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Taylor Swift is someone who often causes divisive reactions amongst many.
But the one thing that had her fans and critics alike both baffled, was her alarming silence on anything connected to politics.
Now, of course celebrities have the full right to not reveal their affiliations, but if they feel strongly about a cause, they huge platforms to exercise their power and influence.
And this influence clearly made itself known when after years of keeping quiet, Taylor finally broke her silence and showed her support for the Democrats.
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In an Instagram post that has since inspired praise from both her peers and fans, as Buzzfeed reported, Taylor makes a firm declaration and reveals that she’d “always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country.”
She admitted in the post that she was actually reluctant to air her views in the past, but due to several events in her life, she’s finally decided to speak up due to several things that have happened in her life as well as the general state of the country.
Taylor who also won her sexual assault case earlier this year, has become a firm advocate for sexual assault survivors and has made generous donations in an effort to help victims and survivors of rape.
Her show of support for the Democrats speaks volumes and especially telling that she’d make this statement after Brett Kavanaugh has been sworn in.
And whether people like it or not, her post has proven that she has significant clout.
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Following her post, Washington Post reports that voter registration has spiked dramatically. And while it can be argued that the final date for registration for the mid-term US elections are approaching, it’s been revealed that the rise in the number of voter registration was particularly high during the 48 hours after Taylor’s post.
Taylor’s silence on the subject has in the past, often led to people speculating that she might be a Trump supporter, and it’s clear that many Republicans thought so too because the backlash she’s been facing from political leaders speaks of a group that have been shaken to their core.
In fact, Donald Trump said that he likes her “25% less than he used to now." The Tennessee republican who Taylor is voting against also spoke up against her.
Interestingly enough, some of the additional criticism she’s facing seems to come from people who think that celebrities shouldn’t express their political opinions.
This is the part where we remind them that the president they voted for was a celebrity before he became leader of the “first world.”
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Celebrities aren’t defined by the roles they play. They have needs and wants along with the rest of us and more importantly, they too have a voice.
A voice that can be used to encourage change.
Silence is often construed as complicity and it seems that Taylor Swift has finally begun to realise that.
