Taylor Swift has plenty of songs about feminism, and her “to hell with the patriarchy” attitude seems to have struck a chord with one conservative journalist.
John Mac Ghlionn came under fire for his article accusing Swift – whose Eras Tour is the highest-grossing concert tour of all time – of being a bad influence on young girls.
In the Newsweek article titled Taylor Swift is not a good role modelGhilonn claimed the singer was setting a bad example as she is “34 years old, single and has no children,” and did not mention her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, because he was the same.
The op-ed’s author wrote the piece last week to “offer some response” to the Taylor mania that has swept the world, and has been quickly ridiculed for his “1950s misogynistic” views.
In her article, she claimed that although the pop star’s “talent for starting conversations, driving engagement and generating revenue is commendable,” she is not a good role model for young girls.
John Mac Ghlionn came under fire for his article accusing Taylor Swift, whose Eras tour is the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, of being a bad influence on young girls.
Commenting on Swift’s past relationships, Ghilonn suggested that her marital status was crucial in making her a role model, citing that not being married was almost the only reason girls should look elsewhere for a role model.
While acknowledging her “musical talent and business acumen,” the researcher and essayist argued that “rather than encouraging young women to see the ‘Swift standard’ as the norm,” they should be encouraged to aspire to a romantic lifestyle that was “a little more… healthy.”
“Would any loving parent reading this want their daughter to date 12 different men in the span of just a few years?” she argued in the article.
“This isn’t an attack on Swift; it’s a valid question worth asking.”
Ghilionn did not comment on the fact that Swift’s boyfriend, Kelce, is also single and 34, which was immediately noted by irate readers.
Some readers branded him a “misogynistic incel coward” and outraged users took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts.
“What the hell is this misogynistic nonsense from @Newsweek? Taylor Swift is not a role model because she is ‘single and childless’ what the hell? Written by a man of course but you should be ashamed of yourself for posting this empty nonsense,” one person wrote.
“No man has ever been castigated in the media for being a ‘bad role model for boys’ because he was ’34, single and had no children,'” another commented.
Someone else wrote: “Young women don’t need to aspire to get married and have kids. Personally, I’m not interested in Taylor Swift, but there are worse role models than someone who obviously works hard and is financially independent and also made huge donations to food banks.”
John Mac Ghlionn (pictured) came under fire for his article accusing Taylor Swift (whose Eras tour is the highest-grossing concert tour of all time) of being a poor role model for young girls.
Ghilionn did not comment on the fact that Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, is also single and 34, which was immediately noted by irate readers.
Taylor Swift’s Eras tour is currently the highest-grossing concert tour of all time
Some readers branded him a “misogynistic incel coward” and angry users took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts, while some agreed.
A fourth chimed in: “This man clearly doesn’t understand patriarchy. He’s a man explaining feminism, patriarchy and who is and isn’t a female role model.”
Despite the strong backlash, some users praised Ghlionn for sharing his bold opinions.
“It’s a point of view. Everyone can have one. I wouldn’t want a daughter to seek hollow fame on a personal level. Money and mass adoration tend to be poor consolation in adulthood,” one user wrote.
“Personally, I love how all the conscious feminazis are affected by this,” another joked.
“If there’s nothing wrong with not being married and not having children, why is everyone so angry?”
Ghlionn has since deleted his X account.
DailyMail.com has contacted Newsweek and Ghlionn for comment.
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