Feminist and social critic Camille Paglia slammed Taylor Swift’s “obnoxious Nazi Barbie routine” and what is now commonly referred to as her “girl squad” in an essay for the Hollywood Reporter published on Thursday.
Paglia essentially argues that the “girl squad” movement is harmful and regressive for women, stating that it acts as a “scary flashback to the fascist blondes who ruled the social scene” from her youth.
“Girl squads” have been popularized in recent years mostly via social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram through endless group selfies and their corresponding #GirlSquad hashtags.
The famed feminist does claim that “girl squads” have the potential to be beneficial, but uses Swift’s “posse” as a prime example of the opposite; the “silly”, “tittering, tongues-out” behavior that is all too often exemplified is actually harmful, she argues.
“In our wide-open modern era of independent careers, girl squads can help women advance if they avoid presenting a silly, regressive public image — as in the tittering, tongues-out mugging of Swift’s bear-hugging posse. Swift herself should retire that obnoxious Nazi Barbie routine of wheeling out friends and celebrities as performance props,” wrote Paglia.
See example of “performance props” below:
Surprisingly, Paglia even suggests that these “cliquish” women in Hollywood should take a cue from men. That’s right, men.
“Girl squads ought to be about mentoring, exchanging advice and experience and launching exciting and innovative joint projects. Women need to study the immensely productive dynamic of male bonding in history,” Paglia boldy asserted. “With their results-oriented teamwork, men largely have escaped the sexual jealousy, emotionalism and spiteful turf wars that sometimes dog women.”
Paglia added, “If women in Hollywood seek a broad audience, they must aim higher and transcend a narrow gender factionalism that thrives on grievance. Girl squads are only an early learning stage of female development. For women to leave a lasting mark on culture, they need to cut down on the socializing and focus like a laser on their own creative gifts.”
This is not the first time Paglia has spoken out over the Taylor Swift-types running Hollywood with their “bleeched-out personas.” In 2012, Paglia wrote a piece subtly titled: “Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Hollywood Are Ruining Women,” where she lambasted the singers “whose songs have barely escaped the hackneyed teenybopper genre” for their negative effect on young women who look up to the singers.”
What is more shocking is that more “feminists” have not lost it over this growing epidemic in Hollywood. But with so much confusion and clashing views coming from the feminist movement these days, it’s no surprise there is so much disconnect creating one overall message.
Image above (via AP): “Taylor Swift, from left, Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss and Lily Aldridge arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles.“