Taylor Swift’s New Album Displays Her Pop Culture Relevance
What? Pop star Taylor Swift is set to release her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, Oct. 3. Many brands are using the artist’s popularity in marketing ploys. Dunkin Donuts (among others) has created a logo featuring the album’s signature orange sparkles. And many other brands are creating clever puns from the album’s title.
So What? This means that even if you’ve never listened to Swift’s music, your kids could still be influenced by her songs and worldview. And there’s also chance for exposure via social media and the radio: Sirius XM has dedicated an entire channel to Swift’s music until the album’s release—and it’ll play her new tunes in their entirety once they’re released.
Now What? Be sure to read our reviews of Swift’s prior works (and our review of the new album) to decide whether her music is appropriate for your family. And talk to your teens about Swift’s influence. Ask what they think about her music. And ask whether they think she’s a good role model.
TikTok’s ‘Lock-In’ Challenge Has Varied Results
What? “The great lock-in,” also known as the “September to December” challenge, is sort of like making New Year’s resolutions in the fall. You pick a goal and “lock-in” through those months in the hope of reaching that goal.
So What? Some teens are using this challenge to encourage healthy habits, such as getting appropriate amounts of sleep. But experts say focusing on too many goals at once could cause stress. And choosing goals that focus too heavily on physical attributes could lead to a distorted perception of health or self-image.
Now What? If your teens want to “lock-in,” talk to them about setting realistic expectations. Their goals should focus on supporting their well-being. And you can also encourage them to work toward these goals alongside friends, who can help with accountability and provide a sense of connection, too.
Study Says Instagram’s Teen Safety Features Are Failing. Meta Says Otherwise.
What? A study conducted by the research center Cybersecurity for Democracy claims that only eight of the 47 safety tools created by Meta to protect teen users were working effectively—and that teens are still being shown inappropriate and dangerous content.
So What? According to BBC News,Meta has disputed this research, “saying its protections have led to teens seeing less harmful content on Instagram.”
Now What? Regardless of who is correct, this news story serves as a reminder that we should never rely too heavily on parental controls. Even when safety features are working, teen users can still come across harmful content, experience cyberbullying and more. That’s why it’s important to cultivate an ongoing conversation with your child about this subject, letting them know that if they ever come across something that makes them uncomfortable, you’ll be there to listen and provide help, if necessary.
12 Responses
So much focus on Taylor Swift everywhere. Make no mistake. She is a modern day golden calf. Be ye not deceived.
She’s popular – and I was at her concert in a major city that loves her deeply, so I have some idea of *how* popular – but why are we addressing her as a ‘golden calf?’ She’s not expecting to take God’s place in your life. Though I will say I’ve seen some people asking why this and that among her behaviors aren’t “child-friendly” even though I haven’t seen her expressly market her material – especially not her newer material – to a young audience.
My sister listens to Taylor Swift and owns, I think, 8 of her CDs. I think her friends got her into it, because most of the songs I hear by Taylor on the radio are break up songs and that isn’t even a genre my sister likes. I’ll listen to the songs a few times to remind myself it is better to stay single than go through a messy break up, but I would rather think about other songs.
It’s because she acts like she’s all innocent and people act like shes this awesome super role when in reality has she not only been very bashing of Christians and anyone conservative, but heavily pushed lgb, has gotten to wear a lot more revealing outfits and even her songs are not as innocent. So yes she is like a golden calf that naive people worship but have no clue what they’re worshipping.
Why should that be surprising? She’s a witch, isn’t she?
Do you have evidence of this?
She has bashed un-Christian behavior. For example, a lot of Christians who see abortion as a sin have no problem standing outside abortion clinics being physically and verbally abusive towards women who go in them. We are supposed to show love at all times towards people regardless of what their sin is, not call women out of their names and shove them to the ground. That is hypocrisy at its finest. That is what Taylor is against.
Being against rude behavior does not necessitate Taylor Swift endorsing abortion. We should be suspicious of the motives of people who openly promote it. For example, the Disney company a few years ago announced it would pay for employees getting abortions and the travel fees associated with it. But why are they really doing this? It’s probably because it’s cheaper than paying for maternity leave and risking the employee deciding to cut back on hours to spend time with the baby. It puts an expectation on employees that their jobs are more important than their personal lives and families.
We’re in a secular society where no one religious opinion controls the government. There’s no non-religious objection against LGBT, we should be much more concerned about hate crimes impacting those demographics and communities, I’ve never heard her bashing Christians, and what’s wrong with her outfit choices being “revealing” (this is subjective by culture) ?
Exactly
Taylor Swift’s movie, Life of a Showgirl is quite disturbing for many reasons, but “In one scene, she channels Marilyn Monroe in a red getup that exposes cleavage, leg and a great deal of behind” is a huge red flag for Christians. Channeling is quite common in movies and Christians & parents need to research all movies and actors who do channeling. It’s best to be discerning when going to watch movies, especially before allowing children to see them. Christian views on Satan’s influence in the movie industry generally contend that the “enter”tainment sector can be a powerful channel for promoting worldly values that contradict biblical teachings. Christian leaders and media critics advise followers to approach movie going with spiritual discernment, vigilance, and an intentional, faith-centered mindset.
Thank you to all those who critique these movies and cover every aspect of the movies’ content. It’s sad, but we rarely go to movies because most are trash, in my opinion. I’m thankful for the wholesome Christian movies that get into the theaters. God bless you all.
The quotation you cite uses “channeling” in the sense of “evoking.” That has nothing to do with the word’s other definition of summoning the spirit of a dead person.