By buying back her early music, Taylor Swift once again inspired women

I was at a conference on, of all things, male allyship when the notice popped up on my phone. Taylor Swift had successfully purchased back all her early masters and related material. For an alleged cost of around $360 million, the artist now fully owned everything she had ever created including her first six albums, their videos, and all their related art and album covers. 

Her community of friends and fans, the Swifties, erupted with elated joy and messages of encouragement online. News outlets rushed to cover the story. Within 24 hours, her early albums hit the top ten on streaming charts with Reputation, the album most anticipated as a rerelease, coming in at No. 1 as fans exercised their economic might.

It seemed the universe was celebrating. Even savvy businesses got on the celebratory train. Delta Airlines posted, “Fly like a jet stream, high above the whole scene. Keep Climbing Taylor 💚💛💜❤️🩵🖤.”

Starbucks said, “and in a cafe on a Friday, we watched it begin again . . . congrats Taylor 💚💛💜❤️🩵🖤.”

And, to no surprise to anyone, the crafty social media gurus at the Empire State Building sent out a message, “We love you Taylor,” above a picture of Taylor from the top overlooking New York.

Mesmerizing

Taylor has mesmerized us. Antagonists might argue she has aligned all her hex cruces. It reminded me of the Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale. I had recently watched seasons four and five to catch up for the season six release. These later seasons have been criticized. The audience seemed bored of the mistreatment of fertile women and then confused when these same women sought plots for angry hot revenge.

Is this what Taylor has metaphorically done, used the allies around her and her anger to fuel a strategic masterminding of a long game just like June, the protagonist of The Handmaid’s Tale? As if sending a signal, Taylor’s song, “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version),” became the anthem for season six – days before she announced buying back her early art.

Piles of money

Taylor has acquired piles of money, enhanced by the success of the Eras Tour. She had become financially powerful enough to buy back her name and reputation, leaving those who crossed her in some metaphorical no-man’s-land. She didn’t do it alone, and she isn’t the first. For decades, centuries, and, perhaps, even since the beginning of time, underdogs have fought to be seen, heard, accurately estimated, and risen from the ashes to reclaim that which was theirs.

For example, half a century ago, Dolly Parton moved past the entertainment industry dominance that minimized women’s empowerment and claimed her own space driven by her talents. In 1974, Parton walked into Porter Wagoner’s office and told him she was leaving the show bearing his namesake that had given her a rise to stardom. She sang him a goodbye song titled, “I Will Always Love You,” as a sign of respect to Porter for being her mentor. 

Dolly had outgrown her sidekick role alongside Porter, but it took effort, strategy, and bravery for her to break free. Porter sued her, a tactic commonly employed by those in power, but through discussions, compassion, and a large sum of money (reportedly around $1 million), Dolly settled the case. 

Independence

How have a select set of women throughout history acquired enough resources to buy their independence? Some look all the way back to the early 20th century and the suffrage movement. Even that, however, involved women’s collaboration with men. 

In August 1920, a conservative Tennessee legislator, Harry T. Burn, cast the deciding vote for the suffrage movement’s proposed 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. In his pocket, Harry carried a letter from his mother, Febb E. Burn, “in which she asked him to ‘be a good boy’ and vote for the amendment.” This legislation, decided by Harry’s unexpected vote, has driven women’s economic agency and freedom over the past century. Throughout history, women and underdogs have been harnessing their positions to mastermind their way into influence, power, and self-determination.

At a moment in time where human rights are being challenged, whether through challenges to the right to due process, reproductive freedoms, or just the right of children to not be separated from their parents, Taylor has once again shown us a way, that by harnessing our best talents deep within our souls, we can move mountains. We can speak deep into the souls of others, nudging them into a movement—a desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Something with meaning and grit and soul. And, just as I learned from the conference I was attending at John Hopkins University, working with unexpected partners forging allyships has real and meaningful benefits.

Hope and power

We root for Taylor Swift because we see ourselves in her. And, just like underdogs in any fight, through her, we see hope, and that hope is seeded in harnessing our talents and masterminding it into economic power—a power that can move mountains and, apparently, also shamrocks.