“With great power comes great responsibility.” That’s the Spider-Man platitude so often wielded for those who are actually in offices of power. And yet, it’s become more and more apparent that politicians hold far less influence than a certain type of celebrity. One in particular being Taylor Swift. Swifties, like members of the Beyhive, hold the power to move mountains if and when it means something to their “leader.” Who they acknowledge as the person to “obey” far more than anyone serving a legitimate political institution. Knowing this, select state politicians in California, including Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, signed an open letter from Unite Here Local 11 (the hotel union representing striking workers) asking Swift to postpone her Los Angeles dates as a show of solidarity with hotel workers who have walked off the job in protest.
More than just a show of solidarity, the reason for “targeting” Swift stems from the knowledge of how the Eras Tour has caused an entire micro-economy to spring up in its wake. One that hotels in L.A. are profiting from majorly while the hotel workers’ “stand” against being taken advantage of goes unnoticed in the midst of “Taylor fever.” Playing five dates at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, Swift is likely drawing in not only the majority of Los Angeles with these dates, but also many others from the far reaches of California (and beyond) who need a hotel room to stay in. Thus, the hotels’ ability, as mentioned in the open letter, to double and triple their rates due to the high demand. Workers’ rights be damned.
In effect, the reaction has been: that sounds like a “management problem,” not an “average person” problem. Let alone a “Swift problem.” And, considering the recent Grammys after-party she held at the Chateau Marmont, Swift has never much concerned herself with the plight of the worker (least of all the hotel worker). Many argue such things shouldn’t be her concern. After all, she’s “just” a singer. Or, as Swift’s recent collaborator, Lana Del Rey might say, “I’m a simple singer, I’m doing my best to navigate the waters of the constant tumultuous hardships in war-torn countries all over the world that I travel through monthly. For the record I’m doing the best I can and my intentions are better than most people[’]s that I know.” Such humility. In any case, the I’m “just” a celebrity defense doesn’t hold much water for someone like Swift (or Del Rey, who has her own sect of worshipful acolytes). For, as we’ve seen (and as referred to above), Swift is that rare breed of celebrity who has more clout than, let’s just say it, the president. At the mere drop of an instruction, Swift can get legions to do something (including register to vote, as she did when she, for the first time in her life, took a political stance by denouncing Tennessee Congressional candidate Marsha Blackburn). The catch is, she has to be interested in the cause.
And since “what matters” is, unfortunately, subjective, Swift didn’t bother to comment on the urgent plea from the Unite Here 11 union and select California politicians. Instead, she carried on with the dates as scheduled. After all, she’s a busy woman, and everyone should just be grateful she’s bothering to grace their city with her presence at all. Right? How is it her “job” to also get involved in local political disputes? This being something a few have pointed out, in addition to announcing that politicians are trying to deflect from their own less than stellar attempts at helping workers secure a better living wage. It’s “on them” to handle such things. Or should be. But the reality is, as the twenty-first century has forged ahead, celebrity power has only continued to outshine actual political power. Although U.S. politics and celebrity have long been linked in the modern era (especially when we look to the example of JFK and Marilyn Monroe), it’s ramped up to a scale that the Founding Fathers never could have possibly envisioned (therefore made provisions for in the Constitution).
There was Madonna draping herself in an American flag and little else during a Rock the Vote campaign in 1990; there was Britney Spears influencing a California anti-paparazzi law that went into effect in 2010; there was Paris Hilton being dragged into the 2008 election campaign thanks to an anti-Barack Obama ad from John McCain likening the former’s “political goals” to wanting nothing more than to become another celebrity; there was Kim Kardashian posing on a 2017 cover of Interview as Jackie Kennedy and being referred to as “America’s New First Lady”; there was Jay-Z and Beyoncé pantomiming “dirt off their shoulders” with Obama at a fundraiser they put on for the president in 2012…the list goes on. And, of course, extends to the fact that celebrities often become politicians themselves (e.g., Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger), in lieu of “merely” exerting influence outside of actual political jurisdiction.
The slew of merchandise available that can have anyone nominating their “fave celeb” for the job of president via the simple line “[Insert Name Here] 4 President” is also eerily telling. Take, for example, the aforementioned Paris Hilton, who responded to McCain’s campaign ad by making a parody video called “Paris For President.” It wasn’t really a parody though. For there’s no denying Paris would take the job if she thought she could. But perhaps she’s not as delusional as her former mentee Kim’s now ex-husband, Kanye, who ran for president in 2020 despite 1) having no chance in hell and 2) missing a large number of states’ deadlines to appear on the ballot as a third-party candidate. Call it another prime example of celebrity hubris.
Just as Swift has her own form of it. Which includes picking and choosing when to get involved with “petty” political matters. And when it comes to doing anything that might jeopardize the trajectory of her tour for the sake of hotel workers, Swift has made it apparent that she’s not exactly “comrade” material. Though the union and backing politicians that tried to implore her to be are obviously aware of the “unofficial” political position she holds within the nation’s ever-diminishing heart.
