I love Taylor Swift and her music.
I grew up singing along to “Debut” on my karaoke machine and eventually “Speak Now” on my iPod Nano. I’ve cried to “Folklore,” and I’ve sped in my 2006 Ford Fusion to “1989.”
I’ve spent years defending her from the consistent slut-shaming, body shaming and overall misogyny she’s experienced while in the limelight, which has only grown worse as she’s gained popularity.
All of this being said, Swifties need to stop jumping through hoops to defend her excessive carbon footprint.
In 2022, Swift’s jet usage accumulated to approximately 8,300 tonnes of carbon emissions — 576 times the amount of the average American’s annual emissions.
21-year-old Jack Sweeney is currently fighting a legal battle against Swift and her team for tracking the celebrity’s flight mileage. The University of Central Florida student isn’t specifically targeting Taylor Swift — Sweeney has tracked other celebrities’ carbon footprints — and it isn’t the first time he’s received blowback: his Twitter/X account was temporarily suspended after he exposed Elon Musk.
Swift’s lawsuit argues that she will be stalked if Sweeney continues to release her mileage usage. That’s absurd and manipulative.
For starters, the information Sweeney is releasing — including where celebrities’ planes depart and arrive — is already public. He also waits 24 hours before releasing celebrities’ emissions.
I never expect to see Swift in line at airport security, flying with Delta. I also acknowledge that earlier this year, Swift has downsized to only one private jet, letting go of two.
But the amount of people on TikTok and other forms of social media jumping to defend her is concerning.
You can love an artist and fully respect everything that they’ve been through while still holding them accountable.
Taylor Swift is an amazing artist and an intelligent business woman. She’s been assaulted, humiliated and overlooked as a musician for far too long.
But she is also a billionaire who doesn’t need to be coddled.
Throwing around the word “misogyny” or acting as if she is being bullied any time someone has anything negative to say about her is a disgusting use of feminism and a blatant overlook of intersectionality.
Taylor Swift is a talented musician and a revolting display of wealth.
Both can be true — and neither are sexist.
Kayla Estrada is the opinion editor and can be reached at kayla.estrada@ubspectrum.com
Kayla Estrada is the opinion editor at The Spectrum. She is an English major who enjoys rainy weather, “Bob’s Burgers” and asking people who they voted for. When she’s not writing, she can be found hunting for odd-looking knick-knacks at the nearest thrift store.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
