Ask Selena Gomez about Taylor Swift and you’re likely to hear her toss around words such as loyal, kind and giving.
Ask any celebrity who has joined Swift on stage during a concert about the singer and they’ll probably respond with words such as talented, fun and generous.
ASk Camille Paglia, a culture critic and self-proclaimed feminist, about Taylor Swift and… well… you’ll get a very different kind of response.
In an article penned for The Hollywood Reporter, Paglia argues that the group dynamic between Swift and the beautiful members of her “Squad” do not empower women in any way, shape or form.
Instead, claims Paglia, this is an example of elitism.
“Girl squads can help women advance if they avoid presenting a silly, regressive public image,” writes Paglia.
She goes on to note the “tongues-out mugging of Swift’s bear-hugging posse,” adding:
“Swift herself should retire that obnoxious Nazi Barbie routine of wheeling out friends and celebrities as performance props.”
We’re pretty sure Taylor just likes to hang out with her friends.
We’re also pretty sure once you compare anyone to a Nazi, you lose any semblance of a point.
Paglia goes on to explain that friendship squad such as this serve more to exclude women who aren’t members, as opposed to uniting the women of the group.
“If many women feel lonely or overwhelmed these days, it’s not due to male malice,” Paglia says. “Women have lost the natural solidarity and companionship.”
The columnist claims Swift’s “twinkly persona is such a scary flashback to the fascist blondes who ruled the social scene during my youth.”
Ummm… okay then.
Is there a doctor reading this who can order Paglia a chill pill?