Every generation has rallied around musical artists, holding them up as emblems of their era. The Beatles, the Eagles, and Bob Dylan; as these musicians grew up, so, too, did their music mature. They became better lyricists and storytellers, experimented with their craft, and adapted their styles to reflect their adulthood. Even Frank Sinatra, a singer now frequently overlooked for his growth, followed this trajectory. His music changed from being chirpy numbers about polka dots and moonbeams into heartfelt saloon songs that culminated in his releasing the first acclaimed concept album.
Modern pop culture has fallen victim to an ever-changing status quo. Releasing albums has been completely overtaken by streaming culture, radio stations have fallen out of fashion, and music can be produced by anyone with a tablet. Trends in music, fashion, and television move so fast that the current era can only be described as a hazy, LED blur.
The presumption might be that artists wouldn’t have enough time to keep up with changes or trends. That they’d be one hit wonders, rising and falling on a quarterly basis. In some ways, this is true. Short form video content, like TikTok or Instagram Reels, ensures that a small chunk of a song can become a smashing success overnight, only to be forgotten as people move on to the next trend in under a week. Television shows and movies are dumped on streaming services, rise to number one in a week, and fall out of the public consciousness once everyone has binged through them (It’s shocking to remember that earlier this year, absolutely everyone was talking nonstop about Severance).
The one person who seems to have escaped this supersonic culture is Taylor Swift. Every few years, her latest album reignites the flame of Swifties everywhere. It’s nice to see people coming together to celebrate art, but there is an underlying issue: Taylor Swift has refused to grow up.
We have to be very clear about Swift’s evolution. Her albums are easily identifiable for having unique color palettes, similar themes, and perhaps even discrepancies in style. These are aesthetic changes, as surface level as a child changing costumes. This is very different from her music showing any kind of genuine progress reflective of her life experiences.
Swift recently got engaged to Travis Kelce, yet her lyrics display the tacky, narcissistic thoughts of a teenager. “I can make deals with the devil because my d*ck is bigger,” she writes in one song. “I mind my business, God’s my witness that I don’t provoke it, It’s kind making me w*t,” says another. Or how about “Redwood tree, it ain’t hard to see, His love was the key that opened my thighs.”
These are the sexually frustrated musings of an adolescent, not the contemplative creativity of a 35-year-old woman. Swift has become this generation’s icon because she wants to stew in her own immaturity. She doesn’t want to take risks or accept any responsibility. Instead, she feigns a naive, sensual fantasy that increasingly comes across as uncouth.
On all fronts, there’s a cultural attack on maturity. Students are extending their college education for as long as possible, relying on dorm life, set schedules, and dining halls to escape the uncertainties of reality. Marriage is being delayed until couples are much older, and growing numbers of households have fewer children. Instead of confronting problems, people are self diagnosing themselves with mental illnesses as an excuse for their behavior. Women’s clothing is often revealing and immature, regardless of the wearer’s age. Internet users argue and bicker like middle schoolers. People have allowed the government’s welfare state to become their guardian, serving as a financial and philosophical safety net that keeps them from building a life of independence and humility.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:11: “ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” The time has come for Taylor to put away childish things, as she ages out of the youthful personas she swaps like hats. The time has also come for many Americans to stop shunning maturity. We, as a nation, are stronger when we take responsibility for reality.
