Jezebel 
Enter your username and password.
New York, 1:09 PM
Sun Dec 6
22 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip your editors:
Editor-in-Chief:
Anna Holmes
| Twitter
Deputy Editor:
Dodai Stewart
| Twitter
Senior Contributing Editor:
Tracie Egan
| Twitter
Contributing Editors:
Anna North
| Twitter
Sadie Stein
| Twitter
Reporter:
Irin Carmon
| Twitter
Editorial Assistant:
Margaret Hartmann
| Twitter
Contributors:
Rich Juzwiak
Email | Twitter
Latoya Peterson
Email
Jenna Sauers
Lizzie Skurnick
Interns:
Katy Kelleher
Twitter
Weekends/Commenter Moderator:
Hortense
| Twitter
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
09:47 AM
03:49 AM
In all seriousness, though, a couple folks have thrown out Dolly as an example of someone who's some kind of feminist icon, and I love me some Dolly, but please, have you ever listened to the lyrics of "Jolene"? And I see some mentions of Alanis, too, but even she released "Head Over Feet" as a single (rather than, say, "Not the Doctor" or "Right Through You"). I don't know, I guess I am sort of wading into the fray here, but I see "Fifteen" and "Fuck and Run" as two sides of the same coin, that coin being, "Wish I hadn't dated/smooched/boned/fallen in love with that dude, since he turned out to be an asshole and now I feel bad about it." In closing,
LEAVE TAYLOR ALONE!!!1!1!!11!
12/05/09
But two other elements are at play here--one is scripting, which is rampant in MTV and VH1 "reality" shows, and which I noticed obvious examples of many times during the first two episodes, and the other is the fact that people like this (although not necessarily this exagerrated) DO exist.
I know this because I grew up in a primarily Italian-American East Coast community, and at least a third of the people I went to High School with self-identified as Guidos/Guidettes/Stellas.
Maybe it's the bias of having gone to a school where fitting in meant being either WASP-y or Guido, but I don't have that much sympathy for these kids. They are looking for fame and are willing to exagerrate their most foolish and sometimes detestable personality traits in order to obtain it.
Additionally, most of them have horrible attitudes towards members of both the opposite and their own sex, treat each other callously, and bathe in self-satisfaction.
I have to admit, I have no shame in laughing at them. I probably should, since I realize on a intellectual level that MTV should be ashamed for promoting this type of attitude in one respect while simulataneously holding it up for ridicule.
I do hate that these are the images that we choose to spotlight without any accompanying social context. But then I remember that it's fucking MTV.
12/05/09
12/05/09
12/05/09
12/05/09
12/05/09
Anyone who makes such an AWESOME video with T-Pain deserves as much. In fact, in the video she MOCKS her nice girl status "I KNIT SWEATERS, YO." in a way that's refreshing and kind of like "I get that I'm not that exciting of a person because I like to knit and bake but that's what I like to do let me wrap about it with T-Pain!" Because I'm 24, and I like to knit and bake.
12/05/09
12/05/09
12/05/09
12/05/09
12/05/09
12/05/09
So if she's meant to be a pure little lamb, I had no idea. Her songs are annoyingly catchy, and I find her (pretty tame) vindictive streak sort of awesome. Who HASN'T wanted to take a jab at their jerk ex-boyfriend/personal Kanye, while smiling sweetly?
12/05/09
I've always liked her simply because her songs are exactly like a teenager diary. At 20 going on 21 I'm at an age where I'm not in a teenage world anymore but I wouldn't know it by the teenage behavior this is still prominent in my work and university life.
When her first songs came out I was her prime target audience. I felt like she gave teenage girls away to be sad that didn't have the so-called emo vibe to it. It was a sparkly happiness that cried in her(my) room when relationships I had bigger dreams for fell to pieces.
For this reason I'll always support the (current) music she is putting out. And I'm going to enjoy myself at her concert this May :)
12/05/09
Let her wear cute dresses and write songs about boys, but don't use those things to make guesses about her intelligence or beliefs.
12/05/09
After all, feminism is a lot about accepting women how they accept themselves.
12/05/09
12/05/09
12/05/09
Even though it totally irked me to hear college-age girls belt out "Romeo save me, I've been feelin' so alone," I would have been totally inclined to agree with you because a feminist certainly does not need to be overtly sexual. But then I saw her "15" video, which Sady Doyle discusses in the link hortense listed, and I was swayed Doyle's analysis. The judge-y attitude goes beyond "I'm a cute, doe-eyed romantic" and into the dangerous realm of slut shaming.
But one song does not a career make, so I guess we'll see what happens when she gets older. Luckily 15 wasn't one of her more popular hits.
12/05/09
12/05/09
Let's get together and send her a "THIS IS WHAT A FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE" t-shirt, please?
12/05/09
12/05/09
Although Marie has had her troubles (two divorces and a very public postpartum depression period), she still remains the sweet, innocent girl I looked up to. If Taylor has the right people around her, she can survive the trappings of Hollywood. I really hope she can.
Between her goofy appearance on Dancing with Stars and those creepy dolls she sells on QVC, I still love Marie Osmond!
12/05/09
Part of the reason she seems so likable may have to due with the fact they we're surrounded by the opposite as far as young entertainers go.
I have to say though, I kind of love Nick Jones (the youngest, I think). He has type 1 Diabetes, and so does my 12 y.o. cousin. She wrote him a letter and got to meet him...she was encouraged and absolutely thrilled.
12/05/09