Imagine you are in the toy section, scanning the aisles for anything that catches your eye. All of the unicorn stuffed animals and blind boxes blur together until you land on a doll. Her bangs are horribly blunt, her red lip is blinding, and she’s shouting something about “having a long list of ex-lovers”. If you happen to be a teenage girl, this doll might be your new idol. Taylor Swift has long been in the public eye as a former-country-turned-pop-singer. She debuted in 2006 with her single, “Tim McGraw”, and has continued to release steadily over the years, building an almost world-dominating fanbase. Through her relatability and anecdotal recounting of personal experiences, Swift fosters parasocial relationships with her fans that keep them coming back for more.
Parasocial relationships (PSRs) are one-sided connections between an audience and a performer. First identified in 1956 by Richard R. Wohl, PSRs have become an almost inevitable fate for modern day individuals on the internet. With the rise of influencers and relatable content, it has become far too easy to be enraptured with e-personalities. Although, this is not always a negative since PSRs can act as a substitute for social interaction where it might be lacking otherwise. Despite that, teenagers are reckless consumers. The line between reality and fantasy is often smudged which causes them to be at a higher risk of deep-rooted parasocial relationships. Artists like Swift use this fact to their advantage and commodify their lives for profit.
It is no secret Swift draws heavily from her personal relationships in order to write her songs. Preceding the release of her newest album, “The Life of a Showgirl“, Swift announced her engagement to Travis Kelce. Her Instagram post reads, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” This simple phrase is dripping with relatability. Everyone has had at least one teacher in their life and Swift’s choice to connect herself with such a personal aspect of the human experience builds her up to be this mentor figure, someone to be looked at for answers and guidance. Through her authoritative position, Swift manages to make herself out to be someone you can trust because she asserts herself as someone wise and all-knowing. Trust is a very powerful feeling and when projected onto a persona, can turn into a parasocial relationship, which is how Swift has been able to grow a fanbase that is so invested in her.
Along with her relatability, Swift inserts her personal life into all of her work. Detailing her past relationships, distasteful interactions with exes, and now, her marriage. The aforementioned album, “The Life of a Showgirl”, utilizes Swift’s current relationship with her now fiancé, Kelce, in order to sell copies. One track called “Opalite”, describes Kelce’s past romantic relationships in juxtaposition to his new one with Swift. Phrases such as, “sleepless in the onyx night, but now the sky is opalite.” and “you’re starving til’ you’re not.” showcase how unfulfilling Swift believes Kelce’s past relationships were which clues her audience into her opinions. Swift allowing her fans to have this seemingly “insider” information builds up the idea that they are her close confidants. Rather than fans, they are her friends, people who she goes to when she needs to vent her frustrations or gush about her happiness. The emotional energy Swift pushes onto her audience builds a manufactured sense of intimacy that further cultivates a parasocial relationship with her listeners.
Delusion is a powerful drug, whether it’s rooted in realism or not, and Swift takes advantage of this delusion when selling her products. In this case, “products” is not just merch or records but instead, Swift’s being; her opinions and her experiences are the products she is selling. By interweaving threads of her personal life into her music as advertisement, Swift is able to commodify and sell the idea of herself. Biel and Bridgewater, two researchers who penned a study on well-liked TV commercials, noted; “If we like the advertising, we are more inclined to like the brand by means of a simple conditioning process.” Meaning, the more likeable the advertisement of a product, the more we are willing to buy that product. Through Swift’s careful curation of advertisements, such as her engagement announcement as well as her public complaints about exes, she is able to lure her followers towards her music which makes them more likely to spend money on her. Her marriage, although real, is another facet of her life she is able to write about that produces content and therefore, profit. Although making money is not a crime, the fanbase Swift has built through the tactics she employs has bred a hive-mind of people willing to toss away their morals in order to defend her. Recently, Swift’s fans have gone on to attack one of Kelce’s ex-girlfriends “in defense” of Swift and their engagement. The ex, Kayla Nicole, has stayed quiet which begs the question of why Swift’s fans went to attack her online despite her radio-silence.
Swift leverages her life as advertising which, in turn, builds a trust with her audience that keeps them throwing her merchandise at the cashier. The many interviews, song lyrics and Instagram posts that decorate her career all relate back to the meticulous PSRs she has been able to create and maintain over the years. Through her relatability and storytelling Swift has successfully built an audience of those willing to defend her as one of their own. So, next time you go to the toy aisle, be wary of Swift’s perfectly manicured nails and oh-so-funny narration of an interaction with her ex, because you could be her next buyer.