Taylor Swift and Matty Healy’s break-up isn’t a fan victory – pop stars don’t owe us a perfect moral record
The letter is remarkable because it is not simply an expression of feeling, it is a specific set of instructions to Swift. She is ordered, among other things, to “reflect on the impact of your own and your associates’ behaviour”, “seek guidance from organisations and individuals who have dedicated their lives to combating racism” and “advocate for inclusivity”. All worthy aims.
Increasingly, the dynamic between artist and fan is reciprocal: artists pay back fans for their support with social media content for greedy consumption,and, in the case of Swift, material gifts. At the same time, artists are now worshipped in a holistic sense – not just for their music or sex appeal, but for the entirety of their personhood. Thus, what fans feel they are owed includes a squeaky-clean moral record as well as early-access gig tickets and Instagram lives every couple of months.
But it is ridiculous to suggest that Swift owes her fans anything, let alone that she should be a bastion of moral goodness. Fan culture online frequently tips into a high-stakes transaction in which one person is involuntarily responsible for the happiness of thousands of others, and they are chastised when they don’t deliver. Any mistakes she makes involve a potential loss for fans, who hold her in their minds as perfect.
Swift’s affiliation with someone who is, depending on your view, a staunch racist or a bit of an idiot, tarnishes her image and renders her less worthy of devotion. Their relationship was seen by many to be an endorsement of his unsavoury views by proxy, rather than the ill-advised and not-that-deep rebound that it clearly was. But the more space a star takes up in our own imagination – the more religious significance they take on – the bigger their indiscretions appear.
This short-lived relationship has showcased the pressure and absurdity of the artist-fan relationship in the social media age. Defining Swift by her romantic choices and attempting to control her behaviour through “open letters” is dehumanising – but of course, that’s exactly the point. If she is to continue to receive this level of idolatry, she has to be good, and good only.
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