Recently on October 8, 2018, an iconic pop singer decided to use her platform as a political voice.  You guess it, it’s Taylor Swift! Now, you are probably thinking why now?  So, let’s see what led to her speaking out.

On Saturday October 6th, after her concert in Texas, Taylor posted a photo of herself on Instagram dancing happily with her sparkly rainbow dress.  But less than 24 hours later, she posted another photo. The post she uploaded addressed the upcoming election on November 6th, 2018. She voiced her opinion on the election and the two Democrats who are candidates for this election.

She stated, “The racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender, or who they love.”

The Washington Post states that many country music publicists often counsel country singers to avoid political affairs, since they can end up angering the country radio stations. Swifty doesn’t want to alienate herself from anyone, especially her country fans.  However, she says she will vote against Tennessee Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn. Blackburn voted against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which helps protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. Swift has some personal experience with this issue. She was allegedly sexual assaulted by a Colorado country radio DJ a year ago; the DJ was fired and Swifty won the case. In her post, Swift endorsed Democratic Senate Candidate Phil Bredesen in her post.

Swift, influenced by her own personal experience, as well as the Women’s March and other political movements, felt that this was the right time to speak out. She hopes that she can play a part in motivating people to get to the polls on election day.