SALT LAKE CITY — In a new piece published by Elle magazine, Taylor Swift got personal about that infamous Kim Kardashian feud, how she feels about the current political landscape and some of her personal fears, hopes, and growth as an artist.
Swift’s feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye
Swift, who turns 30-years-old in December, shared with Elle 30 life lessons she’s learned, including how she felt when a feud between her and Kim Kardashian over one of Kanye West’s lyrics went viral in 2016.
While Swift reportedly gave West permission to use her name in his song “Famous,” she said she didn’t know what the lyrics said (they mention, in less kind terms, that West made Swift famous). Kardashian, who’s married to West, took to social media to contradict Swift, repeatedly referring to the artist as a snake, according to Us Magazine.
“A few years ago, someone started an online hate campaign by calling me a snake on the internet,” Swift wrote in Elle. “The fact that so many people jumped on board with it led me to feeling lower than I’ve ever felt in my life.”
Swift said she moved past that moment by “learning to laugh.” On tour for her album “Reputation,” which referenced her Kim K. and Kanye feud in song multiple times, Swift used snake imagery to poke fun at Kardashian’s comments.
“I can’t tell you how hard I had to keep from laughing every time my 63-foot inflatable cobra named Karyn appeared onstage in front of 60,000 screaming fans,” Swift said.
She added, “It would be nice if we could get an apology from people who bully us, but maybe all I’ll ever get is the satisfaction of knowing I could survive it, and thrive in spite of it.”
Swift on politics
Swift spoke up in Elle about something that she’s been criticized for staying silent on in the past: politics.
While other artists frequently use their social media and touring platforms to voice political opinions, Swift has remained largely neutral, a move some have said “does make her stand out— but not in a good way,” according to NBC News.
“I’m finding my voice in terms of politics,” Swift said. “I took a lot of time educating myself on the political system and the branches of government that are signing off on bills that affect our day-to-day life. I saw so many issues that put our most vulnerable citizens at risk, and felt like I had to speak up to try and help make a change.”
Back in October, Swift took to Instagram to tell her fans she would not be endorsing U.S. Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) in the midterm elections, an uncommon move for the artist.
Blackburn released several campaign ads expressing her support for Donald Trump, including an ad referring to members of the migrant caravan as “gang members, known criminals, people from the Middle East, possibly even terrorists.”
Swift said, “Only as someone approaching 30 did I feel informed enough to speak about it to my 114 million followers. Invoking racism and provoking fear through thinly veiled messaging is not what I want from our leaders, and I realized that it actually is my responsibility to use my influence against that disgusting rhetoric.”
Swift said she plans on doing “more to help” as the 2020 presidential election approaches.
Read the rest of Swift’s Elle piece here.