title: MEDIA ATTACKS TAYLOR SWIFT Over Refusal To Criticize President-Elect Trump
text: Tom Barnes mocks Taylor Swift in his latest article, as he writes:  One Instagram is the only evidence we have that Nashville elite Taylor Swift even knew there was an election taking place in 2016. Today is the day,  she wrote on Election Day.  Go out and VOTE. Today is the day. Go out and VOTE  A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Nov 8, 2016 at 8:01am PSTSo thirsty was the public for hints of Swift s political affiliations, that even an innocent picture of a voting line, stirred up a frenzy.  Who is Taylor Swift voting for?  skyrocketed in search queries, proving at the end of the cycle to have been one of the most popular search terms of the entire election.Fans read deeply into the symbolism of Swift s outfit and posture. Others took it as an opportunity to try to bait her into the political arena, pointing out her hypocrisy of having once styled herself as an outspoken feminist, only to back down at this most crucial moment. Admittedly some of those commentators had a point. It s difficult to look away from the fact that one of the most staunchly anti-woman candidates gallivanted into Washington followed by scores sexual assault accusations in tow, and Swift just watched.It is wrong to exploit feminism in order to sell records but then stand idly by as a misogynist ravages the country. Just FYI  Casey Mink (@Casey_Mink) November 8, 2016Swift remains to this day one of the only major A-list celebrities who has not weighed in on the election. Lady Gaga comforted fans distraught by Trump s successful attempts to reduce rape culture to  locker talk.  Kesha, Madonna, Beyonc , Nicki Minaj and Adele all connected with their fan bases to explain why Hillary Clinton offered the best way forward. Katy Perry literally did not stop singing and speaking for Clinton for the entirety of 2016. In a Time op-ed alongside a handful of clickier stunts, Swift bestie Lena Dunham said her support for Clinton was about far more than just  anatomy  or  girl power  Scores of artists have outright shamed the presidential inauguration committee for even asking to perform.Given her election silence, Swift has undoubtedly been approached, but her team has yet to offer a comment.A carefully chosen word of warning about the effect a successful Trump bid on normalizing misogyny or discrimination would have made for a natural extension of Swift s past desires to increase the level of public discourse around feminism. One could say the election is just another  narrative  she  never asked to be a part of,  and they would be correct. But if you re Swift, why not speak up? For every time she made sure that the word  feminism  was as close to her name in headlines, it feels odd she would pass on a lay-up as easy as helping clarify what  locker room talk  actually means. A close look at the fans she needs to please helps explain the silence. She caters to a white audience that used to be country and then crossed over into pop,  Ani Johnson, associate professor of Music Business at Berklee College of Music and international lecturer and consultant in music licensing, marketing and strategic startups, said in an email.  She has to  stay sweet,   stay demure    the perfect picture of the blond, blue-eyed, true blue, young American girl. She can t afford to speak up and lose sales from her red state, Republican base. It s clear to Johnson what that base wants:  a pretty girl who sings about love and has  effectively  nothing in her head.   Music.MicMeryl Streep s acceptance speech at the Golden Globes Award ceremony really backfired on her when conservatives in social media, and even some on the Left, were taken aback by her petulant attack on our President-elect Donald Trump.  Streep really gave her viewers an opportunity to see her mean, bully streak when she stood on the stage, and without any credible evidence to back it up, accused Trump of being a racist and demeaning a disabled reporter. Both of those claims are false, but who the hell needs facts when you re an Academy Award winning actress and can PRETEND they re true?The Left s obsession didn t start with Meryl Streep. As a matter of fact, some of the worst activists who mocked, lied and falsely accused Donald Trump of horrible things, were some of Taylor Swift s best friends.Hillary Clinton sycophant Lena Dunham, who admitted to sexually abusing her younger sister and lied to the world about being raped, likes to call Taylor Swift her  best friend.  She also promised to leave the country if Trump was elected. Unfortunately, she s still here. Her promise to leave the country was as honest as her manufactured claims about Donald Trump being a misogynist.Donald Trump hit back when Lena Dunham (along with a long list of  celebrities ) said she d leave the US if Trump won the election:Gigi Hadid can be seen frequently hanging out with Taylor Swift on Instagram and in the tabloids. Here s one of Swift s many photos with Hadid on her Instagram account:A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Apr 29, 2016 at 1:25am PDTKudos to Taylor Swift for sticking to performing, and staying out of the fray when it comes to President-elect Trump; even when it means she will be harshly criticized by the people in her business for not jumping on the  Hate-Trump  bandwagon. It can t be easy to keep out of discussion when the very people she calls her  besties  are some of the loudest anti-Trumpers in the business.