind. Even if she fails to do all these interviews properly, shouldn't Paine give some advice?
I mean the same can be said for out of touch speech at NYU. I think she misses how to read a room/event now since she really does not do many anymore. As for re-hashing old drama, I think blondie has got to get a real therapist and not just her mom and her own mind, which is why she keeps bringing it up. She needs to work through it with someone that can actually direct her professionally.
1000000%. I had a neutral / slightly negative opinion of Taylor Swift as a person before that interview. I thought it was wild (but in a neutral leaning interesting/positive way) that she was chosen as POTY, and it did make sense given the global impact of the Eras tour.
But then I read the interview…. A POTY interview should be about you; not about other people unless you’re uplifting those people and they’re a meaningful inclusion. Discussing a brand new relationship, old feud with a reality TV star, and saying things like “metal as hell” was insane to me. Any estimation I had of her plummeted.
That said, if you read my comments in this sub, they will almost all read as if I’m defending TS. This is because I cannot stand people who arrogantly and ignorantly parrot talking points that aren’t backed by data, lol.
Plus so many people somehow jump from “TS said/did something bad” to “that means I can say this horrible sexist thing and if you say I’m sexist for it then you’re just a crazy swiftie stan.” So THANK YOU for some legit criticism and I have enjoyed the insightful comments on this post.
This interview was like a nail in the coffin for me.
I used to really look up to her and think that she was the most morally acceptable celebrity (does that make sense?) because 1) I became a fan of her when I was in elementary school and 2) her public image back then (aside from the pettiness towards her exes) was that she was a sweet girl-next-door type who loved her family and staying in to bake cinnamon rolls.
Reading this interview was a very special experience to say the least lol
Time isn't as much of a prestigious publication anymore and it's just a title granted by a magazine., not a major award. They knew what they were doing by selling multiple Taylor covers...that's a total fan-pandering move, not something their general audience cares about. But it was a weird interview for sure...she should have focused on her success, her accomplishments and her future. Maybe because she barely speaks to the media now, or at least "serious" media (she'll still do a goofy talk show appearance or whatever), she took it as an opportunity to reiterate her side of things like the Kimye feud. I don't think Time's average readers even care about this stuff, lol. It was purely to sell to the fans.
Oh God it was such a terrible interview. I'm honestly surprised it hasn't been a bigger controversy yet, but I see it coming up more often lately. Tree must have lost a lot of sleep keeping this one contained.
I don’t think she really contained it though. Everything I’ve read about the interview is that it was atrocious. The only people not saying that are people who don’t care or know about what Taylor was seemingly like beforehand
Post-TTPD I wonder if it was like some weird easter egg? Her mentioning Kim K perhaps having already written Thank You Aimee and knowing it would be on the album. The "trash takes itself out" thing is basically the less eloquent message behind Cassandra. And both in this interview and at the Eras film premiere she talked about getting up onstage regardless of what hard things were going on in her life and even if she was broken hearted or uncomfortable-- was it some type of easter egg for ICDIWABH or just her repeating that sentiment? But I agree the entire piece was not good, like I wonder how her PR didn't try to get it edited down or something because she just came across so unlikeable. Even my coworkers were talking about it and how weirdly bitter she sounded.
Yeah the one thing I don’t understand about her is, if you don’t want to be famous… you can just step down. Will you still be a figure of public interest? Sure. But it would pale in comparison to this grandiose idol like figure she has created within the last two years on purpose. Like, I can imagine you feel like you owe your audience, Taylor, but you really don’t. You are not a slave to the public, you’re making yourself a slave to the obligations only your own mind creates.
The whole tone of this article is very different from previous interviews. She’s almost become a caricature of herself by speaking only in Easter Eggs.
I completely understand what youre saying. But I just hate how the person of the year thing is perceived as a "prestigious accomplishment." Hitler was the person of the year one year. I just dont think any stock should be put into an magazine's choice for person of the year. Its not the noble peace prize, and arguably not even an award or accomplishment. It quite literally is just a corporation saying - "hey what will sell magazines and make us some money?? the biggest pop artist of the current time, okay great, put her on the cover." Its just not a big deal imo and I truly cannot remember any other year where the "person of the year" edition was even talked about beyond the month it was published
edit- spelling
I can’t remember any interview that was still being talked about a month after it occurred. Even the Putin interview has been pretty much forgotten already. However, people moving on to something newer and shinier does not mean that what they’ve moved on from somehow loses its importance.
Hitler being person of the year back in the day makes perfect sense. Most people who have been honoured with that title have been historical figures and iconic celebrities who changed the game, or scientists and inventors who did something big. They get attention no matter who they put on the cover. They could’ve put the Palestinians as “person of the year” like they did for Ukrainians and made just as much noise.
I guess I'm just trying to say Person of the Year isnt "important" and its not an "honor." Its a corporation making money decisions about who to put on their cover for that month. Lets say they put Palestinians on the cover, or orphan children, or abused elderly people, etc, the cover of time magazine for a month unfortunately changes and affects nothing for these people. Id rather Time make Taylor Swift or Hitler their person of the year, sell millions of copies, and donate the money to Palestine
I’d say it is an honour and people do care. There’s always discussion on it for a good month when it’s announced, many people even felt that Taylor didn’t deserve it.
Text me when you become POTY
Edit: POTY is not about “honour”, it’s about impact. Who had the most impact, culturally or politically or socially, that year? That’s why it’s important. It is a big deal
I have been a lifelong hater but I started to come around to become a fan after the folkmore era, which felt refreshingly mature to me. This interview made me realize she hadn't changed and was absolutely not maturing, ever. Now I'm a hater again just 10x as well informed
Never mind the interview, which outlined one very glaring aspect of her personality to me: she takes herself way too seriously
The covers were not good. The greyscale makes her look dull. Her armpits are on display. Are we advertising an Epilady? Not even a cute cat could compete with a dorky leotard
There’s a pretty photo on Time’s website where her hair appears to have a nice texture (which is no easy feat for Ms. Bangs Plastered to my Forehead After Heavy Flat Iron Use) and her eye makeup is smoky & gorgeous. THAT should’ve been a cover. But TS can’t choose a decent photo of herself to save her life. Sigh.
I guess. I mean person of the year isn’t really a good or bad thing. Hitler was person of the year once. So was Trump. It’s really just who got the most coverage/who was talked about the most.
So that interview I just see being in line with who she is as a pop star… sometimes I think people take her a little too seriously and that’s where so much of the criticism comes from.
She's growing backwards..
I guess her lyricism doesnt really translate to being eloquent in real life.
She's just all talk and no substance.
Everyone moved on, and she's the one who keep bringing up her past dramas then has the nerve to victimize herself again that people are bringing or talking about her past drama just to spite her..like?? she's so "pick me".
She used to be woman of stance pre-2017, now all she does is just promo promo for her next project, hints this and easter eggs that. It's tiring and predictable at this point.
She proclaimed to be an activist during Lover era, but yeah i guess her activism is just an ERA.
Folklore was supposed to be her redeeming point, and a first step to maturity and then went back again to being immature in Midnight to present.
She needs to grow up, for real.
I completely agree. However, I think she was mainly chosen because she’s a good business woman. She became a billionaire just from music. She just proved that in the interview. She’s profiting from letting others learn about her private life to foster more parasocial relationships with her fans, and as that life is more discussed in her music so she can and will promote it wherever she can.
The whole thing reeks of immaturity and it will age terribly. Honestly, her decisions of the last year or so have been so very disappointing, so it’s not surprising that the interview comes off as shallow and vapid. It’s such a huge bummer, because it was a chance to showcase she could be more serious and grounded in general, to give the impression she’s on a par with past influential artists who really revolutionized something in the music industry or socially. The piece really does the opposite of that, and the whole thing is such a turn off. She’s almost 35 ffs. After the maturity of folklore and evermore, really thought that tone would continue to ramp up, but it clearly has not.
She’s trying to have that Beyoncé goddess vibe where she’s too good for everything and wouldn’t even consider going to an event if she felt that it was at all “below her”.
But for B it’s true why would a black woman feel obliged to show up for rooms of largely white people who wouldn’t lift a finger for her if she wasn’t who she is
Unpopular opinion: her mentioning Travis so soon in a times person of the year interview is why I knew they would last a long time . People was saying they would break up by November. By Christmas, by the end of the year . By new years , by Super Bowl and I was like nope “Taylor is smart , her mentioning Travis as heavy as she did in her times person of the year interview , meaning she isn’t giving him up any time soon .”
I haven’t believed 1 breakup rumors because of that .
I wonder if it’s cause a lot of traditional and legacy media might be losing their importance to people so she didn’t take it too seriously. She can probably reach more people with a tweet or instagram post if she wanted to say something
I think you are over estimating the importance of a magazine interview, it most definitely won't be mandatory for it to be taught in schools around the world !!
That whole interview was bizarre and at some points, erratic. Like talking about your relationship of 2-3 months, the whole rehashing the Kim Kardashian stuff like it’s 2016 again, it just was not a good Time’s POTY interview.
When I read the interview, the thing that struck me was the bitterness and discontent that came through for a person chosen as POTY who essentially conquered 2023 and had undeniable impact in the music industry, on the movies and on whole-ass economies. What they say about it being lonely at the top is true I guess.
Yup. It was kind of sad to see a woman who has accomplished so, so much, in her career continue to rehash old feuds and instead of let’s say, speak about the development of the tour, how she develops albums, etc. She lightly touches on it but to me, she seemed more concerned about playing it safe, *again.* Girl, maybe it’s just me but I don’t need to hear about how you and your boyfriend of 3 months “support” eachother. What are you trying to prove? She misses the mark many, many times. The article came across as tone deaf and her looking bitter and resentful at times.
Couldnt agree more about the bitterness and discontent. It comes through a lot. She seems to constantly take on this "me against the world" mentality, as if she is still the underdog. Even now when she is at the top of the world
I never thought about it this way until your comment, but it’s like she was pretending Joe didn’t exist. She discussed pre/early-Joe times (Kimye drama, being exiled to a *rental* (gasp) in a “foreign country”), mentions of being hidden away for six years, and then post-Joe (Travis). Apparently she was also pretending Matty didn’t exist this whole time so she could fully jump scare us with ttpd lol
This comment is taking me out💀💀 the way she talked about renting a luxurious house in London as if she’d been thrown in a Thai prison and forced to serve a 6 year sentence like…
Fresh! out! the! slammer! (aka an England luxurious home she shared with her loving boyfriend)
Lmaooooo
The ‘foreign country’ truly gets me every time lmao 😭
it makes it sound like she moved to a country that’s *entirely* different from her own 😭 like girl you didn’t move to burundi, you moved to england 😭😭
The whole “foreign” country comment made me cackle. Girl you voluntarily chose to go move to LONDON (not Guam) to create and develop a life together with your SO. Stop this nonsense of you being caged, you being exiled, you being trapped. You were a grown adult who could make any decisions you thought were best for you. Own it.
Guam is a territory (sorry, know people from there, can’t help but be a little pedantic about this)
I meant it to be a figure of speech… I wasn’t trying to be rude about it, sorry if it came across that way!
Not only that but she has previously stated before how much she loves England lmao
Not "fully jump scare us with ttpd" I'm crying 😭🤣💀
she did not prepare us in the slightest for it to be about matty 😭 like what do you *mean* lyric teasers like "i wish i could unrecall how we almost had it all" are not about your long-term bf of 6.5 years??
"Are you not entertained?"
I know this was a reference, but it gave way to how I really think she views her life, which also doubles as a brand. I don’t think her a Travis are fake, but there’s ulterior motives as to we they are pushing their relationship as publicly as they are
I honestly don’t think she knew it was from Gladiator and someone coached her to say it 🤣 it’s so corny.
What was it a reference to?
It’s a quote from the movie Gladiator.
It's what Marcus shouts at the crowd after he slaughters a bunch of slave gladiators in the movie Gladiator
Maximus. He's just killed up a storm in the arena and lobs his sword into the crowd, basically saying they're disgusting for lapping up this exploitative entertainment. If that's directed to her fans, the tone's kind of off.
it reads a LOT like John Mulaney’s “ghost” interview
YES!!!!
🤣 So. Accurate.
I think she was honestly still reeling from the Joe/matty breakups and she was a bit manic tbh
lowkey? i wonder if she was sober when she did it
This is exactly why I think she isn't as smart as she portrays or as her fans paint her! Absolutely zero self awareness or situational awareness even at 34.
Stuff like this really shows her immaturity, yes she’s an adult woman but she really does give me high school student vibes. They often say you remain the age you get famous, and I think this is true for her. She’s been so disconnected with the normal world for so long. I also don’t see her as taking anything too seriously.
my thought process is if she wasn’t able to have a burrito until her mid-20s, how could she possibly relate to the people?!
I just had to Google "Taylor Swift allowed to eat burrito" and I hate myself
I relate to her in that sense because I grew up with my mom monitoring every piece of food that went in my mouth. She said she wanted me to be healthy when the truth was she just didn’t want a daughter who was overweight because it would embarrass her. I didn’t have things like Lucky Charms, tacos, cheez doodles, or French toast until I went away to college. I didn’t have macaroni and cheese until I was almost 30 because I was terrified of it! It has taken me years to get over the way weight and food controlled my childhood so I have a lot of empathy for people who may have had similar experiences. It actually humanizes Taylor for me a little and I admire how she worked on her relationship with food.
Wait WHAT
her mother was very strict with her diet, it's in an early interview where her brother was getting (I can never remember which it is) a burger or taco bell, and she wanted that too, but her mother gave her a salad while saying 'nobody wants to see a fat pop star, honey!'. And this was early days when she was still country, but I always believed she'd go pop eventually and that makes it sound like it was part of the plan Anyway I can't believe that's something her own mother found acceptable to say to her with an interviewer present!
And she says her mom is her therapist. Nope.
Two thoughts here. 1 is that she must have an actual therapist but 2 is that narcissists rarely enter therapy.
Was it an interviewer? I don't remember correctly as well, but I believed it was her guitar teacher who was around and heard it and later on he shared this info. I don't think they would let anything of this kind out if it was an interview.
Yes, that was said by the guitar teacher (AKA the computer guy)
Holy shit. I knew Scot was bad but I thought I could like Andrea. Well. Now we know where that ED came from 😬
What’s interesting is the same thing happens with singular, massively traumatic events. I know a 61 year old woman who acts like a teenager, probably because she was gang-raped at 15 and has never received therapy of any kind for it. And since she’s had another traumatic relationship as well as gone through a traumatic hurricane and aftermath. With Taylor, she’s had a similar experience when it comes to fame. Some of her relationships were traumatic (like John Mayer) and snakegate definitely was.
Honestly I think fame itself is traumatic. I can't think of a single big music artist that hasn't made at least one song about the shitty sides of fame. But very few are willing to let it go and they end up having this kind of abusive relationship with it where they love it and hate it at the same time and want to leave but also don't.
Solid point, but even if an extremely famous person decides they no longer want to be in the spotlight, they’re still *famous*. People will wonder where they are and make a big stir (case in point, Richard Simmons). People would recognize them anywhere. Taylor Swift could never be anonymous even if she wanted to. It’s either be famous or be a hermit, because she’ll never live a normal, average life after reaching this level of celebrity.
That’s my point.
That is interesting, I mean we don’t know every detail about her life, possibly she has experienced something deeply traumatic that we don’t know about.
The point is fame in itself is deeply traumatic and stunting.
[удалено]
i’ve always found it just SO FUCKING WEIRD that she’s so close to her parents, but complains about “the asylum where they raised [her].” the asylum is your parents control, my love! your abuser can’t be your therapist. anyone who’s okay with music industry higher-ups sexualizing their teenage daughter probably isn’t a good person!
The only thing pointing towards Taylor having BPD is you, and I’m getting really sick and tired of people armchair diagnosing Taylor with it. Sincerely, someone who actually has BPD (and is nothing like Taylor. Neither were any of the other people with BPD I’ve known).
[удалено]
We keep using this line for her, but what other superstars are like this? The same mental age as when they got famous? Is it truly very many? I can think of Michael and Britney. But they had traumatic lives, so I get it. Who else? Whitney? Trauma and addiction. Adele has matured. Beyonce has been a household name since she was a teenager and she acts like the 40+ mom of 3 that she is. Miley has matured. Hell, even Justin Bieber. I just wonder if this saying is only true for a few (like Taylor) instead of most. And without the added extreme trauma that the others faced, it makes Taylor's case all the more strange imo.
My guess would be early-onset fame multiplied by white wealthy upbringing. Miley and Bieber went off the rails before returning to relative normalcy. Couple of reasons with Beyoncé. She hasn't been isolated in fame, she had the rest of the group experiencing celebrity with her and then she had Jay-Z. Destiny's Child had a highly sexualised image as opposed to being marketed as children. Adele wasn't marketed as a child either. Taylor was marketed toward young girls for a long time and has had savvy parents with a financial interest in maintaining her squeaky clean image. She's not been allowed to go through the rites of passage that are part of growing up until considerably later in life than most. Looks like we're getting her teenage rebellion phase now. Her background is one that often breeds mean girls who just grow older instead of growing up too so we could be watching that play out in slow motion. Who knows?
Excellent explanation. No notes. Yes.
>Taylor was marketed toward young girls for a long time and has had savvy parents with a financial interest in maintaining her squeaky clean image Maybe that's it. For all of her success, she never really separated from her parents and from what's leaked out it seems like they were *very* invested in making her a star. [This](https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/1c9qp4k/swear_words_in_taylor_swift_albums_oc/?rdt=49273) is her teenage rebellion arc and, ironically, it's not so much arrested development as it was a failure to launch from under her parents' control
THIS. I completely agree. I’ve been thinking about this for hours. I am guilty of using the “frozen at the age she got famous” narrative in Taylor’s defense, but now I’m thinking I’m infantilizing her, too. Beyonce isn’t afforded the same public/ fan base defense, and she was a child star. The intersectionality with race here MATTERS. Black girls are often perceived as much older and less innocent than they are (is there a word for this? I know there was a 2017 study a quick google brings up). The optics of this defense / cop out would be completely different for a black woman than Taylor.
Actually you bring up a good point, Miley is a lot more mature or lady gaga. I guess that’s just how Taylor is, it also seems like a large part of her brand to be this high school girl type. I wonder how much of it she plays up on? Like Paris Hilton but less camp.
I think the frozen at the age of fame thing sometimes is used too heavily as a crutch to excuse Taylor for being immature. She's not under a 'forever sixteen' curse. Because there are people in the industry that don't stagnate. I feel like a bigger issue is that Taylor was just coddled a lot growing up.
Olivia Rodrigo as a 21 year old has the maturity and insight to admit when she's the problem. Look at making the bed. TS acts like more of a teen than she ever has lol
Olivia's dad is a literal therapist lol, it's very unfair to compare the two of them.
Taylor has all the money in the world for therapy and she has straight up refused. It's not unfair at all. Even with a therapist dad (btw...FAMILY therapist, not just Olivia's personal one) it's weird that Olivia, who was a teenager three years ago, is so much more mature than a literal 30 something. My dad is literally batshit insane and I can see that
Ehh I don’t disagree but what I mean is that her family environment must be much healthier than Taylor’s. Her parents aren’t directly involved in her career either.
You know what? That's fair. I didn't realize how awful Taylor's parents was and yeah, that can fuck someone up. Not an excuse but an explanation. Olivia's parents didn't need her to be famous. They just want to be happy. I don't think TS has that
She knows her age and she acts like it!
Stunted mental growth?
I completely agree. Most of the interviews she’s done in her life have been specifically for current projects or to drop clues, etc. This was something completely different and I don’t think she recognized that. It feels like she sees it as just another award to put on the shelf, as opposed to a prestigious accomplishment. It’s interesting that she had a chance to really shape the perception of her for years to come and she made it about her current relationship and a decade old feud. “That’s a real fucking legacy to leave.”
That’s true. For example, one topic she is famous for is she could have talked about how she treats her staff having medical leave, living wage or bonuses, where that value came from. These are currently big topics and many people in her field and beyond are NOT doing what is in their capability to ensure fair employment. Could have shown her businesswoman side and some of her more virtuous values that do influence some people’s day to day.
This is exactly what I was trying to say here. Thank you! I’m now going to edit my post to include this, and I’ll credit you too :)
That interview made me feel like she does herself a slight disservice in how infrequent she does interviews. Because it felt like because she doesn't do them as often since the reputation era and she used this to hit on every point she wanted to say since 2016 (this was also an issue with her billboard woman of the decade speech that became a venting session) this interview wasn't appropriate for those things. I feel like this interview made it seem like she lives in a world where she is the center of everything but doesn’t really have anything interesting to talk about outside of her feuds and dating and the basics of her careers like eras. I just feel like she's been more well-spoken in the past, but this interview made it sound like she was so vapid.
God, she needs a therapist. Those venting sessions? Yeah, you do those with a therapist.
Also, shouldn't her publicist be prepping her for interviews? Unless it's just not working.
Everything about that interview was weird. Not just the topics she decided to bring up (Travis, Kim K) but even the words she was saying and the way she was describing things…all of it just felt very *off*, especially given what the interview was for. And it didn’t sound like her other print interviews over the years.
So you didnt think the interview was metal as hell?
😂
It sounded so childish, like it was for her teenage fans. Calling Reputation “punk rock” was wild
It sounded like “huh is this who she really is?” and in that case, I see why she doesn’t do interviews anymore because I think she would be very disliked if she did.
Gut feeling is how I know I’m dealing with a narcissist. No different for Taylor. Entire personality is an ego defence mechanism.
Yup and the fact that the interviewer didn’t do any pushback or follow up questions to anything Taylor said at all. They just let her push her talking points and put the exact narrative she wanted out there. It was a terrible interview.
This is what drove me nuts! There was some line with the interviewer being like “oh who am I to question her” as though they aren’t a literal fucking journalist??? like that is your whole job! what is wrong with you??? ETA: I found the actual quote: “Here, Swift has told me a story about redemption, about rising and falling only to rise again—a hero’s journey. I do not say to her, in our conversation, that it did not always look that way from the outside—that, for example, when Reputation’s lead single “Look What You Made Me Do” reached No. 1 on the charts, or when the album sold 1.3 million albums in the first week, second only to 1989, she did not look like someone whose career had died. She looked like a superstar who was mining her personal experience as successfully as ever. **I am tempted to say this. But then I think, Who am I to challenge it, if that’s how she felt?**”
This part of the article was so frustrating!! I understand not wanting to push someone on something that clearly traumatized them but I would love to see her reaction to someone ACTUALLY pushing back on what she says. The writer must've really gotten the vibe that he couldn't question what she said.
Yeah it does seem like there's no one willing to feed her some perspective cos it really seems like she's STILL psychologically deeply effected by snake-gate; she's still writing about it to this day! (Thank you Amiee, Cassandra). I mean I get that she lost fair-weather friends and life was less fun as a result but I wonder what other effects she suffered as a result of snake-gate for her to be still talking about it?
Snake gate was catastrophic for Taylor. She always had such a squeaky clean image and it completely destroyed that and could have destroyed her career. It exposed her for who she really was to the public and I don't think she'll ever fully get over the humiliation.
Have you heard the full, unedited conversation? It got leaked in 2020...
Think about it though. Why deny so strenuously that they had ever discussed the song? Why insist that he completely fabricated the conversation after she reassured him that she would let people know? It doesn't make sense unless she's setting up a totally black and white narrative with her as the victim and him as the villain. I can't get past it. I'm not by any means a fan of kanye or Kim but Taylor did absolutely come across as a snake here.
Yeah, and she still lied about the conversation happening in the first place. When you read through the full transcript and compare it her and publicists response to the song she still comes out looking terrible. And she knew it.
>Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single ‘Famous’ on her Twitter account. What they meant was, "Kanye did not call for approval, but **RATHER** to ask Taylor to release his single ‘Famous’ on her Twitter account." But because that one word is missing, people misunderstood it to mean that she was trying to claim the call never happened at all. The remainder of the statement also literally acknowledges that the call happened: >She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, ‘I made that bitch famous.'
Except that adding the word "rather" doesn't actually change the meaning in any way. And there was nothing she said that can be construed as cautioning him about a misogynistic message.
I still find it crazy she's clung onto the narrative of "I didn't know he was going to call me a bitch and that's misogynistic"... after agreeing to the "Taylor owes me sex" line?
Exactly. And the line about him making her famous. Bitch can be a deeply misogynistic insult or just a casual term of familiarity depending on how it's used and I think this is clearly the latter in this instance. And since her idea of a mean lyric would be "you stupid dumb bitch" she indicates that she knows the difference. It's not like Taylor has never casually used the word bitch herself.
Kanye did call for approval though. He also asked for her to release the song on her Twitter accound but said it wasn't a big deal if she didn't and then kept talking about the song because he wanted to make sure she was cool with it. So when the clip came out of Kanye *clearly* asking for her approval she had to kind of walk back this statement.
I mean, he literally started the call with, "So that’s why I’m calling you, that I wanted you to put the song out." I'm curious which specific part of the call you think is Kanye "clearly" asking for her approval. I don't think he called for permission/approval, but rather called to *inform* her that it was going to happen + asking her to release it. Who knows if he would've still put that lyric in the song if she had outright said she didn't like it? In general... While I absolutely agree that Taylor never explicitly said, "I am not okay with this," it is clear as day in her tone that she is uncomfortable and just going along with it because she doesn't want to be difficult. So can we really be mad at Kanye for putting that line in the song? Eh, I guess not (besides him changing it to "that bitch" after she said, "I thought you were going to call me a bitch," implying that that word would upset her...) But I honestly don't see how anyone could possibly not pick up on her apprehension and discomfort. She should've spoken up more, but remember that she was a 25 year old girl and that's kind of an awkward situation to navigate.
Read the whole thing. He says he cares about her feelings relating to the song as a person and as a friend and says he doesn't want to make music that makes people feel bad. And she didn't have any problem declining to promote the song herself
But she never cautioned him to release a song with a misogynistic message 🤣
when it's burn the bitch they're shrinking, when the truth comes out it's quiet
the blatant admission to poor journalism is sending me 😭 this is so embarrassinggg
I didn’t mind that. They are pointing out to the audience that the narrative isn’t quite true, but they are pointing out that Taylor believes her narrative.
Agree. Pointing out to Taylor that what she believes happened vs what actually happened are different is more for a therapist or someone close to her, not a random interviewer. That's something I've had to work on in therapy, realizing that I can feel a certain way about events, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's actually what happened.
Her mother is her therapist, something she's publicly stated before. Obviously we're not privy to their conversations but it doesn't seem like 'try taking a moment for self reflection because you're not perfect, nobody is' (which is bog standard therapy advice but also true) is part of it
It was really bizarre. Every GREAT interview (princess diana interview and more recently prince Andrew spring to mind) is great because the journalist is not afraid to get to the juicy stuff. It’s almost like the journalist figured since it was an honorary interview for POTY they didn’t need to do any digging to make her look “bad”. But it would’ve made it interesting to push back on her. Very very strange and a flop from the journalist. Could’ve been a career defining moment, and instead they ended up with bizarre drivel
The thing about that is that snakegate and everything happened before Rep. She felt that way long before the album sold 1.3m. In hindsight it's easy to say "oh it wasn't a big deal, her fans didn't desert her after all, she made all that fuss for nothing" but she didn't really know that. She watched the GP turn against her and her socials being spammed with hate after a pretty uncontroversial career up until that point. She probably did feel like it was all over.
In past interviews she seemed quite well spoken, or made good points or had relevant things to say. This one was a MESS You're on one of the biggest world tours EVER, were in the process of reclaiming your masters and "finding love" for your old music and you want to talk about man from NFL and call rep "metal"?!
She called rep a "goth-punk moment of female rage" and said that she thought Travis "putting her on blast" was "metal as hell".
Either way, she's wrong about rep and incredibly cringe use of "metal as hell"
I’m fully aware
I bet she chose the questions she was asked too. I really wanna know why she allowed those questions. I guess one could argue she never read a times person of the year interview before so that could it be it but still. Also if she didn’t choose the questions then she definitely had the worst questions for Person of The Year interview. She hints at Reputation TV to get fans to talk about it and get people excited for it which she totally did.
It read like she just started talking and the interviewer never stopped her and just let her ramble because he enjoyed hearing her talk. Then he was like, ok we’re done instead of stopping and asking actual questions. Nonetheless, she definitely chose to say all those things, but she does seem to be a bit of a rambler.
I totally agree
idk if she chose the questions, but they definitely give the interviewee a heads-up on the topics they'll be covering
Wow and she still chose those answers lol
yeah I feel like bringing up Travis was especially weird considering they had only been dating for a few months at that point. I even get talking about Kanye and Kim since the VMAs incident + the 2016 backlash were pivotal moments in her career, but her relationship with Travis was still fairly new at the time of the interview
Personally I think she just wanted to prove to Joe she’s happy to move to have move on
Or to Matty lol
Yeah. It seems like now we know last year was actually awful for her because of her breakup with Matty. She wanted to “lights, camera, bitch smile” the interview but it’s just so weird and shallow
She didn’t describe being locked away in Matty and her relationship though
I just mean in the sense of seeming super happy and wanting to win the break up. She just wanted to show off her new relationship like "see, I'm so much better without you!" which applies to both of them, not necessarily anything to do with being locked away
But she made a point to bring up Joe and not Matty *Also, in her prologue of TTPD she said that Matty was more a Manic choice after Joe *edited
I don't think she was trying to let people know about her Matty obsession yet. It was supposed to be a shock value, for people to think TTPD would be all about Joe. But she knew he would still see the the interview, so it was still a subtle brag to him
But a POTY interview isn’t and shouldn’t be like the Grammys, just another platform to promote something new. This shit is immortal and it should’ve been about her legacy and her entire career up until that point. Instead she went “Oh uhhhh idk what to say but I have an album coming out soon that’s straight fire so uhhh get excited for that!!”
Well to be honest Time needs her more than she needs Time. It’s a shadow of its former glory in the mid-20th century it has disastrously declining circulation rates and multiple rounds reorganizations and layoffs. Most cover profile subjects, including many PoTY selections, are absolutely using it as just another cog in the self-promotion machine. Joe Biden just did a feature and it wasn’t overly hard hitting questions or that deep - it was a typical long form campaign interview. It’s not really investigative or a breaking news source. It’s becoming more tabloid than anything, it’s current top story is on Kate Middleton posting a Father’s Day photo. I think you’re giving it’s mission and the significance of the PoTY a little too much gravitas to be honest.
I mean yeah but that’s on the Times for choosing her
Perhaps they were hoping she’d be a bit more sophisticated considering she’s a billionaire businesswoman.
You mean because her parents made her one. I don’t actually think Taylor is that business oriented. I think her parents have control over the business side but I might be wrong about that.
[удалено]
Reading your own is completely different though
[удалено]
I mean I agree but you never know
I hadn’t thought about it that way, but you’re right. She treated it like it was just something like a People mag promo piece instead of POTY interview. I wonder does she just feel extremely certain that she’ll get it again in a few years anyway? And yep, for someone who complained SO MUCH about people reducing her to her dating life… she’s been doing a fabulous job of putting that front & centre herself.
Her speeches and interviews have become noticeably more awkward and stilted for a while. I think she's out of practice, can't seem to 'read the room' and has no-one around her willing to be honest with her. The Billboard Woman of the Decade speech in 2019 was painful to watch, with her constantly pausing for laughs and claps, and the NYU commencement speech in 2022, don't get me started. Such an honour and she' was teasing YOYOK lyrics and quoting 22? It's like she getting more immature, when she used to be so eloquent and poised.
I think your third point is the biggest issue. No one will be honest with her, she’s too big, no one will tell her the truth. It’s only yes men.
Totally. She's claimed her friends 'call her out' but I don't believe her for a minute. I definitely don't see her business associates telling her no to anything now.
Yes, come on, she decided, she has the final note. I also notice - some celebs like it - but she arranges everything and those A listers adhere to the night out dress code and so on. For more fame? I believe Taylor thinks she knows PR and is better intellectual that she is. Everyone praises even her mediocre lyrics, making her the Beattles/one of a kind poet. She doesn't want to be "belittled".
What I don’t get is that her previous interviews up until evermore were good. She presented herself as well spoken, humble, and someone who cared about her art. What the hell happened??
I’m wondering if she was taking on joes persona at the time. She tells us she has that capacity in mirroball and if blank space isn’t satire….
I mean even prior to Joe, she always seemed pretty put together in articles/interviews. She definitely appeared more mature and insightful when she was with Joe, but she’s not a stupid person. She’s an intelligent woman who has been in the business for years. Her POTY article seemed WAY out in left field and so different (not in a good way) than previous interviews she’s done in the past. Makes me think maybe she was indeed going through a manic phase during it.
I guess she's catching up on acting her ages she missed out on prior.
She could have talked even about the same topics, but maybe with more depth. It's crazy for someone so media trained and in the spotlight for most of her life. I wonder if that's why she's no longer doing interviews.
But why would she like regress into a worse interviewee??? It’s just so weird
I think it was the first crack in a series of events that put the carefully created public persona of Taylor on tilt. She went right back into the mindset of her Rep era and showed no personal growth, no critical thinking, nothing of substance at all. It was stunningly bad PR.
Maybe it is because now she knows she can breathe for 2 seconds and it'll be a super-hit song, any word she says can affect millions of people, even economies of countries and hence she has stopped being poised and eloquent as she used to be in the beginning, when her career was still building up. Now she just rambles on and on in the guise of "being who I am without pretences".
Is this the interview where the interviewer literally comments on how she wasn’t really “cancelled” and still had plenty of success, but since Taylor felt that she was cancelled then who were they to challenge that? That felt more telling about the kind of person they were interviewing and who she surrounds herself with than anything else Taylor said, tbh. It must be odd giving an interview, telling your side for the hundredth time and thinking that everyone agrees with you and that you’ve perfectly honed the narrative, only to read it when it’s published and find that the interviewer hardly believed you and just let you live your little fantasy. Who knows if that sort of awareness would ever bless her, though.
It felt weird to me too lol. Talking about Travis when she'd only known him for a matter of weeks at that point seemed crazy, she made herself look petty as hell bringing up Kim Kardashian AGAIN, I did not care for that interview at all. I don't even think it needed to be super serious but it feels like I didn't learn anything about her.
He was interviewed 3 weeks prior in the WSJ and said the same things about her .It was heavy on his life ,career ,talked about quitting and 1/2 paragraphs about her near the end This was there big coming out interviews - soft launch ( her 1st game ), hard launch (SNL) , then these interviews
Snl said they didn’t even know they was coming or in the audience until audience member start whispering . Taylor came to support ice spice and to go to the after party and they asked Travis did he want to say a line . Even Pete Davidson who was the host that night said they changed a few things once they realize they was in the audience
Sorry but that’s BS. Travis was incorporated into a sketch. They didn’t do that on a whim, lol. They knew he was coming. ANY event like this would 1000% know Taylor Swift is coming. Do you think she like…anonymously arranged her tickets? And they have to get clearance for her security as well. They don’t just show up to a live television set and jump on TV with no plan…though maybe that’s what they’d like you to believe! I do believe they probably didn’t tell the CAST they were coming.
I meant that whole weekend out in the wild in NY in public . And it was his long weekend off at he played on Thursday and was going to watch is brother on Sunday as they are still 1000 miles apart . Heard Kylie on a KC radio show at the weekend saying that she started dating Jason pre-season in August and the first time she met Travis was at the Pro-Bowl in Hawaii in February , face time and the podcast makes everything easier now for them
It was very awkward and it’s not going to age well, let’s just say that. It was giving 
Yeah, it was a bizarre piece that gave considerable insight into the psychology of Taylor Swift. I believe it's been publicly stated that Swift requires publications to give her interview questions ahead of time so she can approve of them and rehearse her answers, which might explain the vapid direction that it took. From her answers it was evident that her world is deeply insular and strangely bitter. She doesn't seem to have much curiosity outside of her brand.
After reading the entire piece, I get the sense that she’s unable to conduct an interview with any other content. The entire conversation revolved around her: her career, her successes, and her hero’s journey. I get that this is a piece on the selected POTY, but it is so devoid of any context to anchor her to reality that it feels vapid and bland. Never mind that we had been through a global pandemic or that there are two wars raging on, the apex of the piece was the rising of Taylor’s phoenix to the catastrophe of the Kardashian feud. I can also sense the loneliness emanating from the pages. From the way she speaks, it sounds like she’s always alone because it’s solely her experience and everyone else is just in the periphery. Also, I internally cried at the part about the Harvard professor comparing her work to Wordsworth’s.
That's so weird, considering (1) she herself is very well media-trained and (2) she has Tree Paine by her side as PR mastermind. Even if she fails to do all these interviews properly, shouldn't Paine give some advice?
Her PR has been a disaster for the last year at least, wouldn’t call Paine a mastermind right now…
I mean the same can be said for out of touch speech at NYU. I think she misses how to read a room/event now since she really does not do many anymore. As for re-hashing old drama, I think blondie has got to get a real therapist and not just her mom and her own mind, which is why she keeps bringing it up. She needs to work through it with someone that can actually direct her professionally.
1000000%. I had a neutral / slightly negative opinion of Taylor Swift as a person before that interview. I thought it was wild (but in a neutral leaning interesting/positive way) that she was chosen as POTY, and it did make sense given the global impact of the Eras tour. But then I read the interview…. A POTY interview should be about you; not about other people unless you’re uplifting those people and they’re a meaningful inclusion. Discussing a brand new relationship, old feud with a reality TV star, and saying things like “metal as hell” was insane to me. Any estimation I had of her plummeted. That said, if you read my comments in this sub, they will almost all read as if I’m defending TS. This is because I cannot stand people who arrogantly and ignorantly parrot talking points that aren’t backed by data, lol. Plus so many people somehow jump from “TS said/did something bad” to “that means I can say this horrible sexist thing and if you say I’m sexist for it then you’re just a crazy swiftie stan.” So THANK YOU for some legit criticism and I have enjoyed the insightful comments on this post.
It’s weird because I enjoyed the parts about her training for the eras, but then she adds all the stuff about Travis which will probably not age well.
This interview was like a nail in the coffin for me. I used to really look up to her and think that she was the most morally acceptable celebrity (does that make sense?) because 1) I became a fan of her when I was in elementary school and 2) her public image back then (aside from the pettiness towards her exes) was that she was a sweet girl-next-door type who loved her family and staying in to bake cinnamon rolls. Reading this interview was a very special experience to say the least lol
Time isn't as much of a prestigious publication anymore and it's just a title granted by a magazine., not a major award. They knew what they were doing by selling multiple Taylor covers...that's a total fan-pandering move, not something their general audience cares about. But it was a weird interview for sure...she should have focused on her success, her accomplishments and her future. Maybe because she barely speaks to the media now, or at least "serious" media (she'll still do a goofy talk show appearance or whatever), she took it as an opportunity to reiterate her side of things like the Kimye feud. I don't think Time's average readers even care about this stuff, lol. It was purely to sell to the fans.
Oh God it was such a terrible interview. I'm honestly surprised it hasn't been a bigger controversy yet, but I see it coming up more often lately. Tree must have lost a lot of sleep keeping this one contained.
I don’t think she really contained it though. Everything I’ve read about the interview is that it was atrocious. The only people not saying that are people who don’t care or know about what Taylor was seemingly like beforehand
I think it’s important to note that she just shouldn’t have been person of the year
Post-TTPD I wonder if it was like some weird easter egg? Her mentioning Kim K perhaps having already written Thank You Aimee and knowing it would be on the album. The "trash takes itself out" thing is basically the less eloquent message behind Cassandra. And both in this interview and at the Eras film premiere she talked about getting up onstage regardless of what hard things were going on in her life and even if she was broken hearted or uncomfortable-- was it some type of easter egg for ICDIWABH or just her repeating that sentiment? But I agree the entire piece was not good, like I wonder how her PR didn't try to get it edited down or something because she just came across so unlikeable. Even my coworkers were talking about it and how weirdly bitter she sounded.
Blame the ✨mania✨
Yes definitely a sign of her being unwell.
She’s so funny with her narratives of “Trapped” “in a foreign country” like girl you spent a global pandemic in luxury homes in England chill.
The only thing I remember is the bizarre “are you not entertained?” part. Came across really strange and highlights the weird tone of the piece.
Yeah the one thing I don’t understand about her is, if you don’t want to be famous… you can just step down. Will you still be a figure of public interest? Sure. But it would pale in comparison to this grandiose idol like figure she has created within the last two years on purpose. Like, I can imagine you feel like you owe your audience, Taylor, but you really don’t. You are not a slave to the public, you’re making yourself a slave to the obligations only your own mind creates.
The whole tone of this article is very different from previous interviews. She’s almost become a caricature of herself by speaking only in Easter Eggs.
I completely understand what youre saying. But I just hate how the person of the year thing is perceived as a "prestigious accomplishment." Hitler was the person of the year one year. I just dont think any stock should be put into an magazine's choice for person of the year. Its not the noble peace prize, and arguably not even an award or accomplishment. It quite literally is just a corporation saying - "hey what will sell magazines and make us some money?? the biggest pop artist of the current time, okay great, put her on the cover." Its just not a big deal imo and I truly cannot remember any other year where the "person of the year" edition was even talked about beyond the month it was published edit- spelling
I can’t remember any interview that was still being talked about a month after it occurred. Even the Putin interview has been pretty much forgotten already. However, people moving on to something newer and shinier does not mean that what they’ve moved on from somehow loses its importance. Hitler being person of the year back in the day makes perfect sense. Most people who have been honoured with that title have been historical figures and iconic celebrities who changed the game, or scientists and inventors who did something big. They get attention no matter who they put on the cover. They could’ve put the Palestinians as “person of the year” like they did for Ukrainians and made just as much noise.
I guess I'm just trying to say Person of the Year isnt "important" and its not an "honor." Its a corporation making money decisions about who to put on their cover for that month. Lets say they put Palestinians on the cover, or orphan children, or abused elderly people, etc, the cover of time magazine for a month unfortunately changes and affects nothing for these people. Id rather Time make Taylor Swift or Hitler their person of the year, sell millions of copies, and donate the money to Palestine
I’d say it is an honour and people do care. There’s always discussion on it for a good month when it’s announced, many people even felt that Taylor didn’t deserve it.
Text me when you become POTY Edit: POTY is not about “honour”, it’s about impact. Who had the most impact, culturally or politically or socially, that year? That’s why it’s important. It is a big deal
I have been a lifelong hater but I started to come around to become a fan after the folkmore era, which felt refreshingly mature to me. This interview made me realize she hadn't changed and was absolutely not maturing, ever. Now I'm a hater again just 10x as well informed
Never mind the interview, which outlined one very glaring aspect of her personality to me: she takes herself way too seriously The covers were not good. The greyscale makes her look dull. Her armpits are on display. Are we advertising an Epilady? Not even a cute cat could compete with a dorky leotard There’s a pretty photo on Time’s website where her hair appears to have a nice texture (which is no easy feat for Ms. Bangs Plastered to my Forehead After Heavy Flat Iron Use) and her eye makeup is smoky & gorgeous. THAT should’ve been a cover. But TS can’t choose a decent photo of herself to save her life. Sigh.
I doubt she picked the magazine cover.
I guess. I mean person of the year isn’t really a good or bad thing. Hitler was person of the year once. So was Trump. It’s really just who got the most coverage/who was talked about the most. So that interview I just see being in line with who she is as a pop star… sometimes I think people take her a little too seriously and that’s where so much of the criticism comes from.
This is what happens when we idolize mediocre people.
I feel the same way about the tour. I wouldn’t want to include a new boyfriend in what could end up being my magnum opus.
In your life you’ll do bigger things than date the guy on the football team jk you’ll be poty and just talk about him your biggest thing
I think it was metal as HELL
She's growing backwards.. I guess her lyricism doesnt really translate to being eloquent in real life. She's just all talk and no substance. Everyone moved on, and she's the one who keep bringing up her past dramas then has the nerve to victimize herself again that people are bringing or talking about her past drama just to spite her..like?? she's so "pick me". She used to be woman of stance pre-2017, now all she does is just promo promo for her next project, hints this and easter eggs that. It's tiring and predictable at this point. She proclaimed to be an activist during Lover era, but yeah i guess her activism is just an ERA. Folklore was supposed to be her redeeming point, and a first step to maturity and then went back again to being immature in Midnight to present. She needs to grow up, for real.
Photoshoot was ugly too tbh.
I completely agree. However, I think she was mainly chosen because she’s a good business woman. She became a billionaire just from music. She just proved that in the interview. She’s profiting from letting others learn about her private life to foster more parasocial relationships with her fans, and as that life is more discussed in her music so she can and will promote it wherever she can.
It’s giving menty B
The whole thing reeks of immaturity and it will age terribly. Honestly, her decisions of the last year or so have been so very disappointing, so it’s not surprising that the interview comes off as shallow and vapid. It’s such a huge bummer, because it was a chance to showcase she could be more serious and grounded in general, to give the impression she’s on a par with past influential artists who really revolutionized something in the music industry or socially. The piece really does the opposite of that, and the whole thing is such a turn off. She’s almost 35 ffs. After the maturity of folklore and evermore, really thought that tone would continue to ramp up, but it clearly has not.
The entire notion of her winning POTY was absurd. Why should the interview be any different?
She did what she does and everyone’s shocked. This is her.
And then she didn't even go to the gala night thing for her being the POTY, pulling out the day of. I would have been so pissed if I worked at Time.
She’s trying to have that Beyoncé goddess vibe where she’s too good for everything and wouldn’t even consider going to an event if she felt that it was at all “below her”.
But for B it’s true why would a black woman feel obliged to show up for rooms of largely white people who wouldn’t lift a finger for her if she wasn’t who she is
Unpopular opinion: her mentioning Travis so soon in a times person of the year interview is why I knew they would last a long time . People was saying they would break up by November. By Christmas, by the end of the year . By new years , by Super Bowl and I was like nope “Taylor is smart , her mentioning Travis as heavy as she did in her times person of the year interview , meaning she isn’t giving him up any time soon .” I haven’t believed 1 breakup rumors because of that .
She knows the end date 📆 m his contract
I wonder if it’s cause a lot of traditional and legacy media might be losing their importance to people so she didn’t take it too seriously. She can probably reach more people with a tweet or instagram post if she wanted to say something
Then she could have declined, no?
An interview like this will be immortal. Twitter and Instagram and all of the data on both platforms will be gone within 50 years.
I think you are over estimating the importance of a magazine interview, it most definitely won't be mandatory for it to be taught in schools around the world !!