Lorde Is So Damn Wise

It seems like just yesterday that Miley Cyrus's fans invented a feud between new pop sensatio, Lorde and the "Wrecking Ball" singer because Lorde's song "Royals" bumped the tune from the No. 1 spot on iTunes. Now, Metro magazine is calling up the wrath of Taylor Swift's minions by publishing this quote from the New Zealand import in their recent issue:

Taylor Swift is so flawless, and so unattainable, and I don’t think it’s breeding anything good in young girls. ‘I’m never going to be like Taylor Swift, why can’t I be as pretty as Lorde?’ That’s f–king bulls–t.

But why are we so obsessed with pitting our female musicians against each other? Wouldn't they be better "idols" and "role models" if they could all just get along? And maybe they are getting along but we just refuse to believe it because choosing sides is more appealing than just loving artists because they make good music?

Here's the thing about Lorde, she's right. It's our own fault that this emphasis on beauty is so prevalent tbhat it makes us feel inferior to the artists whose work we consume somewhat based on their appearance.

The singer took to her personal Tumblr page to squash the impending feud with T. Swift by posting this eloquently written apology/explanation:

i think i cocked that up a bit and what i said wasn’t put in context also. what i meant was: there’s a lot of importance placed on physical perfection in this industry, and i wish my favourite stars didn’t look perfect because i think fans (me included) have these feelings of worthlessness, like they’ll never be as pretty/talented/whatever, as a result of this intense photoshop culture and the endless strive for perfection. ts was the first person i thought of, which i regret. she happens to be good looking, but i think she actually uses her other imperfections in an incredibly powerful and relatable way. taylor swift has a very unique vision, which i admire. i think somewhere along the line also there was a misquote where people got the impression i thought writing about love was shameful. i don’t! i just haven’t found a way of doing it which is powerful and innovative, which is why i don’t.

ps. i am very very new to this whole thing. i will probably never be the kind of role model for my fans that ts is for hers. i admire her very much for this reason. basically, this is an apology for not thinking too hard before i speak. peace.

It's clear that Lorde has lived at least 30 lifetimes as a wise, old owl. For a 16-year-old and a new artist, it's kind of sad that our media wants to set her up to be hated by the characteristically vicious fans of Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus.

Her intention wasn't to be malicious or to offend Taylor Swift (not all teenaged girls are out to ruin lives), it was to draw attention to a flaw in our society that places a talented and beautiful celebrity on an impossibly high pedestal that values her beauty above all.

Lorde isn't the first person to argue that our society's emphasis on celebrity perfection and that Photoshop are detrimental to the development of young fans' self-worth and body image, but her opinion might actually be the most relevant considering she's one of the "young fans" frequently talked about.

Taylor Swift is really "good looking", as Lorde puts it, and even if it's comforting to know that she gets dumped just like the rest of us mere mortals, she still has the fact that she's thin and blonde with legs for days and skin that looks as soft as a baby's.

Before we start cracking jokes about Taylor Swift stepping into the sound booth to record a hate-song for her next record about Lorde and creating an imaginary feud, let's take a step back. Lorde is displaying wisdom beyond her years here, even though she's "new" to the media machine. Granted, Lorde's one of the young, beautiful and mega-talented, but she's speaking her mind without being self-deprecating.

And maybe, feral fans, instead of threatening to burn her at the stake because we "LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT/MILEY CYRUS/SELENA GOMEZ FOR EVER", we can say thank you, because she might just be able to save us all.