opinion
Liberal singer Taylor Swift has found herself in hot water this week as calls grow for a boycott over issues with her “awful” merchandise.
Swift cargo problem
“Taylor Swift has a merch problem,” reads a report from Axios that adds that a viral social media post states that fans “need to boycott” Swift merchandise “to start getting decent quality at an affordable price.”
“Why is Taylor Swift's merch and merchandise store so bad?” Someone on the SwiftlyNeutral subreddit said in December. “From lack of customer service, shipping delays, bots, ignoring refund requests, to the overall quality of the merchandise. Why do they charge so much for low quality items and bad customer service?
According to one study, Swift had the most popular merchandise among Billboard's top 100 artists for 2023. Last year, she earned $200 million in merchandise sales alone during the 60 shows she performed as part of her “Tour for the Ages.”
Unfortunately for Swift, fans have reported major delays in shipping her merchandise as well. One TikTok video went so far as to say that Swift's merchandise team has been “ruining Christmas surprises two years in a row.”
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SWIFT may influence the presidential election
This is a rare chink in the armor of Swift, which is more popular than ever these days. In fact, it is so popular that it could have a major impact on this year's presidential election. Last month, a Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll for Newsweek found that eighteen percent of voters said they were “more likely” or “much more likely” to vote for any candidate Swift supports.
Meanwhile, 17% said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate supported by Swift, and 55% said they would not be swayed either way by the “Anti-Hero” singer. A total of 45 percent of people who responded to the survey said they were Swift fans, while 54 percent said they were not.
“It affected popular culture, sports, and the economy of entire regions of the United States,” communications consultant James Haggerty said. “So why not politics and elections?”
“Swift is in a class on her own,” media consultant Brad Adgett added. “She's so talented, so popular, so ingrained in popular culture. No one comes close to her.”
RELATED: Trump Claims There's No Way Taylor Swift Could Endorse Biden — 'The Worst, Most Corrupt President'
Swift attacks Donald Trump
This could come as bad news for Donald Trump, as Swift has been open about her opposition to the former president politically. Back in 2020, Swift accused Trump of “fanning the flames of white supremacy and racism” in response to comments he made condemning the violence that spread across the country in the wake of George Floyd's death.
“After fanning the flames of white supremacy and racism throughout your presidency, do you have the audacity to feign moral superiority before threatening violence?” she wrote on social media at the time, according to the Daily Mail. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts”??? We will vote for you in November. @RealDonaldTrump.
In her Netflix documentary “Miss Americana,” Swift spoke about how much she regrets not publicly opposing Trump during the 2016 presidential election.
“I like Taylor's music 25% less now,” Trump said in response.
As of this writing, Swift has not yet endorsed a presidential candidate this year. Before she enters politics again, she might want to sort out her goods. If she doesn't, Swift may soon find herself being boycotted and targeted by cancel culture, which could rob her of the cultural power she seems to crave!
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