'It's the Right Time for UP to Offer a Subject on Taylor Swift'
This essay was originally a post by the author on her personal Facebook page. We are reposting it here with some minor edits, with the author's permission.
I appreciate the interest and conversations generated by the Taylor Swift course offering in U.P. As the faculty who will be teaching the course, the same interest and conversation has driven the point of why there is a need to teach the course.
I wanted to reserve some of the discussion points in my class, but the accompanying discourse about the Taylor Swift course and what I learned from the data that was presented during the launch of #lundagsilakbo’s campaign against disinformation has led me to write this (piece) and validated once again that it was the right time for the UP Department of Broadcast Communication to offer a subject (not an entire degree because why...??) about celebrities.
The data that was very interesting to me was how in the past month (data gathering period) online conversations about celebrity loveteam DonBelle trumps any conversations we have about BBM, Duterte, Robredo and even any other political or economic issues. I am saying this not to criticize, “look down,” or even dismiss it, but rather because it underscores the need to actually take a closer look at celebrities and their relationship and resonance with and to Filipinos, especially at this time.
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Celebrity studies is hardly new to the Philippine academe. It is but a part of the broader field of media and popular culture studies. In fact, I have devoted a significant part of my life studying one of the most enduring popular culture icons in the Philippines—Darna—including the actresses who played her. In addition, there are already a number of local scholars who have published books and/or articles about local celebrities and there have been a number of popular culture classes in U.P.
However, and I know this from personal experience, there is always a sense of dismissiveness in the academic community (and even outside of it) about topics that are considered not “worth” studying, even when these topics are clearly very important in understanding and/or explaining a phenomena that has “real-life implications.”
But yes, it is the first time as far as I know that U.P. (although correct me if I am wrong) is offering an academic course on Taylor Swift, even though another colleague, Kara David who, I understand, is also a Swiftie, is already using Taylor Swift songs as discussion points in her class and in her videos.
But this is Taylor Swift, right? Hence, the various reactions and opinions and comments. I always say that before this course even got the attention of the public, she was already a polarizing figure in the global entertainment industry due to a number of reasons, which I will not go into for now. But what’s always being asked of me is why should we devote time and resources to studying Taylor Swift rather than a local celebrity.
Let me be clear: I am not dismissing the need to study local celebrities. I always say they are equally important (I can’t wait for the day to offer an Angel Locsin subject, but my queen cherishes her anonymity at this point in her career). However, I am someone whose academic interests focus on political economy (especially on the transnational nature of cultural products), gender, Philippine media studies (with a special interest in postcolonial theories), and popular culture. All these interests are embodied by Swift, who is currently the biggest pop star we have today (of course, other fandoms will come for me, but I’m sorry because this is true), and if you are in media studies and doing celebrity studies, you cannot ignore this. I know there are other parallel, existing realities that need attention and focus in the country, but it doesn’t invalidate the existence of other realities and phenomena. These are all important subject matters.
However, the focus on Swift for this course is in contrast to other local celebrity studies. Using Swift as an example situates the course in a media ecology/environment that’s vastly different from what was previously studied. Filipinos’ relationship with and consumption of celebrities have changed (though they remained the same in some aspects) due to the internet and we now have an entirely different expectation of what a celebrity should be. For example, we now expect them to be more outspoken politically and to use their platform, which is something that wasn’t explicitly nor implicitly expected of them before, especially in our very rigid, hierarchical local entertainment industry.
So I always answer, why not Taylor? A lot of foreign scholars study us, our cultural products, our discourses, so why can’t we study theirs and put forth knowledge claims and pathways that come from us being Filipinos existing and participating in the global stage?
There is also a political dimension to the focus on Swift. In 2020, when there were so few local celebrities who raised their voices against the Anti-Terror Bill in the Philippines, Swift amplified this specific issue in her social media accounts. (Don’t worry, I am not blind to her other concerning issues and that, of course, will be tackled in class). This initial observation is further amplified by my involvement in the last presidential elections as it introduced me to a very different kind of political campaigning—one that is fan-driven and celebrity centric. (Again this one is hardly new since it is common knowledge that celebrities are paid to endorse politicians, but there were a lot of celebrities who voluntarily lent their star power, especially in the last campaign).
While there were a lot of fandoms who actively participated in the campaign, two fandoms stood out for me because of how active they were: the K-pop stans and the Swifties. While it was a given to me that local fandoms such as Kathniels, Bubblies, Angels, among others, participated strongly in the elections because it directly involves us, the subject of fandom by K-pop stans and Swifties are transnational celebrities who, if you think about it can “choose” not to blur that line separating entertainment and politics. But they did.
Lastly, did you know that Swift, or more popularly known among Filipino Swifties as Taylor Marie Joy Batumbakal Swift was a graduate of UP? Just look at her wearing the sablay (photo courtesy of birdsoftay from Pinterest). Did you also know that her song Maroon from the Midnights album is about our school color? (Please don’t take this last paragraph seriously).
Anyway, these observations are very interesting to a media student and teacher like me because these are points that we can explore, especially if we want to elevate the conversations that we are having on media, celebrities, and the publics.
AI-gerenated image of Swift wearing the traditional sablay of UP
PS: I know that Taylor’s "You Need to Calm Down" is her tribute to the LGBTQ++ community, pero ngayon lang talaga ko naka-relate sa kantang ito ng bongga.
Cherish Aileen A. Brillon is a faculty member of the U.P. Diliman Department of Broadcast Communication and the current Director of the UP Padayon Public Service Office. She is the instructor that will teach the Taylor Swift course in the university.
