Diamond or Dud: "Miss Americana: Taylor Swift"

I don’t prescribe to bubblegum pop like I used to—I’m more of a coffee house acoustic girl myself. Occasionally I catch myself tapping my fingers on the steering wheel to an upbeat T-Swift tune. Taylor Swift’s newfound political activism in the eye-opening documentary, Miss Americana: Taylor Swift really grabbed my attention. I have to say, now I prescribe Swift as an artist, a human being, and a career woman. This documentary is one that we can all put on our stay-at-home binge-watch list.

Of course, you get a candid look into Swift’s career, peeling back the film full of lipstick, fireworks, and confetti to reveal an insecure, hard-working career woman. You hear her making comments about how she can’t breathe in her costume that looks like a disco ball, as if pointing out how unlike her authentic self it really is. You see Swift playing the piano with her cat walking across the keys. A few times she’s playing guitar in sweats, fluffy slippers, and her hair in disarray. This version of Swift is normal and flawed just like the rest of us.

This comes as no surprise since Swift has already been portrayed as the “everybody” girl. For fans that have loved her, this is exactly what they want to see.

In the early years, Swift was polite, nice, and timid. She never voiced her opinions about anything.

“A nice girl doesn’t force her opinions on people. A nice girl smiles and waves and says, ‘Thank you.’ A nice girl doesn’t make people feel uncomfortable with her views,” Swift says.

But this is all surface-level relatability. What turns the documentary on its head is when Swift opens up about being sexually assaulted by David Mueller in 2013, and the defamation lawsuit that followed when she accused him.

After this pivotal moment in her life, Swift decided to no longer be silent about issues that are important to her. This led to her 2018 midterm election post that vehemently opposed Tennessee Republican candidate, Marsha Blackburn, claiming, “Her voting record appalls and terrifies me.” Swift was raw and unapologetic. Her actions showed us that our experiences can shape us and make us fierce. We don’t have to be “nice” to be likable. We just have to be true to ourselves and our experiences.

With strife political issues loud in her head, Swift pushed harder in her album “Lover,” including LGBTQ+ ally song, “You Need to Calm Down,” and “The man.”

“I’m just getting to the point where I can’t listen to people tell me, ‘No stay out of it.’”

This is the part of the documentary that I find the most compelling. Everything I thought about timid Swift has completely stripped away. She’s not just an “everybody” girl—she’s complex and invested in issues that matter to her.

After her political outcry, 65,000 new voter registrations came through within the first 24 hours.

People have opinions about whether celebrities should voice their political views. But if this is the outcome—65,000 more people caring about things that matter—it is a moral obligation to keep going.

“I want to love glitter and also stand up for the double standards that exist in our society. I want to wear pink and tell you how I feel about politics. And I don’t think that those things have to cancel each other out,” Swift says at the documentary’s conclusion.

After watching Miss Americana: Taylor Swift, I feel inspired and empowered. This documentary shows that people aren’t just one thing, they are multifaceted. Swift’s experiences have made her one indestructible gal, who has clearly shown that no matter who you are, you matter, your views matter, and your voice deserves to be heard.

VERDICT: “Miss Americana: Taylor Swift” is a diamond that can be found on the Netflix streaming service.