Does being a Taylor Swift fan mandate adhering to certain political ideologies, or candidates, over others? Many Swifties in Argentina believe so.
Despite these sentiments, groupthink mentality within fandoms can undermine a healthy democracy, especially when politics gets in the mix.
This past week, Taylor Swift’s South American leg of the Eras Tour graced the Argentinian public throughout Nov. 10th to 12th. Swift’s performances took place on the week leading up to the presidential elections, during a decisive moment in Argentine politics.
As Swifties in Buenos Aires stood proud through shine and thunder waiting in queue for their shows, they could not ignore the Taylor Swift-themed signs deterring fans from voting for the far-right libertarian candidate, Jaime Milei.
“A Swiftie Doesn’t Vote Milei,” read the bubblegum pink posters outside the venue, accompanied by the hard-hitting subheading “#Milei is Trump.”
Other signs displayed near the venue are a reimagination of a photo taken from Swift’s Instagram, where she smiles at the camera while holding up cookies decorated with a “Biden-Harris 2020” logo. This time around, the signs seen in Buenos Aires portray a drawing of Swift holding up a tray of cookies that read “Massa 2023”, in support of Milei’s opponent, Sergio Massa.
The Swift-inspired signs decorating the streets of Buenos Aires speak to a commonly known fact in the fandom — Swift “came out” as a proud Democrat in 2016 and has since spoken out against Trump’s presidency, far-right ideology and crutches on LGBTQ+ rights.
What many have gotten wrong about Swift’s politics is that her political commentary has always praised democracy and freedom of expression.
This implies that Swift should be unwelcoming to polarizing movements promoting groupthink in her name, regardless of how much she may agree with the commentary being made.
“I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love,” said Swift in a 2018 Instagram post where she broke her silence in politics and announced her support for two Democrat candidates.
Swift underscored this by asking fans to educate themselves on politics and use the power of their vote accordingly.
“Please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway,” added Swift.
Another instance of Swift highlighting the need for a healthy democracy in America was in her public critique of the Trump administration.
“We’re a democracy — at least, we’re supposed to be — where you’re allowed to disagree, dissent, debate. I really think that [Donald Trump] thinks this is an autocracy,” said Swift in a 2019 interview with The Guardian.
Swift’s politics, while advocating for human rights and equality, are equally defined by a strong preference for democratic values.
But how does this translate to the Argentine runoff elections? Why are Swifties tying the singer’s identity to center-left candidate, Sergio Massa while denouncing Javier Milei?
Javier Milei, often nicknamed Argentina’s “Mini-Trump,” openly stands by extreme populist promises that shape contemporary far-right thinking. Milei’s far-right political takes include believing climate change is a subset of a “socialist agenda” and spreading rumours of voter fraud throughout his election campaign.
Other areas of concern within Milei’s platform for the upcoming presidential election include possible encroachment of reproductive freedoms and access to social programs.
As for the Swiftie-backed opponent to Milei, Sergio Massa, his platform appears to be one based on development through social spending. Massa plans to promote socio-economic development through social spending on secondary and post-secondary education. Likewise, the center-left candidate aims to fight against organized crime and crack down on the use of state force during protests.
Going back to the Swiftie dialogue, it is understandable why they would use Taylor Swift’s face as a political statement. Not only are the Swift-themed signs appealing to her fanbase and a young voter demographic, but the weight her name carries in pop culture may influence voting behaviour.
That said, parasocially attaching Swift’s face to Sergio Massa’s campaign is inherently divisive. While Swift herself may align with Massa’s views, the artist herself has also stressed the importance of individual decision-making in light of elections.
The issue is not one of whether Swift would agree or disagree with signs denouncing Milei’s presidential campaign. At a larger scale, the issue is one of allowing democracy to ensue by empowering self-reflection and decision-making in light of Argentina’s elections.
While many Swifties may be supporters of Massa’s campaign, it is unfair for them to push this onto the identity of the fandom itself. At the end of the day, Argentine Swifties are entitled to feel safe from the grips of political groupthink that mandate voting for Sergio Massa in order to rightfully qualify as a true “Swiftie.”
The only thing that makes someone a “Swiftie” is a love for Taylor Swift’s music. Being a “Swiftie” should never be defined by mandated support for a specific candidate or political movement under the influence of what people think Swift’s morals are.