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It turned out, however, that saying “yes” was at least as bad as saying “no,” because from that “Yes I’m a Feminist” moment on, the pop star’s every action would be analyzed for its feminist purity.

Spice Girl Geri Halliwell called feminism “bra-burning lesbianism.” They all took heat from Bustle and Jezebel, among others publications such as Time and the Huffington Post cast a lighter form of judgment by highlighting the stars’ anti-feminist answers in headlines and actual lists of “celebrities who say they aren’t feminists.” Lana Del Rey said she was more interested in space travel than feminism (points for originality). Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry were among those who said “no,” qualifying their answers by adding that they loved men. So much so, in fact, that all of our established pop stars were essentially forced to re-interview for the job, this time answering the key F-word question. Whether or not Janis understood that, her dual persona-lusty hedonist and suffering victim-suggested that she felt it.”īut somewhere in the intervening decades, feminism went from an important analytical tool for critics to a job requirement for female pop stars. Yet to express one’s rebellion in that limited way was a painfully literal form of submission. As a result, women endowed the idea of sexual liberation with immense symbolic importance it became charged with all the secret energy of an as yet suppressed larger rebellion. This kind of analysis goes back at least as far as 1980, when Ellen Willis wrote about Janis Joplin’s feminist implications in The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll: “The male-dominated counterculture defined freedom for women almost exclusively in sexual terms. They are our modern version of goddesses, so it’s worth it to examine what, exactly, their personae teach us about womanhood. We believe that Taylor Swift means exactly what she says, as Taylor Swift, when she’s singing a Taylor Swift song. (See: What Would Beyoncé Do? memes.) And unlike actresses, pop stars rely mainly on one cohesive persona that remains consistent throughout live performances, lyrics, and interviews. Their popularity shows that a large number of people are responding to something about them, and young women often look to them for inspiration. As public figures, our pop stars help to define-and perform-what it means to be a woman at any given time. It certainly makes sense for critics to examine female stars through a feminist lens. But for some, it seems, that isn’t enough unless it includes some serious soul searching over her flawed feminism. The record even contains some pretty solid sex-positive feminism, with Swift acknowledging pre-meditated desire (“only bought this dress so you could take it off”) and subverting stereotypes about gender roles in sexual pursuit (“carve your name into my bedpost”). If Taylor Swift’s job is to make excellent pop music, she more than succeeded with Reputation.