Swift fans upset over ‘obnoxious Nazi Barbie’ jibe
Taylor Swift’s fans have leapt to her defence after feminist icon Camille Paglia branded her an “obnoxious Nazi Barbie” whose “twinkly persona is such a scary flashback to the fascist blondes who ruled the social scene during my youth”.
The searing critique came as Swift was attempting to trademark the word describing her random acts of kindness for fans — “Swiftmas” — as well as the date “1989”.
Fans took to social media in response to Paglia’s essay, published in the Hollywood Reporter, with many saying “haters gonna hate” — a reference to one of Swift’s songs.
Paglia, 68, condemned the singer’s “girl squad” of famous friends including Selena Gomez, Lena Dunham, Cara Delevingne and Karlie Kloss as “exhibitionist overkill” that did nothing to further the cause of feminism.
She wrote that the “tittering, tongues-out mugging of Swift’s bear-hugging posse” was at odds with the modern era of female independence and instead promoted a “silly, regressive public image”.
Paglia, the author of several books examining the relationship between feminism and popular culture, has turned her attention to celebrity targets before. The Guardian said she had skewered former Daily Show presenter Jon Stewart for symbolising the “decline and vacuity of contemporary comedy”, criticised Lady Gaga for being “artificial and calculated” and drew comparisons between Bill Clinton and the entertainer Bill Cosby, who is the subject of more than 50 allegations of sexual assault.
While fans were quick to rebuke Paglia, others defended the piece, with the Daily Beast’s Lizzie Crocker saying the criticism was “spot on”. Crocker said there was very little feminism in Swift’s “clownish #girlsquad antics”.
“The ‘Nazi Barbie routine’ barb aimed at Swift may seem harsh, but Paglia’s shrewd critique is entirely valid,” Crocker wrote. “For all of Swift’s talk about girl power, there’s very little feminist substance to the #girlsquad movement on social media. “Rather, it’s cutesie, hashtag activism. Whether Swift develops a lasting, meaningful friendship with [Blake] Lively — as she’s seemingly done with Karlie Kloss, Lena Dunham, Gwyneth Paltrow and many others — the image of sisterhood she’s projecting is more popular girl with her posse than genuine female solidarity.”
Swift’s attempt to trademark Swiftmas and 1989 adds to a raft of applications submitted by the singer’s management earlier this year for lyrics including “this sick beat” and “Nice to meet you, where you been?”
The latest documents were filed to the US Patent and Trademark Office on Dec 3.
Four trademark applications have been launched each for “Swiftmas”, single title “Blank Space”, song lyric “and I’ll write your name” and “A Girl Named Girl”.
The latter is the title of a novel Swift wrote when she was 14, which is reportedly in her parents’ care but has so far remained unpublished.
If granted, the trademarks will prevent rivals using the phrases in performances, on clothing, merchandise, consumer goods, stationery and in books and publications. While three of the applications seek to forbid the words presented in any “standard characters”, the file for 1989 stipulates the trademark applies only to the date presented in “stylised form” — presumably imitating Swift’s album of the same name.
The filings by her intellectual property company, TAS (Taylor Alison Swift) Rights Management, were originally reported by the Tantalising Trademarks website.
Coming weeks before Christmas, there is speculation the singer is seeking to stop other companies profiting from knock-off clothing and merchandise.
The previous wave of filings came shortly before the start of her 1989 World Tour, which launched in May, and previous attempts date back to October last year.
Her acts of generosity, known to fans as Swiftmas, have included paying off a fan’s student loan, making playlists, recording videos and sending personalised gifts.