"I hate it here so I will go to lunar valleys in my mind..."

Taylor Alison Swift, a billionaire global superstar, is someone who can't be overlooked even if you try. However, all this fame and fortune comes at a price, especially if you are a female artist leaving blazing trails of success every step of the way.

The struggles of Taylor Swift as a female artist are not unknown to the world, as she has been pretty vocal about her issues with sexism in the music industry and becoming a victim of unwanted strict scrutiny under the watchful public eye. During the very first years of her career, she was embarrassed and discredited by Kanye West, whom she looked up to, while receiving her award for Video of the Year at the 2009 MTV VMAs. A massive feud with the West-Kardashian family followed which led to a series of events that caused her to completely isolate herself from the public eye for years. Apart from this, she also fought a civil case against an ex-DJ for sexually assaulting her, which she won. Additionally, she has told the audience through interviews that female artists have to try even harder in order to prove to the world that their artistic creativity and work are truly a result of their own talent and efforts, and how female artists are told off for exposing their raw emotions in their artistic pieces, labelling them as "overemotional" and "irrational". She compared herself to her good friend "Ed Sheeran" who is also known for his raw song writing, yet he does not have to undergo such judgement simply because he is a male, leading her to believe that female and male artists were never on the same level playing field to begin with.

Swift's latest double album "The Tortured Poets Department" features a song called "I Hate It Here." While it may automatically be an instant classic for Swifties around the globe, it seems fitting for any woman (or any romanticism-prone individual) to relate to the lyrics after giving it a listen.

This song focuses on Swift discussing elements of escapism, romanticism, and discovering a safe space within one's inner life and fantasies where no one can possibly infiltrate, unlike the real world where you can easily become victim to fears, pain and hurt. The imaginary, fantastical worlds you build are your own to bask in within the confines of your mind, as long as you want, whenever you want to. Considering the complications Swift had to face in her life, it's no wonder she sings with passion, "No mid-sized city hopes and small-town fears, I'm there most of the year 'cause I hate it here", "I'll save all my romanticism for my inner life and I'll get lost on purpose. This place made me feel worthless" and "If comfort is a construct, I don't believe in good luck, now that I know what's what." She finds solace in the serenity, safety and impenetrable walls of her inner world, a much needed escape from the harsh realities of everyday life.

A song as beautiful, expressive and imaginative as this helps build a perfect visual picture in the listener's mind. For someone who would want to take a break from the struggles of this world, Swift's song could be used as a suitable audio guide, facilitating them in the process. However, it is this very expression of vulnerable emotions that females such as herself are targeted for. Similar to what Simone de Beavoir argues in her piece, "Second Sex", since females are conditioned to feel inferior from a young age, they compensate for feeling unseen, neglected and misunderstood by indulging themselves in fantasies of wild, in fictions of self-admiration and self-pity. This can also be seen in Swift's song where she yearns to exist in a planet in outer space where her gentleness can not be taken for granted, and treated as a "weak" emotion when expressed by females like her, "When they found a better planet, only the gentle survived. I dreamed about it in the dark, the night I felt like I might die." This goes to show that while similar things have been discussed by male artists, an example being "Pursuit of Happiness" by Kid Cudi, they are judged to be "brave", the song to be "profound" and "courageous" while the complete opposite is the case for females.

This cycle can be observed to appear in many women's lives as a coping mechanism. Thus, a parallel can be drawn to Swift's experiences and this song. Women get shunned, shamed, blamed for things that might not be their fault, things that are not considered "taboo" for men to do all the same, so on and so forth. They are led to believe that they are "inferior", to remain quiet in places where they deserve to roar as loud as a lion, to stay timid when they deserve to be as fierce and bold as a wolf, and are taught to be "proper" all the time, without much room for exception. Understandably, this is exhausting and suffocating, so they resort to secret gardens in castles of their own, go on adventures where they can be as free and untethered as ever, and most of all, where they can finally: B-R-E-A-T-H-E. However, why should a woman be allowed to complain against the shackles of reality? Why, she's acting so sensitive, over dramatic, she's being ungrateful, she is weak, she is a coward! And the cycle repeats, over and over. Swift beautifully captures this in the song, which speaks to many women who can relate not because they are Swifties, not because they are privileged, or billionaires, or simply white like her, but rather because they are also just....women.

Attention needs to be drawn to this and Swift may be thought of as a prime example considering she is at a position where the world may actually listen to what she is saying, and that she, also at such a high position, faces the same struggle as women in other walks of life. People in power are thus at the best place to strive for change in the way we view women, to recognize their bravery and not mistake it for "meekness". There is power in vulnerability, in sharing what you feel with the world, there is strength in knowing and recognizing that we are all humans in the end, equally deserving of love.

The floor is open to questions, and any constructive criticism is welcome!