Miss Americana | Film Review

Miss Americana is simultaneously a gut-wrenching and inspiring documentary behind the beloved music-sensation, Taylor Swift, and the ramifications fame can take on an artist. Swift overcame and accomplished more at 17 years old than most people would in their entire lives and she lives with a refined purpose at 30 years old.

Director Lana Wilson’s stark approach to feminism is beyond the standard in Miss Americana. Instead of tossing hashtag trends and common themes in your face, Wilson begins from a place of humanity in telling the story of a young girl’s rising success and how society ridicules every aspect of their being through development simply for being a leader with talent.

Wilson cleverly outlines Swift’s trajectory, book-ending the film with a blurred out diary as Swift only tells pieces of her internal struggle and life in the beginning, and ultimately concluding with Swift reading pages from her diary in 2003. This is a beautiful revelation to show Taylor Swift’s own progression as a changing artist, woman, and human. An unparalleled level of access to Swift assists Wilson in her success, as we get to dig deeper than ever with the beholden star.

It’s no surprise that being a notable celebrity comes with many skeletons in the closet, but it takes a wildly courageous and bolstered woman to open herself up to the public and reveal her innermost brawls, after being scrutinized for years on end with a magnifying glass keying in on her every move. Swift reiterates time and time again in Miss Americana that as a young 13 year old girl with a music career on the horizon, her belief system was founded on the approval and applause of the public. Natural for this to occur, but it can be so dangerous at such a young age.

As Swift got older, her career only grew. By age 17, her name was known among anyone with access to the radio. She fulfilled more than her initial dreams could have anticipated before she could even vote.

Only two years later, one of the most striking and horrendous experiences occurred. The infamous “Kanye” moment, where 19 year-old Swift accepted her award and Kanye West came on to the stage and took the mic and told everyone that Beyonce deserved it. I remember this scandal when it occurred and was only a few years off from Taylor and recall being horrified for her, thinking how embarrassed I would be. It’s even more apparent now how much that moment can affect a young woman who genuinely only wanted to be liked and appreciated for her hard work and instead stood on a stage with an audience booing (at Kanye, but she didn’t realize this at the time, admittedly).

This mortifying Kanye experience only continued years on end, with Kanye calling her a b**** in one of his songs, chanting “F*** Taylor Swift!” at his shows with audiences. From here, the unwarranted hate for Swift only grew. At some point, the hashtag #TaylorSwiftisoverparty became #1 trending, to which Swift responds in Miss Americana, “do you know how many people have to be tweeting that they hate you for that to happen?”.

So, here we have a young woman who has built her entire mindset from a young age with fame and celebrity around being accepted and applauded, and is being ridiculed on every news outlet for being too skinny, being too annoying, dating too many guys, and the list goes on. The message that sends to a woman is that she isn’t good enough; something Swift admits she already felt at that point and contributed to her “sick” appearance and starving herself.

There were multiple points throughout this documentary that I genuinely felt concerned for Swift. Dehumanized, scorned by the public, and living in isolation for a year. This is what our gossip news, clickbait articles, and entertainment videos are building. Is it so hard to remember that celebrities are still human and deserve to be treated as such? This begs further questions and concerns on what the appeal is to society in slut-shaming, how mental health issues can be triggered and prompted in anyone regardless of wealth or talent, and that we have to consciously do more to be kind to those around us and on the internet.

One of the most impactful takeaways from Miss Americana is related to Taylor Swift’s sexual assault trial, something I don’t recall hearing much about, despite Swift being at the center of the public’s eye so often. A man who was investigated, fired, had seven witnesses to the act, and a photo of it happening, and yet she was sued for millions of dollars, forced to counter-sue for $1, and was crumbled in the trial. Swift’s comments are heart-breaking and wildly relatable to sexual assault victims everywhere, because despite “winning” the case, Swift says there is no such thing as a win.

“You don’t feel a sense of any victory because the process is so dehumanizing. This is with seven witnesses and a photo. What happens when you get raped, and it’s your word against his?” – Taylor Swift

A true shock to the body because of it’s unfortunate accuracy. In a world of #MeToo, women and men still must relive the most brutal experience of their lives at their expense in order to be believed, and even then it’s iffy.

The other side to Miss Americana is watching a true natural artist work in her creative space. The passion is evidently in Swift’s DNA and is second-nature. It’s what she wakes up doing, what she breathes, and thinks about constantly. Taylor’s dedication to her work and her writing is both inspiring and motivating. Wilson’s ability to take you on the roller coaster of emotions between Taylor’s highs and lows ensures you feel like you’ve been along for the ride the entire time.

By the end, Swift opens up and reads from her 2003 diary, leading to possibly one of the most vulnerable and authentic moments of her life.

Miss Americana is not just the summary of Taylor Swift’s journey as a musician and a woman, but is the film that inspires every woman to fight for their rights, to stop apologizing for existing, and to champion themselves. Now, Taylor Swift stands tall and proud in reminding you that you don’t have to like her, but there’s only one of her.