It’s no surprise that pop-stars and other prominent figures love to voice their opinion’s on politics – they have huge fan bases, and their political controversy attracts a great deal of attention to themselves. And after all, they do have the fundamental right to make their beliefs public. So, why not?
At face value, it seems fail-proof to open up politically to fans and followers. Public figures often aim to make a difference, and what better way to do so?! Politics are the heart and sole of the foundation of the United States.
But here’s the problem; What happens when a public figure publicizes their stance and not everyone agrees with them?
It turns out Taylor Swift might know the answer.
After a long, long, long period of political silence, Taylor Swift made the bold decision of posting this, on Instagram, where she has over 112 million followers…
The post garnered a little more than 2 million likes since it was posted just four days ago on October 8, 2018. But the backlash she received when she made the post was commensurate.
Swift was popular for maintaining privacy with her political opinions, being one of a small handful of celebrities left to do so. Millions of fans claimed she should “just stick to music,” while others went so far as to say she “just ruined her career.” Notable political analyst and millennial Charlie Kirk felt that Swift didn’t write the post herself, and “probably got some very bad information.”
“This is what I used to love about Taylor Swift is she stayed away from politics — she was all about music all about, you know, female empowerment,” he added.
President Trump chimed in after hearing about the post, stating he likes her music “about 25% less now.”
However, some reports say that Swift’s post “spurred voter registration.” And maybe that’s what she was aiming for.
In the end, it seems that celebrities take a risk when they get political. But they have to decide themselves whether potential benefits outweigh the risk, and if so, is it worth it?