Spiegelberg

​​

Taylor Swift!! "Taylor Swift." //Wikipedia//. Wikipedia, 10 May 2010. Web. 11 May 2010. .
 * She was born December 13, 1989
 * Her first album single was "//Tim McGraw" in 2006//
 * //Grew up on a Christmas tree farm just outside of Reading, Pennsylvania//
 * //She was 12 when she starting writing songs//
 * //Was the youngest person to be a musical guest on SNL//
 * //She grew up loving music by Pasty Cline and Dolly Parton//
 * //Since starting out in 2006 Swift has won 59 awards ranging from American Music Awards to Teen Choice awards//
 * //She was nominated for 87 of those awards//

** "What would Kearney Say?" 2-14-2010 **
“Producing Girls: Rethinking the study of Female Youth Culture,” was written by Mary Celeste Kearny. This article expresses how today’s media outputs such as magazines are teaching teenage girls to consume other than produce, throughout the article Kearny attempts to move away from the teenagers are consumers but over to producers. Kearny works to challenge the misconception that people have on teenage girls and what they can accomplish. When it comes to my pop culture artifact, Taylor Swift I feel Kearny would have a lot of positive feedback to say. Kearny would express just how much of an inspirational phenomenon Swift is, with Taylor Swift starting out with her professional singing career so young. Throughout Kearny’s essay she talks about teenage magazines and how they push girls to be consumers instead of producers. For example within Kearny’s essay she talks about how magazines such as Seventeen promote rock stars and their music but refuse to show the girls how to themselves become a rock star or even get a band together. Kearny would really like how Swift is constantly challenging these conceptions. Instead of Swift sitting back and taking what these certain teenage magazines have to offer which is how to get the boy or what color eye shadow is right for you. Swift is known to talk about how she became such a phenomenon because as Kearny put in her essay “… more and more girls are successfully resisting the dominant ideologies of gendered and generational subjectivity by telling their own stories” (298). Kearny would also like to touch base on even though Swift has many appearances in magazines such as //YM// and //Seventeen// her role within those interviews is to promote positive teen interaction. Swift’s fan base is so wide spread that when she is interviewed for whatever magazine it may be she stays very teen friendly and talks about how important it is to stay within the right light. I’m sure Kearny would touch base on just how successful Swift has become at such a young age. At the age of 20 Swift has won 59 awards ranging from American Music Awards to Teen Choice Awards. With winning these awards Kearny would state that girls may feel like they can also become something they dream to be through hardwork and being a good person overal. Although becoming someone as popular as Taylor Swift is nearly impossible, teen magazines bring the readers closer to Taylor and lets them know what they are capable of becoming. Kearny would also touch on just how great of a person Swift is she rarely ever swears, she doesn’t do the party scene, and she more importantly doesn’t drink or smoke. She is a prime example of young with really positive values. With all of these other young stars creating a negative image Kearny would really respect the image that Swift has made for herself. Overall I believe that Kearny would only speak highly of Swift for the many reasons I have listed.  Kearney, Mary Celeste. //Producing Girls//. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

This is a video of Taylor Swifts new song Today Was A Fairytale.

media type="youtube" key="GtpRJLom6gQ" height="344" width="425"

**"**What woud Parsons say" 2-21-2010 **​** “Ella Evolving: Cinderella Stories and the Construction of Gender-Appropriate Behavior” was written by Linda Parsons. This article expresses what is really embedded within popular fairytales. I believe that Parsons would have a lot to say about the artist Taylor Swift. Parsons expressed the need for the princess within the fairytale to be beautiful. With Swift being tall, skinny, and blonde I believe the Parsons would describe her as being under a princess description. "As this message is repeated story aafter story, we come to accept as natural the notion that [assive, beautiful females are rewarded" (137). I believe with Swift having these characteristics this is what brings her to the traditional look on fairytales. Parsons would also state that so many of today’s female singers have the princess look. When Susan Boyle came into to industry last year I think her look caught so much attention because she doesn’t fit the princess description. Although Swift fits the image of a princess she has much higher aspirations of just getting the guy. Swift is the average young adult female, with just turning 20 and being so famous the spot light is always on her. I believe if Parsons was to talk about Swift she would mostly touch on what her songs say. Every song Swift has performed has talked about a guy: the guy either did her wrong, is with a different girl, or simply the man of her dreams. One thing I want to add about Swifts music is within all her songs she gives the actual names of the guys she is talking about. Within the Parsons reading she expresses “A primary goal of gender construction in patriarchal culture is to prepare young girls for romantic loves and heterosexual practices” (136). When I read that line within the article I instantly thought of Swifts song “White Horse”. This song describes how girls are brought up believing that prince charming is going to come and change everything, to make everything the way it is supposed to be. Within the song it says “I’m not a princess this ain’t a fairytale I’m not the one you’ll sweep off her feet lead her up a stair well.” I believe Parsons would blame that the reasons girls actually believe that there is a guy out there getting ready to “sweep her off her feet” is all because of fairytales. Parsons would also find a lot to say about Swifts song called “Fifteen”, within this song Swift is expressing more of a conservative look on the fairytale girls have portrayed in their heads. Within the song Swift talks about yes in the beginning of her teenage years she felt she needed to be popular and have a guy in her life to make her complete. The lyrics I felt that most portrayed what she was trying get across is “Cause when you’re fifteen and somebody tells you they love you you’re gonna believe them… But in your life you’ll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team but I didn’t know it ate fifteen.” Parsons would have mixed feeling on Swift because of what I have stated: although she has every physical characteristic of a princess she knows now that everything is more important than finding the guy of her dreams.

Parsons, Linda T. //Ella Evolving: Cinderella Stories and the Construction of Gender-Appropriate Behavior//. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Here is her "Fifteen" video

media type="youtube" key="Pb-K2tXWK4w" height="340" width="560"

Here is Taylor Swifts "White Horse" video

media type="youtube" key="D1Xr-JFLxik" height="340" width="560"
 * [[image:Taylor-Swift-b10.jpg width="264" height="393" align="left"]]​**

"What would Hager Say" 3-7-2010

I was unsure if I should discuss Lisa Hager's article, "Saving the World Before Bedtime: The Powerpuff Girls, Citizenship, and the Little Girl Superhero" but after talking with my three year old niece I knew I had to. I asked my niece Kiara who her favorite superhero was and her response was "Taylor Swift". With that I believe that Hager would say that in many young girls, preteens, and teenage girls eyes Taylor Swift is in some way a superhero. Although the superhero figure is more commonly left for people such as Batman and Wonder Woman but to some a superhero can be someone that just simply helps them through a hard time. Throughout Hager’s article she touched on the difference between girl cool and boy cool. Girl cool is made up of fashion, consumerism, and sexuality. Where boy cool is made up of violence. This is where the Powerpuff girls come into play, these three little girls that just happen to be superhero’s have merged both the boy and the girl cool. Some would challenge that the Powerpuff girls are unlike superheros because of the fact they are three young girls. Within Hager’s reading she expresses; “The nature of the Powerpuff Girls’ challenge to notions of femininity must be understood in terms of the specific ways in which these little girls are disenfranchised as girls rather than women” (62). The show really shows young viewers that girls can be strong and save the day just as boys can. I feel a topic that Hager would have a lot to say about Taylor Swift is when it comes to Diva Citizenship. I may be off a bit on what Diva Citizenship consists of but I feel that it consists of divas going further than the laws, although making sure the law in not being broken and doing this while making the world in which we live better. For example within the reading Hager states; “They are radical Diva citizens because at the very moment they disrupt the law they are also the most recuperated within that law.” I feel that Hager would say that in her own way Taylor Swift is a part of Diva Citizenship for many reasons. Many other stars such as Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton have made headlines on things such as drug abuse, drunk driving, and sex tapes after being in the limelight. With Taylor Swift being in these same lights and having just as much pressure she has never been accused of doing wrong. For example in her "Glamour Magazine" interview when asked what sets her apart from the other young women of her success she explaned, "I’ve never been fascinated by the party lifestyle. Sometimes people look at me like, You’re 19 and don’t want to rebel? For me, rebelling is done with words: I love to write honest songs that name real people, then get up onstage and live out those emotions in front of 15,000 people. Penciling in a night to get wasted is not something I want to do." I believe if Hager was to touch on how she felt about Taylor Swift she would say in many ways Swift could do much more to become a better superhero, but to many girls she is a perfect superhero.

Hager, Lisa. “Saving the World Before Bedtime: The Powerpuff Girls, Citizenship, and the Little Girl Superhero.” Reading.

Sandell, Laurie. "Taylor Swift: Bomb-shell in Blue Jeans." //Glamour//. Glamour, 06 Jan 2009. Web. 11 May 2010. . "What Would Hassel Say" 3-7-2010 I believe that Holly Hassel would believe that Taylor Swift is a very positive popular culture icon. Throughout Hassel’s article “Susan Murphy, Ginormica, and Gloria Steinem: Feminist Consciousness-Raising as Science Fiction in //Monsters vs. Aliens//” she looked at the movie //Monsters vs. Aliens// within a feminist perspective. Although Taylor Swift is known to not let the outside world take over her personal life in many ways patriarchy stills finds her. When Swift is walking a red carpet she is consistently asked if there was a new guy in her life she would one day write about. I think that Hassel would relate that back to male-centeredness, although she is the successful one walking the red carpet it is who she may be dating that is getting all the attention. When Swift was interviewed by “Time Magazine” she was how she came about writing “Love Story” she expressed: “ ”Love Story" is actually about a guy that I almost dated. But when I introduced him to my family and my friends, they all said they didn't like him. All of them! For the first time, I could relate to that Romeo-and-Juliet situation where the only people who wanted them to be together were them. That's the most romantic song I've written, and it's not even about a person I really dated.” Within this song and many of her other songs Swift shows a strong obsession of Allan Johnson’s male dominated degree. Swift has many opportunities to write on more than just about boys and love. I think Hassel would like to see Swift write about things such as girls finding success and empowering what women can become. I feel that Hassel would challenge Taylor Swift simply because of the fairy tale woman stereotype. Swift is tall, blonde, skinny, and in many ways beautiful. In many ways Swift is supposed to win, throughout fairytales it is the beautiful princess who always wins and she had definitely won. Hassel would argue that some girls trying to become what Swift is would have more of a struggle because they may not fit the princess stereotype. I don’t think many people second guessed Taylor Swift when she was becoming this pop culture icon because not only was she young with an amazing voice but she looked as if she deserved to be a winner. Within Hassel’s article she expresses: "Viewers are accustomed to the kind of female protagonist defined by the standard fairy tale ideology that ‘when the heroine is beautiful she need not do anything to merit being chosen by the prince; she is chosen simply because she is beautiful’” (5). I think if Taylor Swift was to sing less about boys, do more to get young girls involved within their own dreams, and help women fight against patriarchy Hassel would look at Swift as an ultimate popular culture icon.

Hassel, Holly. “Susan Murphy, Ginormica, and Gloria Steinem: Feminist Consciousness-Raising as Science fiction in Monsters vs. Aliens.” Reading

Parker, Madison. "10 Questions for Taylor Swift." //Time//. Time, 23 Apr 2009. Web. 11 May 2010. .

"What Would Schrum Say" 3-14-2010

Kelly Schrum is the author of “Teena Means Business”. Within the article Schrum discussed how the very popular //Seventeen// magazines became what it is today and what it has done today teenagers within pop culture. I believe that Schrum would have a lot of positive things about my popular culture icon Taylor Swift. The //Seventeen// magazine is “… dominated by fashion, beauty, style, and the redemptive value of consumption, yet clear in its moral advice to vote, think, and participate as a responsible citizen” (139). If teenage magazines touched more on career, education, and professional goals for young women they would be a lot more positive for young readers. Growing up //Seventeen// magazine was my favorite magazine to read because it touched on so many of the major and minor topics going on within my teenage years. Today you cannot open up a //Seventeen// magazine and not see Taylor Swift within numerous pages. Schrum would suggest that Swift is so popular with this certain magazine because she is/was the perfect teenage girl. Taylor Swift has rarely had anything negative wrote about her and she is never getting into the type of trouble that the media feeds off of. This is making Taylor Swift the ideal icon to put on covers of //Seventeen// magazines. Schrum wouldn’t discuss Taylor Swift and //Seventeen// magazines without touching on how impossible it is to become her. //Seventeen// likes to express to teenage girls that they can be just like Taylor Swift, they can do this by: wearing clothes like hers, having similar hairstyles, wearing the same make up, and trying out the same profession. Magazines like //Seventeen// make teenagers believe that they can easily reach the same goals and have the same opportunities as someone like Taylor Swift but that is rarely the case. These magazines are giving teenage girls false hope while also trying to sell them multiple things such as lip gloss to the most hip sundress for the spring. Teen magazines have been sculpting the teenage culture for years and as long as icons like Taylor Swift are around, they will be more likely to grace the covers.

Schrum, Kelly. //Teena Means Business//. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print

"What would Zipes say" 4-4-2010

Jack Zipes wrote the article "The Phenomenon of Harry Potter, or Why All the Talk?" Throughout the article Zipes expresses three key concepts which include: commodity culture, hegemonic ideologies, and phallocentrism that are brought on by the Harry Potter phenomenon. I think that Zipes article goes along rather well with my popular culture artifact, Taylor Swift. Zipes would express that because Taylor Swift is such a common character she is more likely to be a phenomenon. Within the article Zipes states "What appears as something phenomenal turns or is turned into its opposite through a process of homogenization: the phenomenal thing or occurrence must become a conventional commodity that can be grasped or consumed to fit our cultural expectations. Otherwise it is not a phenomenon" (np). Taylor Swift is blond and Skinny just like many young adults, Zipes would argue that if Swift was short, stocky, and had blue hair she may not be such a phenomenon. Many young girls can easily relate to Swift which makes her so popular. Young people can also relate to Swifts male troubles which most of her songs relate to. Within Swifts song "You Belong With Me" she expresses how normal of a girl she is and how the man of her dreams is with the preppy girl. The song goes on to say that she ends up with him because she is not the preppy and stuck up girl. Girls today love to here this kind of stuff because then they feel they too can get the guy of their dreams without becoming something that their not. Just like Taylor Swift, Harry Potter is "... ordinary and yet have become extraordinary" (np). Although becoming a phenomenon such as Taylor Swift is so hard to reach she helps young girls believe and strive to get there. Although the Harry Potter books are aimed for male readers, the books are still a big hit within females also. That is not so much the case with Taylor Swift, I know a few males that are huge Taylor Swift fans but the majority is female because her target audience is young females. I believe if Taylor Swift Changed her target audience for a number of her songs her sales would go up, but I believe she is mostly out there to promote young females. Zipes would say that Taylor Swift is a positive role model for young girls and is happy that she a a phenomenon of this age.

Zipes, Jack. //Sticks and Stones//. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.

"What would Beavis and Charles say" 4-11-2010 I grew up playing the EA Sims games, so I was excited to read an article that was written on the game. I found the article very interesting and it touched on points that I never really looked it. The article talked a lot about "domestic space" and how the Sims helps create this for the young people playing the game. I found it interesting that this is one of the few video games aimed at girls and when these girls are playing the game many of them take on the homemaker role because they want to achieve the 1950's "American Dream." I couldn't believe that more young girls would rather play a Sim that stays home and is the care taker instead of going out and having a successful job. After I read the article I looked at my Sims characters and realized I was playing the same way as those young girls. I was a homemaker instead of working out in the real world. I was really interested in this so I had my boyfriend play for awhile. While playing he was more interested in finding women and becoming a successful business man. Within his "life" he had no family and his only friend was his boss. So my own personal experiences go right along with what Catherine Beavis and Claire Charles were trying to get across in their article "Challenging Notions of Gendered Game Play: Teenagers playing The Sims." If Beavis and Charles were to talk about Taylor Swift they would touch on here video game coming out by Band Hero. In the Band Hero game players can actually be Taylor Swift and sing her songs. I researched the game and they went so far as the same guitars are used, her exact moves are taken, and her famous hair flip is even used. Beavis and Charles probably like that young people now have the option to be just like their idol Taylor. They could even go as far as expressing that if the young girls are playing Taylor Swift in the video game they will be more likely to act like her outside of the game.With Taylor Swift having a number of her songs on the Band Hero game is is giving young and old fans everywhere the chance to be just like her and it give newcomers the chance to test some of her music. Beavis and Charles would also touch on the fact that maybe someday Taylor Swift will be in a video game where she is a hero and saves many people, but this is a lot less likely than her being in more games such as Band Hero.

Beavis, Catherine, and Claire Charles. "Challenging Notions of Gendered Game Play: Teenagers playing The Sims." //Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education// 26.3: 355-67. Print

media type="youtube" key="GVKuFZhB1e8" height="385" width="640"

"What would Inness say" 4-25-2010

Sherrie A. Inness wrote the article called “Anti Barbie’s- //The American Girls Collection and Political Ideologies.”// Within the article Inness touched on every part of the American Girls dolls from how much they cost and their impact on some schooling systems. Early within the article we are told that the American Girls dolls are unlike any other; “’If you don’t know about the American Girls Collection,’ wrote one person, ‘you’re missing a line of high-quality toys and accessories for young girls that really delivers on the promise to entertain and educate” (166). Before I decided to refer Inness’s article to my popular culture artifact, Taylor Swift I researched Swift dolls online. I was surprised to find that there are more than five different types of Taylor Swift Dolls on the market, in a variety of different stores.

If Inness was to touch on Taylor Swift the first thing she would look at is the various Swift dolls. Within Inness’s article she talked rather extensively about the high cost of the American Girls dolls. “Felicity’s complete collection retails for $995, with gift wrapping $80 extra” (165). With these high prices being just for one doll it is easy to realize that most family budgets cannot afford these high profile dolls. After researching Taylor Swift dolls online I came to find that her dolls range from $18.99 to $39.99. With these low end prices it is much easier for all families to get their hands on Taylor Swift Dolls. Inness would also touch on how Taylor Swift really challenges how most dolls “…demonstrate the ‘natural’ roles of the woman as nurturer and caregiver” (79). Taylor Swift dolls show young women that they can be successful on their own and become whatever they want to be. Instead of young girls playing the role as nurse or homemaker, they can now become someone just like them who became successful because of her talents. Each of the American Girls dolls bring a lot of educational value along within themselves, something that obviously the Swift doll does not. Inness would express that Swift would be a very explosive doll if she had all of the existing qualities but also had some type of educational value besides teaching girls they can be anything they want to be. These new Swift dolls would be such a hit because they would be still on the less expensive end, be educational, and inspirational.

Inness, Sherrie A. "Chapter 3: 'It's a Girl Thing': Tough Female Action Figures in the Toy Store." Unknown. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 75-94. Print.

"Taylor Swift Dolls." //Walmart//. Walmart, 2010. Web. 11 May 2010. .

"What would Gaunt say" 5-2-2010 Kyra Gaunt is the author of the “Games Black Girls Play” article. Within the article Gaunt explores the games that young black girls play such as double-dutch. She argues that rap is generated from these childhood games and that is how people should see African Americans and not through rap. “When we think of the music that drives the popular culture of African Americans, our first thought is not of double-dutch. (…) Instead, what comes to mind is hip-hop, neo-soul, go-go, crunk, and R&B” (1). Later within the article she touched on the fact of stereotypes and how male and female African Americans are always battling with the assumptions that are made that go along with their social and musical bodies. If Gaunt was to touch on my popular culture artifact Taylor Swift she would first of all talk about which type of stereotypes she portrays. With Taylor Swift being a young country singer who is always appearing very innocent one would thing that her favorite music would be very conservative and more along the pop music lines. This is far from true, Swift’s favorite band is Def Leopard and she has gotten the chance to sing with them a number of times. She has also worked with rapper T-Pain and even made a video with him. Within the video she acts as if she is portraying a rapper. She is wearing long chains, has a grill and even wearing a white tee-shirt. All of her characteristics within the video are the stereotypes that go along with rappers. With her acting this way in the video Gaunt would relate this to the “kinetic orality” theory. This theory is “the social training ground upon which girls create a background of relatedness to one another; performances of race, ethnicity, and gender are embodied through song, chant and percussive movement” (3). Gaunt would argue that because of “kinetic orality” Taylor Swift was able to portray a rapper, although she doesn't have the credibility that these rappers have she is still able to portray a rapper. I think it would be near impossible for a young, white female to be able to actually have a shot in the rapping industry. Gaunt would touch on the fact that Taylor Swift would have a tougher time portraying a black singer rather than vice versa. A black girl has grown up seeing much more white female singer on television than black female singers. Also the stereotype is so strong for both white females and black females that no matter what the circumstances are it is hard to make a shift from one or the other. Gaunt would finish with the strong push to try and fight and end all of these stereotypes.

Here is the Taylor Swift and T Pain video media type="youtube" key="FPOiqtf2FTE" height="385" width="480" "What would Lamb and Brown say" 5-9-2010 "Pretty in Pink: What Girls Wear" was written by Lamb and Brown. Throughout the article they examined how teen and preteen clothing has changed dramatically into something much different than young girls clothing before. The clothing that a girl would find in stores such at Kohl's and Limited Too are more directed towards older teens to adults, but they are still being sold for young girls to wear. "These older clothing styles show up on the girls in TV shows that kids are watching, they are strategically placed in doll sets, and they are choices in popular computer games" (17). With these girls seeing this type of clothing style in so many people Lamb and Brown would argue that it is pushing these young girls to grow up much faster. Also within the reading Lamb and Brown touch on how much of an impact parents have on children clothing choices when they are younger. I wasn't surprised by this because young girls don't have many options for clothing other than what their parents choose, because of lack of transportation to stores and lack of money. Within Lamb and Brown article I feel they touch on many important points and the article really opened my eyes to what is in store for these young girls and there clothing options. If Lamb and Brown were to touch on my popular culture artifact, Taylor Swift they would have to admit she challenges their findings. After researching online at different Taylor Swift merchandise I was surprised to find and I feel that Lamb and Brown would be surprised that most of her merchandise is in the colors of red, black, and white. There was very little shirts that were pink or had pink in them. With her target audience being teenage girls Lamb and Brown would both agree that a majority of her clothing would be pink. In fact when just looking at the youth clothing on her official website not one shirt was pink. Many of her shirts were very plain which went along with what Lamb and Brown said here: "Just a basic brightly colored cotton T-shirt that she can wear with jeans. It's next to impossible" (15). One thing I would like to touch on is I was looking to buy my nephew a Taylor Swift T-shirt and there were no youth boys shirts. I think that Lamb and Brown would have this challenge their findings, because it is usually girls having to go into boy sections to find something that was not in the girls section. Overall I really liked this article because and it really helped me open my eyes to how much impact that society has on just what young girls are wearing today.