Luvvy Ajai Jones wrote the penultimate post about Taylor Swift’s weaponizing white femininity, and the reaction was…well swift. Jones said she lost 4,000 followers within 24 hours of her post. “While I, as a white woman, didn’t unfollow you, it hurt a little,” one of Jones’ followers said. “Taylor’s words and songs have meant so much to me personally. They have healed deep parts of me and brought me joy.”
PSA -- "Water in My Bones" is not a democracy. We can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable. I will delete and block readers who cross the line. No one has time for that. I'm okay with losing subscribers and likes.
Your words had me shaking with joy and validation. There is a difference between the recent knee-jerk misogyny of some critics of Swift, and the very valid, well-backed and important criticism of the "idealised whiteness" that Swift embodies and champions. And those goddamn pussy hats. I made the same comment to a white man back then and he genuinely looked at me like I was insane. Also, not all women have pussies. Not all people with pussies are women. It was just the most perfect expression of myopic cis white feminism. Anyhow, thanks for these words.
We saw the all too familiar white narcissism and entitlement in Taylor and Miley (and her total appropriation of Tina Turner's affect) watching the grammies. I don't follow fame and it was unusual that I watched with friends. It was not surprising, but it was disappointing. Fame does not do that to BIPOC women in the same ways. I wanted to believe that kind of racism and fragility was a mostly older white woman+dude problem (and it was interesting to see how Taylor completely disregarded the older white Celine despite her glowing words to her).. I'm sorry it hasn't been even lessened in my younger skinkin as I had hoped+assumed. The narcissism and fragility of our whiteness confronting itself has been ageless and classless. We have to keep naming and owning it in all its forms. JayZ spoke the truth about the skewed awards and I had not been a fan before.
A Facebook friend shared my Substack article, and a predictable response happened. The unwillingness to critique self-constructs and their societal impact is staggering. It may not always be easy to take, but Black Americans have a tradition of self-critique. We argue among ourselves. But no one can accuse us of not being self-aware.
We white folk haven't been forced to be self-aware to survive and now you're seeing the cultural/global decline in survivability for all of us because of it. It's costing all humans and life on earth now and still we resist seeing and owning our harm done to others even as it begins to fall on us.... I always hold out hope that if just 15-20% (anthropologists estimate) wake up sooner than later, we will become self aware enough to stop the continued devolution. I am still here for that and appreciate your voice.
Thank you for your comments. And is it just me or is the increasing self-identification with celebrities disturbing? Someone might make a disparaging remark about Beyoncé, and while I may disagree, I don't take it personally just because I like some of her songs. I find the phenomenon baffling.
Very creepy and social media promoted. Fame and fortune remain the white holy grail actively promoted and it is gutting everything else of real value and meaning for so many buying into it. When you see BIPOC getting awards, they are humble, thanking heaven and all the humans who helped, touched to tears. White folk are puffed up and all about themselves. It's pretty stark..
Yes! Yes! Yes! 100%. I love what and how you write, and the fact that you read your own words! I had this conversation with several of my white friends, (full disclosure I am white), and they just gave me a shrug as they re-adjusted their pussy hats! I must admit, I am not a Taylor Swift fan, just not really interested in her frankly. Maybe it’s my age maybe I don’t relate to her as representative of anyone except herself. Lots of white women confound me frankly, and I know a lot of that is denial and wanting to separate myself from the cohort that I am part of. No excuses. I don’t bury my head in the sand. I just don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere. I’ll keep at it though I promise.
We can be part of a community but not OF it. F.D. Signifier is one of my favorite Black cultural critics on YouTube because he makes me think. Taylor Swift's music doesn't speak to me. I don't disparage her fans and those who connect to her and her music. My issue is the defense of a racial stance that hurts everyone, including those who hold it.
An FYI, I do NOT read tomorrow's Substack post, a long-ish review of Bradley Cooper's "Maestro." I prefer reading some of the shorter pieces and will continue to do so. ;-)
I love Luvvie, and I commented on her post on IG. I am currently working on my masters degree in Organizational Leadership, and my thesis topic is about how feminism defaults to white feminism and how it needs to change to intersectional feminism, and how that relates to women in leadership. Women in leadership positions are vastly over-represented by white women. I posted my topic on LinkedIn and got a phone call from a friend who recommended that I take down my recent posts because they were polarizing. UGH. Um, ok…
I am always on the lookout to read more from different perspectives. If we don’t consider broader perspectives, we do everyone a disservice. We are so concerned with being “right” (correct) that we don’t consider that not everyone’s “right” looks the same. If we don’t take a critical look at the systems we participate in and the people we revere, we perpetuate the baked in oppression.
I often worry that my allyship is performative. I seek to do more than just speak and write. I am a work in progress and I appreciate that I have miles to go, forever and always.
Taylor Swift is not my jam, but I don’t have feelings about her music, nor do I take criticism of her personally. Of course, I am a crone in comparison, so… :shrug:
It’s nice to think that with age comes perspective, but obviously that’s not always the case.
I'm so sorry that a friend asked you to remove your post because *they* perceived it as polarizing. It's at times like this when retreating to a nice cottage in New Zealand appeals to me. EVERYONE is a work in progress. All of us (especially and including me) can do better.
Also, I'm with you on age and perspective. It's not my music, and that's okay. Not everything is FOR me.
Acknowledging that not everything is for us is something SO MANY people struggle with, particularly men! Men (white men) are so used to being the target audience of evvvvvvvverything that when something isn’t for them, they want it GONE. Don’t make them have to endure that!
Meanwhile, the rest of the population has grown up knowing that most things aren’t intended FOR THEM. I’m always amazed at how surprised men get that women harbor such rage. Add in blackness and queerness and poverty and any other number of things, and really? You are SURPRISED that there is rage? White men are not emotionally or mentally equipped for the future…
Yes, yes, and yes. Who is equipped for the future? Most of us are taking our best guesses. As for me, I'm taking it 24 hours at a time. Sometimes my art resonates. Other times, it falls flat. I'm not for everyone and that's okay.
Thank you for engaging with me. People love my writing when I bleed on the page for them. However, I run into death threats and trolling whenever I turn my gaze outward. It's bananas.
I’m so sorry that that is your experience. On the one hand, you know you’re making an impact, on the other… fuuuuuck. Stay safe. Keeping speaking truth to power.
Also, thanks for saying so, but I was like, “Hmm, ok, thanks for your perspective.” With literally no intention whatsoever of removing my posts. Polarizing. Dude, we should be so “polarized” as to have to think about something like our whiteness and privilege.
I am ignorant about popular culture, but the whole maelstrom you’ve unleashed by bringing Taylor Swift and Margot Robbie into a conversation about how “not all pussies are pink” provides in a way it’s own entertainment.
YESSSSS. Not to mention she could be out here like Dolly Parton and not allowing herself to become a billionaire by being so actively generous with her wealth and everything she’s so hailed for building… but she’s not. Ppl love a success story but they hate looking at how that success is truly possible with a critical eye bc they so badly want to believe it’s possible for them or experience it vicariously thru somebody who looks/feels like them. It’s so much deeper than the ppl rushing to defend her in the comments are capable of going 🫠🫠🫠
I’m going to write a post soon about how Black History Month is ushering in a new era of Black truth telling in entertainment. First, there was Katt Williams. Then, I recently watched the Mo’Nique interview. It was sooo good. Her interview wasn’t just spilling tea. Mo’Nique kept it real about how she won’t let herself settle for less and how powerful Black media moguls are as bad as their white counterparts.
Thank you! It’s important for me to reiterate as many times as necessary, my critique has little to do with TS. I am neutral about her music. However, if we want to improve race relations in the United States, we must look at who is deemed worthy of care and protection and why. The societal implications reverberate to whether Black girls are “allowed” to experience childhood to medical racism. White women have more power than they know. The sooner they step into it as change agents for good, the better off everyone’s lives will be, including theirs.
PSA -- "Water in My Bones" is not a democracy. We can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable. I will delete and block readers who cross the line. No one has time for that. I'm okay with losing subscribers and likes.
Your words had me shaking with joy and validation. There is a difference between the recent knee-jerk misogyny of some critics of Swift, and the very valid, well-backed and important criticism of the "idealised whiteness" that Swift embodies and champions. And those goddamn pussy hats. I made the same comment to a white man back then and he genuinely looked at me like I was insane. Also, not all women have pussies. Not all people with pussies are women. It was just the most perfect expression of myopic cis white feminism. Anyhow, thanks for these words.
You are SO right on every level.
We saw the all too familiar white narcissism and entitlement in Taylor and Miley (and her total appropriation of Tina Turner's affect) watching the grammies. I don't follow fame and it was unusual that I watched with friends. It was not surprising, but it was disappointing. Fame does not do that to BIPOC women in the same ways. I wanted to believe that kind of racism and fragility was a mostly older white woman+dude problem (and it was interesting to see how Taylor completely disregarded the older white Celine despite her glowing words to her).. I'm sorry it hasn't been even lessened in my younger skinkin as I had hoped+assumed. The narcissism and fragility of our whiteness confronting itself has been ageless and classless. We have to keep naming and owning it in all its forms. JayZ spoke the truth about the skewed awards and I had not been a fan before.
A Facebook friend shared my Substack article, and a predictable response happened. The unwillingness to critique self-constructs and their societal impact is staggering. It may not always be easy to take, but Black Americans have a tradition of self-critique. We argue among ourselves. But no one can accuse us of not being self-aware.
We white folk haven't been forced to be self-aware to survive and now you're seeing the cultural/global decline in survivability for all of us because of it. It's costing all humans and life on earth now and still we resist seeing and owning our harm done to others even as it begins to fall on us.... I always hold out hope that if just 15-20% (anthropologists estimate) wake up sooner than later, we will become self aware enough to stop the continued devolution. I am still here for that and appreciate your voice.
Thank you for your comments. And is it just me or is the increasing self-identification with celebrities disturbing? Someone might make a disparaging remark about Beyoncé, and while I may disagree, I don't take it personally just because I like some of her songs. I find the phenomenon baffling.
Very creepy and social media promoted. Fame and fortune remain the white holy grail actively promoted and it is gutting everything else of real value and meaning for so many buying into it. When you see BIPOC getting awards, they are humble, thanking heaven and all the humans who helped, touched to tears. White folk are puffed up and all about themselves. It's pretty stark..
Yes! Yes! Yes! 100%. I love what and how you write, and the fact that you read your own words! I had this conversation with several of my white friends, (full disclosure I am white), and they just gave me a shrug as they re-adjusted their pussy hats! I must admit, I am not a Taylor Swift fan, just not really interested in her frankly. Maybe it’s my age maybe I don’t relate to her as representative of anyone except herself. Lots of white women confound me frankly, and I know a lot of that is denial and wanting to separate myself from the cohort that I am part of. No excuses. I don’t bury my head in the sand. I just don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere. I’ll keep at it though I promise.
We can be part of a community but not OF it. F.D. Signifier is one of my favorite Black cultural critics on YouTube because he makes me think. Taylor Swift's music doesn't speak to me. I don't disparage her fans and those who connect to her and her music. My issue is the defense of a racial stance that hurts everyone, including those who hold it.
Absolutely! And so much clearer than what I said
An FYI, I do NOT read tomorrow's Substack post, a long-ish review of Bradley Cooper's "Maestro." I prefer reading some of the shorter pieces and will continue to do so. ;-)
No one else I follow reads any of their post, so I am grateful when you do. It’s not so much an expectation as a delight.
Reading the pieces aloud also helps me correct mistakes. I often do several takes. So thank you for suggesting it.
I enjoyed reading your perspective
Thank you! I appreciate you reading it and taking the time to engage with me.
I love Luvvie, and I commented on her post on IG. I am currently working on my masters degree in Organizational Leadership, and my thesis topic is about how feminism defaults to white feminism and how it needs to change to intersectional feminism, and how that relates to women in leadership. Women in leadership positions are vastly over-represented by white women. I posted my topic on LinkedIn and got a phone call from a friend who recommended that I take down my recent posts because they were polarizing. UGH. Um, ok…
I am always on the lookout to read more from different perspectives. If we don’t consider broader perspectives, we do everyone a disservice. We are so concerned with being “right” (correct) that we don’t consider that not everyone’s “right” looks the same. If we don’t take a critical look at the systems we participate in and the people we revere, we perpetuate the baked in oppression.
I often worry that my allyship is performative. I seek to do more than just speak and write. I am a work in progress and I appreciate that I have miles to go, forever and always.
Taylor Swift is not my jam, but I don’t have feelings about her music, nor do I take criticism of her personally. Of course, I am a crone in comparison, so… :shrug:
It’s nice to think that with age comes perspective, but obviously that’s not always the case.
I'm so sorry that a friend asked you to remove your post because *they* perceived it as polarizing. It's at times like this when retreating to a nice cottage in New Zealand appeals to me. EVERYONE is a work in progress. All of us (especially and including me) can do better.
Also, I'm with you on age and perspective. It's not my music, and that's okay. Not everything is FOR me.
Acknowledging that not everything is for us is something SO MANY people struggle with, particularly men! Men (white men) are so used to being the target audience of evvvvvvvverything that when something isn’t for them, they want it GONE. Don’t make them have to endure that!
Meanwhile, the rest of the population has grown up knowing that most things aren’t intended FOR THEM. I’m always amazed at how surprised men get that women harbor such rage. Add in blackness and queerness and poverty and any other number of things, and really? You are SURPRISED that there is rage? White men are not emotionally or mentally equipped for the future…
Yes, yes, and yes. Who is equipped for the future? Most of us are taking our best guesses. As for me, I'm taking it 24 hours at a time. Sometimes my art resonates. Other times, it falls flat. I'm not for everyone and that's okay.
Thanks for this conversation!
Thank you for engaging with me. People love my writing when I bleed on the page for them. However, I run into death threats and trolling whenever I turn my gaze outward. It's bananas.
I’m so sorry that that is your experience. On the one hand, you know you’re making an impact, on the other… fuuuuuck. Stay safe. Keeping speaking truth to power.
Also, thanks for saying so, but I was like, “Hmm, ok, thanks for your perspective.” With literally no intention whatsoever of removing my posts. Polarizing. Dude, we should be so “polarized” as to have to think about something like our whiteness and privilege.
I am ignorant about popular culture, but the whole maelstrom you’ve unleashed by bringing Taylor Swift and Margot Robbie into a conversation about how “not all pussies are pink” provides in a way it’s own entertainment.
I write about the intersection of race and pop culture as allegories and archetypes. Occasionally, I am amusing. 🤣
*runs to find Luvvie’s post*
I’m so over the pedestalizing of Taylor Swift and more ppl need this distinction you made - all criticisms of her are not created equal!
Gurl, Luvvie’s post is so good and real. She takes it a step further and says TS is complicit in and actively encourages the pedestalizing. I agree.
TS rarely takes issues on anything unless it’s safe. I don’t expect or even WANT celebrities to publicize their political stances.
But if you’re a blank canvas, fans can project their wish fulfillment, which boosts sales.
YESSSSS. Not to mention she could be out here like Dolly Parton and not allowing herself to become a billionaire by being so actively generous with her wealth and everything she’s so hailed for building… but she’s not. Ppl love a success story but they hate looking at how that success is truly possible with a critical eye bc they so badly want to believe it’s possible for them or experience it vicariously thru somebody who looks/feels like them. It’s so much deeper than the ppl rushing to defend her in the comments are capable of going 🫠🫠🫠
I’m going to write a post soon about how Black History Month is ushering in a new era of Black truth telling in entertainment. First, there was Katt Williams. Then, I recently watched the Mo’Nique interview. It was sooo good. Her interview wasn’t just spilling tea. Mo’Nique kept it real about how she won’t let herself settle for less and how powerful Black media moguls are as bad as their white counterparts.
Can’t wait to read it, you know I’m always here for all of the truth telling 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Thank you for sharing your reflection. I read Luvvie’s post too and appreciated her.
Thank you! It’s important for me to reiterate as many times as necessary, my critique has little to do with TS. I am neutral about her music. However, if we want to improve race relations in the United States, we must look at who is deemed worthy of care and protection and why. The societal implications reverberate to whether Black girls are “allowed” to experience childhood to medical racism. White women have more power than they know. The sooner they step into it as change agents for good, the better off everyone’s lives will be, including theirs.