Taylor Swift is a Class Act. We Need More of Them! (+TOTD)

Stream Unconsciousness

Taylor Swift is a class act. Professional, philanthropic, kind, down-to earth—a gem. I'm watching the Taylor Swift Eras Tour on whatever streaming platform it's on.

There are so many these days and I don't even know what I'm subscribed to but that's for another post.

Back to Taylor. So, my husband and daughter went to the actual concert. I didn't go because I thought they could bond and the tickets were so expensive so off they went. My daughter loved it; my husband said even though he didn't love the music he thought she put on a tremendous show. So now I'm watching it and I couldn't agree more. I don't love the music— it's too poppy if that’s a word— but there's no question that she is undeniable. Undeniably talented, and a class act. 

I just got back from Las Vegas where I had one of the best vacations ever with a friend from college. We went to the opening of the Fontainebleau Hotel, and saw Justin Timberlake perform. Another class act. The next night, we went to see U2 at the Sphere. Ditto.

I don’t think that about many artists. As far as class goes, there are few and far between. It seems there are a lot who are crass with a myriad of sexual depictions in their videos and lyrics as well. A lot of blatant objectification of women, lots of materialism with a glorification of substance abuse. Don’t get me wrong—I like some of those videos and songs to be honest—they can be fun—it’s just a balance would be nice sometimes especially for this new generation. 

I think it's really important for my daughter's generation to have a person like Taylor Swift, who doesn't run around with her ass protruding out for the world to see her butt implants. To each his own, but did you know that you can't even sit down for a week after the procedure. Oh I'm wrong 2-3 weeks! From the internet--"Recovery from butt implant surgery takes time. For example, some surgeons will advise you to avoid sleeping on your back or sitting for the first two to three weeks — except for eating and using the toilet. After this time, you'll need to use a pillow beneath your hamstrings for at least eight weeks." Wtf? Maybe try doing some squats? Also there's the ass to leg ratio problem. I'm just glad Kim K had hers removed. She is a big influencer with 350M followers. That's the population of the United States!

What’s concerning is a lot of young people look to Kim K as a role model. They want to be influencers. Btw, I am not dumping on Kim—she has a huge business with Skims. I went to the Domain in Austin on Sunday and there was a huge line to get into the Skims store. She’s obviously doing something right! My concern is the younger generation see her and all of these influencers on Instagram and it looks like all they have to do is be themselves, film it, and people will pay to see that, especially if it’s risqué. They think they are going to be Insta Famous. It’s like getting paid to do nothing is the goal in life.

Back to the artists. When you hear a song like WAP (a.k.a. Wet Ass Pussy) it's a little disconcerting to be honest. My daughter's friend told her mom that WAP stood for waffles and pancakes and then her mom kept asking her at breakfast time if she wanted some WAP for breakfast. Not nice but a little funny.

I think that those artists, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, have every right to sing what they want and express their sexuality. I also understand that for years, black male rappers have gotten away with saying whatever they want about pussies, oral sex and such. I just think that sometimes it goes a little too far. It’s like just how nasty can you get. Apparently pretty nasty. For instance, the song Swalla. I think the title is pretty self explanatory. Here’s a sample of the lyrics—

All you girls in here, if you're feeling thirsty
Come on take a sip 'cause you know what I'm servin'

Shimmy shimmy yay, shimmy yay, shimmy ya (drank)
Swalla-la-la (drank)
Swalla-la-la (swalla-la-la)
Swalla-la-la

Freaky, freaky gyal
My freaky, freaky gyal

Shimmy shimmy shimmy yay, shimmy yah
Bad girls gon' swalla

It's bad enough that 8 year old boys, maybe even younger, are able to watch pornography on YouTube. Now I'm starting to sound like Tipper Gore. Remember her? It was her idea to put Warning/Explicit stickers on albums, which mostly targeted black rappers. I think it actually made people want to get that music even more. That's not the answer. Parents have to learn to parent their children. I say this while my daughter is watching Tik Tok so I'm going to go take her to the mall where she can buy a fluffy shoulder bag or a bubble tea kit...kidding. Kind of;) 

Get this. The New York Times was actually considering putting a trigger warning at the top of articles which have a conservative opinion. So not for foul language but for what they deem to be foul IDEAS. They think we have to be warned about an article being conservative in nature. That's insane! I didn’t realize The New York Times was so open about being completely left-wing. What happened? This article entitled “When the New York Times Lost Its Way—America’s Media Should Do More to Equip Readers to Think For Themselves” by James Bennet explains it best… “The Times’s problem has metastasized from liberal bias to illiberal bias, from an inclination to favor one side of the national debate to an impulse to shut debate down altogether.” Here’s a link to the full article but finish mine first:)…https://www.economist.com/1843/2023/12/14/when-the-new-york-times-lost-its-way

Back to the artists. When I was growing up, it was Madonna who pushed the boundaries. She definitely pushed them and still does. I'm going to see her in March. Looks like she succumbed to this butt implant trend which I cannot wrap my head around at all…

This one makes me just sad. I still love her music though. She can get as much plastic surgery as she likes as long as she keeps putting out great music which she does. It’s still upsetting to see someone you grew up listening and admiring, succumbing to this bizarre trend, especially at her age.

I think when you're that famous, you're in a bubble and nobody says no to you. It must be a strange life, being in a fishbowl all the time. A complete lack of personal privacy. Here’s a great quote from Bill Murray—”I always want to say to people who want to be rich and famous: try being rich first. See if that doesn't cover most of it. There's not much downside to being rich, other than paying taxes and having your relatives ask you for money. But when you become famous, you end up with a 24-hour job.”

Taylor Swift is on a level that most never reach and so far she seems to be handling it pretty well. Today, there really is no equivalent to her. Maybe Beyoncé, but there's certainly no male equivalent. The Federal Reserve noted how much the Eras tour has grown local economies across the country. It’s pretty incredible considering she’s been at it for 17 years. I think she is the antidote to so much that is wrong with this generation. She has had a significant cultural impact. She’s wholesome and we need a bit more of that in today’s culture.

I’ve heard she is very generous and seems to be very grateful to everyone who has helped get her where she is. She also keeps the same people on all of her tours which is a good sign. It seems it’s cool to be kind partly thanks to Taylor Swift.

When I was growing up, there were the divas like Mariah Carey who apparently used to ask for brand new toilet seats in her hotel suite prior to her arrival. There are a lot of other things that have been said about her over the years but I’m not going to go down the list of her horrible behavior. (Good riddance except at Christmastime because I do like that song she sings.) It is not cool to be a bitch just because you can. We sorely need more class acts. More Beyoncé; less Kanye.

Now it’s time for the TOTD. It’s a Holiday tip. When you walk past your partner’s phone, say out loud what you want for Christmas. Facebook and other sites will send them pop up ads! Happy Holidays everyone! That’s all for now. Much Love, Sabrina

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