Taylor Swift says she was victim of ‘mass public shaming’ after ‘humiliating’ Kim Kardashian feud

The singer/songwriter also revealed to Vogue why she decided to go public with her politics and support for LGBTQ+ rights

Taylor Swift has claimed she was the victim of “mass public shaming” following her high-profile feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

Speaking to Vogue, Swift explained that the trio’s heavily-publicised fall out, and the subsequent criticism sent her way, left her feeling isolated and humiliated.

“A mass public shaming, with millions of people saying you are quote-unquote cancelled, is a very isolating experience,” she revealed. “I don’t think there are that many people who can actually understand what it’s like to have millions of people hate you very loudly.”

She continued: “When you say someone is cancelled, it’s not a TV show. It’s a human being. You’re sending mass amounts of messaging to this person to either shut up, disappear, or it could also be perceived as, Kill yourself.

"I realised I needed to restructure my life because it felt completely out of control. I knew immediately I needed to make music about it because I knew it was the only way I could survive it. It was the only way I could preserve my mental health and also tell the story of what it’s like to go through something so humiliating.”

In the same interview, Swift also declared her eagerness to become more politically active after an incident with one of her best friends (dancer Todrick Hall) made her realise her silence about political subjects had been a problem.

“Maybe a year or two ago, Todrick and I are in the car, and he asked me, 'What would you do if your son was gay?'” she recalled. “The fact that he had to ask me shocked me and made me realise that I had not made my position clear enough or loud enough. If my son was gay, he’d be gay. I don’t understand the question.”

She added, “Rights are being stripped from basically everyone who isn’t a straight white cisgender male. I didn’t realise until recently that I could advocate for a community that I’m not a part of. It’s hard to know how to do that without being so fearful of making a mistake that you just freeze. Because my mistakes are very loud. When I make a mistake, it echoes through the canyons of the world. It’s clickbait, and it’s a part of my life story, and it’s a part of my career arc.”

Swift’s new album, Lover, which she called a “new beginning” for her and said was potentially her favourite album yet, is released 23 August.