Taylor Swift And Living Life Your Way

Newsweek published an article
about Taylor Swift
in which they said,

“At 34, Swift remains
unmarried and childless,
a fact that some might argue
is irrelevant to her status
as a role model.
But, I suggest,
it’s crucial to consider
what kind of example
this sets for young girls.”

They would never
write that
about a male performer.
(Though they might
be driven to write one
to offset the bad publicity
over this article.)

If Taylor Swift
was married and had kids,
they would criticize
her for going on tour
and ‘neglecting’ her family.

If she produced music
while being at home
with a spouse and kids,
they would criticize that decision
for the same reason.

Women can’t win
over everyone.

We’ll always have someone
(usually a white man)
criticizing what we’re doing.

So live the life
YOU want.

Build your business
the way YOU want
to build it.

Find your own happiness
and stop listening
to small-minded,
insecure people.

Be free.

Know Your Critics

A movie releasing soon
looks like it might be
a Romantic Comedy.
The heroine and hero might have
a romantic happy ending.
They might stay together.

Then I read critics’ reviews.
They all raved
about the ending,
which told me
it was likely to be sad.
Someone would likely die.
The couple definitely
wasn’t staying together.

A reading buddy contacted me,
telling me
she loved my latest book
and was giving it 5 stars.

She gives all my books
5 stars.
I love this
and I really appreciate her
but I know
not to judge my books
based on her reviews.

Know the critics
you are interacting with.

They all have biases.
They’re human.

Take those biases
into consideration
when interpreting their reviews.