Like many others, I spent the summer glued to social media, watching the plethora of concert tours happening worldwide. Due to my lack of funding, I was forced to watch from a screen while Drake, 21 Savage, Hozier, and even Janelle Monáe graced the stage. It is easy to say the most popular tours were those of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. While many have created a buzz to celebrate the two artists and their talents, there has also been a conversation about whose tour is “better.” While some people have made some intriguing points within the debate, ignoring the blatant misogyny embedded in the discussion is a mistake.
Pitting women against each other is an age-old tradition practiced by men — who shouldn’t have an opinion. Similarly, women can follow societal trends and patterns that promote misogyny. When multiple women are put in positions of power or fame, positions that Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are very much in, it challenges a standard narrative that there can only be one woman worthy of desire. TV shows like Bridgerton, books like The Selection, and movies like Mean Girls convey that there can only be one woman who wins the guy, one woman who rules the school, and one woman who is the best. The other girls? They are competition or side characters meant to uplift or challenge the main girl. Subsequently, what we watch on the screen is how we start to look at life.
So, how does this relate to Swift and Beyoncé? I challenge the idea that one is “better” than the other, primarily because the two couldn’t be farther from each other as artists. Taylor Swift’s brand is dependent on white feminism and indie folk/pop. Her music and set are retro-inspired and fun, focusing on themes of womanhood through the lenses of her “Southern,” white upbringing. On the other hand, Beyoncé focuses on her experience as a Black woman in America. Her songs and set often center around themes of Black Power and the Black feminist movement. Her music is drawn from R&B, Pop, and hip-hop, and she frequently collaborates with artists like Kendrick Lamar or Jay-Z. Yet, people feel the need to pit them against each other.
As stated earlier, there are valid points when discussing the two. The obvious divide between the two artists and subsequently the fan base is the racial aspect. Taylor Swift caters to a white woman’s experience, and Beyoncé to the Black woman and community experience. When arguing in this debate, Beyoncé fans constantly bring up the fact that Taylor Swift has yet to acknowledge the intersectionality of gender and, in turn, falsely promotes unity among women. I am not neutral to this debate and am a self-proclaimed Beyoncé fan; I’ve been listening to her since I was a kid and even saw her on tour. But sometimes, being a true fan of an artist is acknowledging their faults and shortcomings. Beyoncé is based on a very capitalist and materialistic mindset, setting up unattainable lifestyles and standards for many. But you don’t need to compare women to discuss their flaws because they are exactly that — their flaws. Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are flawed artists who also exist outside of each other, so the debate could be about them as individuals, but not who is “better” because she has “less” flaws than the other.
People cite the start of this debate when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009. Kanye did this to draw attention to Beyoncé’s music video when Swift won the award, stating that “Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!” Fans use that event to claim that there has always been a correlation between the two, justifying the comparisons to debate now. But the only reason that comparison was made was because a man thought it was his right to declare that only one woman could have the best video. Taylor Swift’s video “You Belong With Me” couldn’t be as good as Beyoncé’s video, even though the music is completely different, and music videos are subjective. There had to be one.
No one compares Hozier’s tour to Drake’s. There aren’t thousands of TikToks dragging the two men or articles counting and comparing the amount of costumes, setlists, and even locations the artists have. Instead, people are talking about how funny it is that women throw bras on stage for a chance that Drake might read off the size or put it on his face. Many TikToks focus on the fact that Hozier is a “perfect man” capable of describing how women want to be yearned for by a man. Once again, men are praised for doing the bare minimum in catering to women by “acknowledging them,” while two women’s tours risk being overshadowed by a debate started by a man.
Artists are supposed to be different from each other; that’s what makes music so special. We are also allowed to critique artists because that inspires new music and perspectives in the industry. But we need to do better conversing about female artists in the music industry. There doesn’t have to be Cardi vs. Nicki, Doja vs. Rico, Taylor vs. Katy, because they are all great artists. They wouldn’t be so famous if they weren’t. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a favorite or not acknowledge the genuine flaws artists have, but you don’t have to devalue another artist to make your opinion more valid. We don’t have to tear down one woman to uplift another. There shouldn’t be only one.
