There is always a sacrifice for the things we love. And by sacrifice I mean, to let go of something you cannot bare the absence of.
And for Taylor Swift that argument flipped when the fame she once desired came to her. She dwelled into the trauma and spoke about what she and every artist has to go through in her recent Netflix documentary. Taylor Swift has been an icon for many millennials growing up, we’ve been raised to the music she has poured into us, and to know what the artist had to sacrifice for us to not be alone in our sadness, is specifically heartbreaking.
Many artists in the past have also discussed the ways in which stardust has rendered them.
Along with Taylor swift, artist like Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber, and Kevin Hart have all shared their struggles behind the smiles they throw on the screens. It’s become a culture, in a way, where famous artists are now speaking about what they have to go through as a consequence of being famous. In her documentary, Taylor Swift was very vocal about her trauma and insecurities, she said, “We’re people who got into this line of work because we wanted people to like us,” and then further explained, “Because we were intrinsically insecure. Because we liked the sound of people clapping, because it made us forget how much we feel like we’re not good enough.”
She then continued as she teared up “I’ve been doing this for 15 years, and I’m tired of it!”
Taylor has been struggling with holding up with her identity for a really long time and in some incidents we’ve seen the real Taylor aswell, the reckless Taylor that drops her heart when she stumbles. But to know how Taylor has had to follow a certain popstar protocol for so long. Incidents where she would have to starve and reinvent herself. And the pressure of constant criticism takes a toll of its own. This January, Demi Lovato also made her much awaited return to the stage at the Grammys. She hadn’t taken the stage eversince she was hospitalized for her drug overdose in 2018. It was a much hyped return for Lovato, she performed “Anyone” which is specifically about her troubled relationship with fame and celebrity. This also ignited a conversation about how her fame is the reason to her history of self harm and eating disorder. “I feel stupid when I sing, nobody’s listening to me” she sings at the Grammys and the pain is clear and loud, and so the struggle to survive intersects the agony in her voice. Years from now, when this performance will be remembered it will mark the time when an artist put forth their struggles and cared less of the consequence. I feel that the demand is to accept the artist as who they are. And to learn to love them for what they do. I think for what they do for us, it is a small price to pay. There is an intimacy in the moment when a Taylor Swift fan hears her speak her heart out and I think that says a lot about what she has done for us.
The Swifties have always loved Taylor with a passion and knowing her struggles and her pain only grows the love that’s embedded all these years. Read more at our website: When someone you love has died