I ❤️ T.S.

Who remembers the paparazzi photos of Taylor Swift's Fourth of July celebrations? A bevy of models frolicked in the ocean with Taylor and her boyfriend at the time, Tom Hiddleston. And Tom was wearing a wet "I ❤️ T.S." T-shirt...

It was funny. It made me like her.

I like her because she can laugh at herself. I like her because she is courageous. I like her because she tells the truth. I like her because she isn't afraid to be imperfect. I like her because she is aware of all the BS directed towards her yet she continues to live her life on her own terms. I like her because she is a good role model for young girls.

I ❤️ T.S. because she is a feminist.

She has stood up to sexism and misogyny and although battered, she keeps getting up and slaying.

Taylor Swift is painted as some kind of crazy ex girlfriend who cannot keep a man and who only writes songs about heartbreak directed at her latest ex. It is not true. The same criticism does not blight the likes of Harry Styles. That is because it is a sexist narrative created to diminish her.

This week Taylor Swift broke the record for the most number one albums by a female artist, surpassing Barbra Streisand, with her twelfth number one album "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)." She has actually broken a string of records during her career but it's her relationships and feuds that we hear about.

Taylor Swift entered my consciousness in 2009. It all started with that insufferable narcissist, Kanye West. He interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech when she won the MTV VMA for Best Video by a Female Artist. Kanye West took the microphone off her and then had a rant, comparing Taylor to a very uncomfortable looking Beyoncé. Poor Taylor had to awkwardly stand there, smiling sweetly, waiting for the man to finish. He ruined her big moment. She was 19 years old. If you don't know what happened the link is here.

Kanye West wasn't finished there. In 2017 he released a song called Famous with the charming lyrics "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous" with a music video featuring a topless Taylor look alike figure in bed with him. When she fought back, Kanye's wife at the time, Kim Kardashian, led an online army of hatred against her calling her a snake. It became cool to hate her.

Despite being the most successful artist of the 2010s she continued to be plagued by sexism and misogyny and we were encouraged to believe a distorted picture of her.

In 2013 Taylor was groped at a meet and greet by radio DJ David Mueller. When she spoke out about what happened, he was fired. He then sued her for damages claiming her allegations cost him his livelihood. Taylor counter-claimed for sexual assault. In 2017 she won the case and received $1 in symbolic damages. She wanted to set an example for survivors rather than benefit financially from the offender. Her quote at the time stayed with me:

"You don't feel a sense of any victory when you win, because the process is so dehumanising. This is with seven witnesses and a photo. What happens when you get raped, and it's your word against his?"

Her win was a win for all women. How dare he lay hands on her and blame her for not accepting it.

Then in 2019 Taylor Swift lost the rights to her own music when her old music label sold her master recordings to its new owner, Scooter Braun, a man Taylor described as "manipulative" and who had bullied her. He then sold her old recordings, making a profit from her work. Taylor Swift's intellectual property sold to the highest (male) bidder who had no part in writing any of the music. She responded with a power move. She re-recorded her first six albums containing songs she wasn't allowed to play live or have in her documentary.

And she continues to be plagued by sexism. Last year, Damon Albarn, of Blur and Gorillaz fame, accused Taylor Swift of not writing her own songs when expressing a preference for Billie Eilish who he claimed was less "endlessly upbeat". Again, the demeaning comparison where men attempt to pit women against each other. He was forced to issue a grovelling apology after she clapped back on Twitter, "I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this. I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and SO damaging. You don't have to like my songs but it is really f**ked up to try and discredit my writing. WOW." She then followed up with "PS I wrote this tweet all by myself in case you were wondering."

Taylor Swift is unapologetically a true feminist. She doesn't just write songs about heart break she also writes gems like "The Man" and that is why I ❤️ her.