Taylor Swift has helped make the hashtags #Squad and #SquadGoals popular on social media, according to two new reports. Thanks to her long list of famous friends, the “Bad Blood” singer is inspiring fans to create their own squads.
Both Atlantic and Complex published articles on how Swift, 25, is inspiring her fans to create their own “squad goals.” Thanks to the singer’s social media presence, the hashtags #Squad and #SquadGoals have taken the internet by storm. However, these terms aren’t new, according to the reports.
The words “squad” and “ squad goals ” have been used by the black culture for the past few years. Just recently, it gained popularity every time Taylor Swift used the hashtag #SquadGoals whenever she shares a photo of herself with her model friends or with celebrities like Emma Watson and Patrick Stewart.
According to contributor Megan Garber, Swift has taken the word “ squad ” and commercialized it.
“Swift is a performer not just of music, but of friendship. She takes the clichés of female camaraderie, young and old—’sisterhood,’ ‘besties,’ ‘goddesses’ if one is being extra-giddy about it—and commercializes them.”
The writer also points out how the singer always shows off her friends on her 1989 World Tour. During a handful of her concerts, Taylor has featured her friends Haim. During her performance of “Style,” Taylor will bring out her fellow friends like Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss, Lena Dunham, and Gigi Hadid. Taylor also gave new meaning to #SquadGoals when she brought the U.S. women’s soccer team on stage.
According to Garber, Swift’s female squad is rather boring than awe-inspiring. But to Swift’s fans, seeing the singer with her friends is kind of like eating comfort food, no matter how boring they may appear to the general public.
“It’s sort of soothing because there is also something reassuring about a squad, whether it consists of celebrities or normal people.”
Now #Squad and #SquadGoals can mean anything to anyone. It could be used in reference to a plate of delicious food or a group of adorable dogs. Even brands are jumping on the trend by incorporating the hashtags. That doesn’t mean that it’s being used correctly, though.
Taylor Swift has already been slammed for using her squad to help capitalize off her song “Bad Blood.” Katy Perry called the singer “ironic” after Swift accused Nicki Minaj of pitting women against woman.
Finding it ironic to parade the pit women against other women argument about as one unmeasurably capitalizes on the take down of a woman…
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) July 22, 2015
Early last week, Gawker wrote an article titled “ Taylor Swift Is Not Your Best Friend .” The article accused the singer of exploiting her friendships for notoriety and fame. Most recently, Michael Hollan of YourTango wrote why Taylor Swift and her girl squad aren’t as empowering as they may seem.
“This isn’t girls sticking together, this is a bunch of girls teaming up against one other girl. Swift has literally pitted herself and a bunch of her contemporaries against a fellow female performer. Since Swift won’t actually say that she’s going after Perry, Perry can’t really defend herself. She still has to deal with the embarrassment, however, because Swift made everything just obvious enough. Of course, Swift has set herself up as the leader of the clique, as the video’s target is someone who has gotten on only Swift’s bad side.”
It looks like the media isn’t buying Taylor Swift’s “squad goals.” There’s been various tabloid reports and rumors about both her concert and friendship demands and her feuds with her own friends. Swift continues to receive her share of criticism, whether it comes to her romantic relationships or her female friendships.
What are your thoughts on the terms “squad” and “squad goals”? Do you think Taylor Swift is responsible for making these terms trendy? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.
[Image: Jason Merritt /Getty Images and Taylor Swift/Instagram]
