Change in the Hands of a Barbiepop Icon
'Not only does Taylor acknowledge and highlight cultural shifts, but she herself has also helped create and influence them.’
By Kasia Donnell, MSc Politics and International Relations 28/10/2024
The first gloomy day of September, I woke up to a text from my friend saying: 'It's all too well season.’ For a Taylor Swift fan, autumn means finally mixing up the daily Spotify rotation to include ‘Red’ and ‘Champagne Problems’ over ‘Cruel Summer’ and ‘New Romantics.’
In more ways than just her seasonal versatility, Taylor embodies the topic of change. Her latest Eras Tour jumps through all the varied phases of her career and discography. Every different chapter is clearly marked by a costume and set change. Fans attending the shows pick their favourite era to dress up as. Pink and blue Lover costumes contrast against black and red Reputation outfits. People choose the vibe that resonates the most with their own style and taste.
With The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has solidified this adaptability as her main appeal. Having something for everyone has become her new brand. Not only does this let her appeal to her entire fanbase at once, but it also allows her to constantly be trying out new sounds and music styles.
For a large chunk of Taylor Swift’s career, she existed in an age where tastemakers deemed Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes as peak artistry, but to like her music or someone like Katy Perry was to admit you were ‘basic’ and ‘uncultured.’ Taylor has talked about how, in her twenties, she was constantly changing her music to try and navigate the endless criticisms within this landscape. ‘They're saying I'm dating too much in my twenties? Okay, I’ll stop [...]. My album Red is filled with too many breakup songs? [...] I’ll make one about moving to New York [...]. Oh they're saying my music is changing too much for me to stay in country music? All right. Okay, here’s an entire genre shift.’ In a reclamation of her narrative, The Eras Tour is a celebration of the changes that once represented external pressure, but now are part of what makes her so adored and accessible.
As part of a recent cultural shift away from the 2010s indie boy-band era, hyper-femininity has been reclaimed within pop culture. The 2023 Barbie movie, for instance, celebrated pink as a symbol of powerful femininity. Barbie put its finger on a wider societal shift wherein traditionally girly elements inspire nostalgia and celebration rather than mockery. The music industry is currently centred on women. The 2025 Best Album Grammy is predicted to be a jostle between Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Charli XCX.
Taylor, however, was arguably one of the first people to reclaim femininity in the way that is now relevant. Since 2014, her outfits have been markedly girly and playful. In 2019, she perfectly summarised the movement she was helping to create: ‘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.’ Today, her influence is everywhere on the pop music scene. Sabrina Carpenter’s latest Short n’ Sweet tour pays homage to Swift as her mentor as she puts her own spin on the sparkle Barbie pop-star aesthetic. Olivia Rodrigo has openly talked about how Taylor's music inspired her own songwriting. In short, not only does Taylor acknowledge and highlight cultural shifts, but she herself has also helped create and influence them.
The Eras Tour is meant as a summary and celebration of Taylor’s career so far. However, it is also a shorthand for her legacy: for how she’s both harnessed change as a core part of her brand and herself shaped the cultural landscape we currently live in.
