Fiona Averill

You’re on a first date, in the first day of class or at a dinner party with an unknown audience, and the dreaded question comes up once again: “Who’s your most-listened-to artist?”

The Swiftie inside you is screaming “Taylor,” but the jaded version of you isn’t ready for the all-too-familiar judgment that will follow. 

“I mean, she’s a great businesswoman,” they will say. Like nails on a chalkboard. McDonald’s is a great business model. Mark Cuban is a great businessman. But Taylor Swift is an artist.

And not only is she an artist, but arguably the greatest artist of our generation. Her successmirrors that of the Beatles, Elvis Presley and even Drake, all of whom are exalted male performers. So why does it feel like a subtle diss to your music taste when someone calls her a “great businesswoman?” I think it is because she is a woman.

Swift is an everyday, basic, pretty, even sometimes cringy millennial girl. Not an edgy rock star on the brink of rehab or a belting balladist bringing the house down with a solo. Instead, Swift is a relatable blonde who also just happens to be a gifted songwriter — one whose verses speak directly to young women’s hearts all over the world in a novel way.

Kanye West, a widely recognized antisemite, is often referred to as “a musical genius.” Michael Jackson has sexual abuse allegations, but we’re told to “separate the music from the musician.” We revile R. Kelly, but he stays on our playlists.

Swift is the embodiment of femininity in 2026. She’s girly, she’s loud, she’s sensitive and she’s professional. She’s a powerhouse who can change “eras” from year to year. She has conquered country, pop and folk by writing songs about heartbreak, relationships, female empowerment and the human experience. She has won the most Album of The Year Grammy awards of all time. So why are people so hesitant to call her a great musician?

Do not get me wrong, you are totally allowed to dislike Swift. But it’s that irksome “She’s a great businesswoman” phrase, often followed by “I’ll give her that,” that makes my blood boil. The phrase, although it sounds innocent, carries the connotation that she’s a conniving, money-hungry, calculated person whose primary goal is stacking that paper.

Which leads me to the counterargument most people raise: Swift is a billionaire. As the middle-class shrinks, college becomes more and more expensive and healthcare costs soar, people find themselves rightfully angry with the people in the top one percent. 

But what other musician is writing personalized letters, bonuses included, to every single truck driver, crew member, dancer and musician who participated in their latest tour? Swift quietly contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities annually, alongside donating to fans’ GoFundMe accounts. She is setting the standard for other pop stars to do the same.

And here’s where the gender bias becomes even more stark: Are we calling out the male artists who have become billionaires like Jay-Z or Bruce Springsteen? Are anyone else’s artistic contributions reduced because of their business savvyness? No. There is a clear double standard here: Male billionaire musicians are revered as icons, while Swift’s billion-dollar success is credited to marketing strategy.

We as a society are not capable of exalting a pop phenomenon like Swift in the way we’ve celebrated her male counterparts. When a woman achieves unprecedented success, we scramble to find reasons to diminish it. We call her “calculated” when we’d call a man “strategic,” as Swift said in her documentary, “Miss Americana.”  We question her musical authenticity when we’d praise a man’s unabashed talent.

So, how can we change the narrative? It starts with personal honesty. People respond well to authenticity, and you can be cool and still love Swift. Whoever makes snap judgments about you based on your music taste is not someone you want to be around anyway. It’s also pretty rude to tell someone you hate their music taste. If you’re in the mood to spar, lead with irrefutable evidence: Taylor Swift has won four Album of the Year Grammys, was honored as artist of the decade at the American Music Awards in 2019 and was the first artist to earn more than $2 billion from a tour. Talent sells. She’s popular because she’s good.

Swift truly has an album for everybody. “Folklore” is great for someone with more indie-leaning taste. Her self-titled debut album is suitable for country fans. “Reputation” is for someone into club music or rap. You cannot pigeonhole Swift’s fan base into one category. 

The truth is, if you’re open to it, Swift’s music always grows on you one way or another. Without being too pushy, subtly introduce it into a hater’s life — nine times out of ten, people can find joy in at least one of her songs. It’s harder to hate Swift when you’re singing along.