The Taylor Swift and Matty Healy Controversy
The gossip of the week is that Taylor Swift is dating Matty Healy, the front man of the band The 1975. And, because the dating lives of celebrities are definitely our business, the internet has a lot of opinions on the topic. Taylor Swift fans in particular are extremely upset, and some are even canceling their pre-orders of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Swift’s album re-recording that is set to drop in July.
Image: Robert Kamau via Vox
Something that Taylor Swift’s fans, a decidedly liberal but still centrist crowd, cannot seem to grasp, is the irony and humor, sometimes shocking, that is employed by the far left. Matty Healy, the sleazeball that the public loves to hate and hates to love, has been in hot water many times over the years over various comments and actions. I am going to make a rather controversial statement for the internet; I genuinely believe that everything that Healy has been in trouble for has either been taken completely out of context or was simply a bit tone deaf. He said once in an interview “I may be a bit of a dickhead, but I’m not a racist,” which I think sums it up pretty accurately.
Let’s break down some of the things that the internet is furious at Healy over. First, there are the things that have simply been taken wildly out of context. People are mad that Taylor Swift would date someone that said in 2014 that dating her would be ‘emasculating’. What he actually said what that dating someone that high profile would be emasculating because he would lose himself. I think that’s a pretty valid concern, although he has obviously changed his mind.
Image: Jordan Curtis Hughes via Alternative Press
People are also upset by the fact that on stage at a show, he said “I don’t think it’s racist to say that…” before being cut off by his band. This is a bit, performed frequently by the band at the same song, where Healy pretends he is about to say something controversial before the band cuts him off. He knows his reputation, and it’s all about being provocative. It is all planned. Also planned, the military salute (NOT Nazi salute) he performs during the song Love It If We Made It, the lyrics to which include ironic lines and direct quotes from Donald Trump, all in criticism of today’s political climate.
Image: Jordan Curtis Hughes via Variety
Most recently, Healy got in trouble for his interview on The Adam Friedland Show, hosted by Adam Friedland and Nick Mullen, previously of Cum Town. Both of these podcasts are known for their ironic bigotry (a la South Park), through which they actively promote leftist ideologies. Critics of the shows say that these bits cross over into inexcusable bigotry, whereas fans of the show appreciate it as ‘middle school humor’.
Obviously, this podcast is not for everyone; however, with the knowledge that the hosts of the podcast are unreliable narrators, and that the tone of the podcast is deliberately offensive, Healy’s interview that blew up the internet with outrage seems much less outrageous. The hosts of the podcast made jokes about Ice Spice being ‘the Inuit Spice girl,’ and later on Healy joked about watching pornography that ‘brutalized’ Black women. Offensive? Yes. Crossing the line? Depends who you ask, but probably, yes. Much worse when taken out of context, which even this article doesn’t provide enough of? Definitely.
Photo courtesy of Pitchfork. Swift performing Anti-Hero at a The1975 London show.
I am not someone who excuses inappropriate behavior, whether that behavior is intentional or not. I don’t think that Matty Healy, a white, male pop star who grew up with a life of privilege, has a right to joke about the brutalization of Black women. I also think that Matty Healy has proven time and again through his actions that he is an intelligent person concerned about justice and equity. The 1975 has, time and again, donated large portions of their earnings to environmental groups, an LGBTQ+ Community Center in London, and other charities. On their latest tour, the band has made an effort to make as little of an environmental impact on the places that they perform as possible, using compostables and donating extra food and supplies. While Healy has received backlash for his on-stage antics like eating raw meat or kissing fans (which, by the way, are also part of the on-stage act), he has also given speeches on topics such as abortion rights in America.
Can Taylor Swift say any of that? Sure, she urged people to vote that one time and she has spoken about LGTBQ+ rights more than once. However, there is very little tangible action behind these words, and her activism is, to me, very reminiscent of the washed-out, performative activism that is performed by large corporations. Because at the end of the day, Taylor Swift’s brand is actually very similar to that of a corporation; mass produced, widely loved but not willing to step outside the box, if it might cost them money. I mean, has everyone forgotten that Swift is one of the celebrities with the highest CO2 emissions from her frequent private jet-setting? She was very quiet about her political views when that data came out.
Photo courtesy of @icespice. Taylor Swift and Ice Spice newest remix single of Swift’s Karma
I believe that actions speak louder than words. When it comes to words, the highly political and intelligent lyrics that Matty Healy writes speak to his true thoughts and intentions. I also think that Taylor Swift fans that hold very centrist liberal political views can’t really stomach or even comprehend the more radical, difficult to swallow, but ultimately far more impactful leftist attitude of Matty Healy.