Showstopper

I was so fortunate that my friend Erica invited a few friends to join her at the Taylor Swift concert a few weeks ago. It turned out to be the best show I've ever attended.

You may not be a fan, and hey, that's okay. We all have preferences. But what cracks me up is how many people dismiss her as "only singing girl songs." It was so silly to see how many people dismiss her work because "it is just for teenagers" or - and this one drives me crazy - "you won't see many men at her shows!"

Well. It is 2023. And how many men are present isn't actually a measurement of the success of a woman's work. So let me talk just a few statistics for a moment. This isn't to convince anyone to like Taylor Swift if they don't - but to make a point. Bear with me.

• She is worth over $400 million. Forbes currently estimates that her Eras Tour could net her between $500 million and $1.5 billion.

• She has won 12 Grammys, 40 American Music Awards, and a huge number of other significant awards, including being the youngest person on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.

• American Songwriter notes that she became the first-ever artist to occupy all 10 of the Top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after the release of her most recent Midnights album.

I could go on, for SO many pages. But here it is. If someone can dismiss a woman with this many accomplishments as "just" selling to "girls" then they have truly missed out on a very talented person in the music industry. Again - you don't have to like her - but you can't deny she's apparently doing a lot of things right.

So what is my point? Oh my friends, it isn't just Taylor Swift. So many of us as women are dismissed and unheard - and it doesn't matter how talented or smart or hard working you are. Honestly, it is pretty ridiculous how we judge not just individuals but entire groups of people on their worth - according to our personal standards.

I guess this Taylor Swift experience truly spoke to me as a woman in ministry, as a business owner, and as a human being. My personal favorite Taylor lyric at the moment from "Lavender Haze" is "Surreal, I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say. No deal, the 1950s shit they want from me." It isn't 1950. It is WAY past time to wake up to what women are offering in the world. It is just silly. As Tara Beth Leach says in her book Emboldened, we are "consequently underutilizing" half the population. Personally, I can't argue about it anymore. I just keep doing the work I am called to do. I'm busy doing what they said I couldn't do, because actually, I can.

Hey, if you are feeling deflated and devalued as a woman, or you love a woman who is made to feel deflated or devalued - we can change that. Good grief, if the wildly overachieving Taylor Swift is sidelined even though she is a complete showstopper, what about the rest of us? It is honestly laughable. Those who don't get it probably never will. And they will miss out on HUGE blessings because they dismissed other people due to personal biases. That is on them. My work is on me. Your work is on you.

As Taylor says herself in her huge hit "Shake it Off," well, "haters gonna hate." Let them. That is their wasted energy. Go and live your best life. Do your best work. Connect with others who lift up your work and recognize your beautiful and amazing gifts, and do the same for others. Let's be about the business of making a difference in the world. Life can be tiring, so pour your heart and soul into what matters to you. And prove them all wrong.