“That hit me like a ton of bricks”: Taylor Swift Blames Patriarchy after She Was Trolled for Embracing the ‘Girl Squad’ Trope

Taylor Swift is undoubtedly a powerhouse when it comes to creating record-breaking and chart-topping hits. Known as one of the greatest singers of her generation, Swift has achieved quite a big fan following. But apart from her musical endeavors, the starlet is also known for her high-profile friends in the industry.

Taylor Swift || Credits: jazills || CCA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons

This group is called Swift’s ‘Girl Squad’ and features the likes of Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid, and Blake Lively, to name a few. However, over the years, this has also been a point of backlash for the Reputation singer. In a past interview, she detailed how patriarchy played a huge part in this.

Patriarchy to Blame: Taylor Swift Defends Her ‘Girl Squad’ Amidst Criticism

Taylor Swift || Credits: makaiyla willis || CCA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons

Taylor Swift, with her remarkable hold in the music industry, has a net worth of billions. But she’s not just famous for her chart-topping hits and writing songs about her past relationships. When she’s not out and about with her beau, Travis Kelce, the singer-songwriter can often be spotted grabbing dinner with some of her high-profile friends.

While her friendship with singer Selena Gomez is known to many, Swift is also friends with Gigi Hadid, Blake Lively, Cara Delevingne, Brittany Mahomes, and Sophie Turner, to name a few. However, it was this very friendship that opened doors for major backlash for Swift.

For example, she was criticized for promoting a superficial and homogenized view of female friendship. The singer added to the same in a Rolling Stone interview and said: 

Yeah, I never would have imagined that people would have thought, “This is a clique that wouldn’t have accepted me if I wanted to be in it.” Holy shit, that hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like, “Oh, this did not go the way that I thought it was going to go.” I thought it was going to be we can still stick together, just like men are allowed to do. The patriarchy allows men to have bro packs. If you’re a male artist, there’s an understanding that you have respect for your counterparts.

Despite these criticisms, the actress has remained close with her friends and can often be seen hanging out with them. For instance, just recently she hosted Blake Lively’s birthday at her Rhode Island mansion. Further, she and Travis Kelce were also spotted having a double date with Brittany and Patrick Mahomes.

Taylor Swift Gives a Sweet Shoutout to Travis Kelce at the VMA’s

Travis Kelce || Credits: Erik Drost || CCA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons

Taylor Swift shocked both the music and sports industries when she began dating Travis Kelce, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. The media buzzed when Swifties spotted Kelce at Swift’s concert. Although their relationship was still just a rumor at that time, Swift attended several of his games, further fueling the speculation.

The duo is now publicly embracing their relationship and are frequently seen together. On a more affectionate note, the singer-songwriter gave a heartfelt shoutout to her beau during this year’s VMAs.

Taking center stage at New York’s UBS Arena, she accepted the Video of the Year Award for the song Fortnight from her album The Tortured Poets Department.

In her speech, she also mentioned Kelce, saying:

The thing is that this video seems very sad when you watch, it but it actually was, like, the most fun video to make. Something that I’ll always remember is when I would finish a take and I’d say cut and we’d be done with that take, I would always just hear someone cheering ‘woo’ from across the studio where we were shooting it, and that one person was my boyfriend, Travis. Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic, so I wanna thank him for adding that to our shoot because I’ll always remember that.

Over the course of her illustrious music career, the singer has amassed a total of 23 VMA awards. Although she is currently taking a break from her Eras Tour, she will resume performing with upcoming stops in Canada and the United States throughout October, November, and December. Meanwhile, Kelce is occupied with his NFL games.