Mental support: Taylor Swift is a role model for her fans — including when it comes to dealing with eating disorders

2024-09-08 11:06:59

What Taylor Swift sings, wears or who she kisses matters. The pop singer has a huge influence on her fans, which helps when she talks about sensitive topics, such as eating disorders. According to a US study, their “powerful voice” can make a difference.

Her concerts shook the ground, but Taylor Swift had a big impact in other ways: the pop singer repeatedly discussed the fact that she had overcome an eating disorder and the doubts associated with her own body. In this way, the 34-year-old apparently helps fans struggling with their body image. This is what two US researchers report in the journal “Social Science & Medicine”.

In their analysis, nutritionists Lizzy Pope and Kelsey Rose from the University of Vermont evaluated around 200 posts and comments published by Swift fans on the Reddit and TikTok platforms. According to the study, Swift’s role model plays an important role for her fans, the majority of whom are women.

Many Swifties see the singer as a pioneer in dealing with eating disorders. Swift’s openness helped her overcome her own illnesses. Fans repeatedly pointed to the 2020 Netflix documentary “Miss Americana,” in which Swift talked about the topic.

“Swifties” also used some songs by the singer in their posts, the songs of which allowed groups with mental health. Songs like “It’s On You, Baby” and “Tethered With A Smile” are used by fans to process their own insecurities, report scientists in their research.

However, the topic of body image is also discussed in the debate on platforms in connection with Taylor Swift. According to the researchers, the music video for the song “Anti-Hero” from 2022 caused a controversy. In the original version of the clip, Swift stands on a scale that reads the word “fat” in one scene.

A far-reaching effect

While some fans defended the image as a reflection of Swift’s personal insecurities, others were hurt by it. The artist later replaced the online video with another version that is no longer in the text.

The authors also note that the fans themselves block their idols in the posts, i.e. reduce them to the body. Swift’s current footage is compared to older recordings. Users comment on how “healthy” and “happy” Swift looks compared to before. At the same time, however, fans criticized media reports that focused on Swift’s appearance or weight.

“This analysis shows the positive effect that celebrities can have, but also shows the limitations of personal information when it comes to targeting economic programs like the anti-fat bias,” said Lizzy Pope. In the study, he and his colleague mentioned other examples that show that the role of the singer is very broad.

35,000 more people have registered as voters on a website than Swift did via Instagram called out. The bracelets he wore on the “Eras Tour” inspired his fans to make them too. And the Sales figures The shirt of her boyfriend Travis Kelce, a player in the National Football League, became quadrupled after attending the game of his team, “Kansas City Chiefs”, in September 2023. The authors summarized it in the way This: “It’s clear that Swift is having a major cultural impact through her music, her actions, and her messages.”

Her experiences, her voice and her music are powerful influences that “influence her fans’ relationships with food, their bodies and their mental health”. That’s why the researchers believe that Swift, if he decides to do so, can be a powerful thing to end the privilege of slim – to rid society of exclusive beauty ideals and to accept the idea of ​​trying to “liberate the body “.

dpa/sk