Taylor Swift: 'Other women who are killing it should motivate you, rather than threaten you'

The pop singer says that comparing women to one another is a “disservice” to other women

Ella Alexander
Friday 14 November 2014 12:29 GMT
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The channel will kick off with music from Taylor Swift
The channel will kick off with music from Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has asserted that women should stop comparing themselves to other women.

The singer, who has broken US sales records with her latest album, 1989, made the comment in relation to a question about the scrutiny of female bodies in the media.

“Other women who are killing it should motivate you, thrill you, challenge you and inspire you rather than threaten you and make you feel like you’re immediately being compared to them,” she told Time magazine.

“The only thing I compare myself to is me, two years ago, or me one year ago. How does 1989 measure up to Red, sales-wise?”

She also acknowledged the disparity between the physical and aesthetics-based pressure between men and women.

“I refuse to buy into these comparisons, because you don’t see it happening to men. All you seem to see is ‘Which New Mother Is Sexier?’, ‘Who’s the Hotter Mama?’, ‘Who’s Got The Better Booty?’” she commented.

“If we continue to show young girls that they are being compared to other girls, we’re doing ourselves a huge disservice as a society.”

Swift also no problems with being referred to as a role model, accepting her position as a “very obvious and natural thing for people to see you as, when you’re a singer”.

Rather than seeing her responsibility to the young as an additional pressure, she views it as “exciting”.

“I’m trying to live my life with some sort of thoughtfulness put into my actions, but it’s not because I feel like I’m the president of the International Babysitters Club,” she said.

Speak of female media scrutiny, Swift was on the receiving end of an arguably questionable kickstarter campaign instigated by rapper Diplo earlier this week, which campaigned to improve her derriere.

Her friend, singer Lorde, hit back with this excellently phrased put-down.

The kickstarter has been so far supporter by a pitiful 90.

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