Taylor Swift vs Kanye West: Part II
Kanye West, oh gosh, when is he going to learn that dissing Taylor Swift is just going to make his album sales decrease even more? I mean, according to West, he’s already 53 million in debt so I don’t think he can afford stooping any lower than he already has. For those of you who don’t know, West released a sneak peak of his new album (whose name I can’t remember because he’s changed it so many times, and because, frankly, I don’t care), with the song “Famous.” The reason that “Famous” is so, well, famous, is due to not only name dropping, but also some choice lyrics that Kanye raps.
“I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that b—- famous.”
Excuse me? Hold on, I think Kanye needs to take a few steps back and realize how deep of a hole he has just dug himself into. Not only did he insult someone who has forgiven him for his wrongdoings against them in the past, but he also managed to be super sexist about it. So, here’s my analysis of this wonderful piece of poetry.
“I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex.” Hmm, it seems here that West might be dissatisfied with his personal life? Wait, isn’t he married to Kim Kardashian? Is she not enough for him? Is that why he has to harass a successful woman who is a little over ten years his junior? Not only is this demeaning to Taylor Swift, but it is also demeaning to women everywhere. This specific lyric implies that if a man helps a woman in the industry, he is automatically entitled to her body. Which, if I remember correctly, is not how it works. Just because someone does something for you, voluntarily, does not mean that they have the right to demand sex from you. That’s absurd. Even if it’s not voluntarily, no one has a right to your body but you. That goes for both genders. The lyric may also suggest that West could force Swift into having sexual relations with him. I mean come on, you “feel” like you and Taylor might still have sex? Seriously?
For those of you who may say something along the lines of “well, it’s just a song, it’s no big deal” well, your friendly neighborhood feminist is here to enlighten you. How do you suppose one would feel if someone, who you have no intention to have sex with, told everyone that they still thought they could get in your pants? I, personally, would be pretty angry. Who gave them the right to go over my head and ignore my obvious disgust with the prospect of sexual relations with them in order to tell everyone that “it’s still possible?”
I have to say though; Kanye’s lyrics did make me realize a few things. For one, I learned that yes, yes my hatred for Kanye West can grow. Secondly, Taylor Swift’s squad has her back. As soon as the song was released, almost every single one of her friends came to her aid. They tweeted him, they threw away their Yeezys (there’s a great video of Taylor’s brother “taking out the trash”) and overall stood by her. Then Taylor surprised me. At the 2016 Grammy Awards Taylor Swift won three Grammys. When she went up to accept one of these Grammys she gave an inspiring speech,
“As the first woman to win album of the year at the Grammys twice, I want to say to all the young women out there: there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame,” said Taylor. “But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you’ll know it was you and the people who love you who put you there and that will be the greatest feeling in the world.”
I have never seen anyone throw so much shade and manage to make it as inspiring as Taylor did. I have so much respect for Taylor Swift and I hope that the media doesn’t somehow put this against her, as they tend to do for most things, and I hope Kanye gets what’s coming to him. No one has the right to demand your body for compensation after helping you and don’t let anyone tell you any different.