Carlie Pracht
Managing Editor
Growing up as a woman in a very loving, inclusive family, I never would have believed the derogatory things that men say to me now that I am out in the “real world.” I never would have believed the things that women have to go through just to show that they are humans worthy of a shot at success and worthy of respect. Ever since starting college, every day I hear another sexist comment, and I see a woman get denied an opportunity that a man is given without question, and it’s something every woman faces, even if she doesn’t notice it.
Taylor Swift’s story may seem like an extreme example, but after watching the Netflix documentary “Taylor Swift: Miss Americana”, directed by Lana Wilson, I realized that she is the best example of what it is like to be a woman trying to navigate success and life in the “real world,” and being shut down time and time again just because of her gender.
“Miss Americana” illustrates the difficult journey Swift took to get to where she is now: a strong, independent, self made woman with a net worth of over $300 million.
“Miss Americana” features intimate moments in Swift’s life and tells them from her perspective, rather than the media’s. Swift’s life, and the way people viewed it, was manipulated from the very beginning. Being a young woman in the music industry is hard enough, but with the media constantly twisting every story and making her into the character they wanted, she was forced to play a role that didn’t fit.
The film shows the infamous moment when Kanye West stole the microphone from Swift at the 2009 VMAs when she accepted her award for “Best Female Video.” Swift was 19 years old. Her career had just started to kick off, and she thought the crowd was booing her. She was alone on stage witnessing what she thought was hundreds of people booing her.
The film also shows clips of her throughout her childhood, her teenage years, and into adulthood. Swift lets the audience in on her life behind the scenes, sharing clips her and her boyfriend of three years, Joe Alwyn, sent each other while she was writing her fourth album Reputation. The film also shows Swift discussing her battle with disordered eating, a conversation that many celebrities are scared to have, but it’s a topic that needs to be discussed in order for more people to understand it and help others with those battles.
“Miss Americana” features Swift telling the story of the sexual assault lawsuit she won against former radio host DJ Mueller who inappropriately touched her. Swift discusses how people refused to believe her even though she had photo evidence and multiple witnesses to confirm her story. Ultimately the jury decided in her favor, but she can’t help but feel sad for all of those who don’t have photo evidence or witnesses and those who aren’t believed.
Swift also shows the heavy conversations she had with her team when she decided to speak up about her political views after years of staying silent while she was forced to play the role of the good girl who doesn’t force her beliefs or opinions on others. The film shows her team trying to keep her silent to avoid hurting her reputation, but she wants to be on the right side of history, whether or not it costs her her career.
The documentary does an excellent job of showing the hardships Swift has as well as showing that a woman can face these battles and overcome them without having anterior motives. Women can fight for themselves and stick up for themselves, and it shouldn’t be seen as manipulative just to make themselves look better; it should be seen as self-defense and standing up for what matters.
I rate this documentary a 13/10, if you know, you know.
