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The Internet Needs to Stop Saying that Taylor Swift Is in a 'Feud' with Other Musicians

By Grainger Heavensbee | Celebrity | August 25, 2015 |

By Grainger Heavensbee | Celebrity | August 25, 2015 |


Every time I open up the laptop, it seems, Taylor Swift is in another feud, or someone is in a feud over Taylor Swift, or Taylor Swift said something to provoke a feud between two other people.

But here’s the thing: These are not “feuds.” A feud is a “state of prolonged mutual hostility.” The Hatfields and McCoys were in a feud. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had a feud. Letterman and Leno were in a feud. Donald Trump and common sense are in a feud.

But these things that Taylor Swift are involved in? They are not feuds. They are, at best, tiffs. Potentially squabbles. Maybe online skirmishes, tussles, or fracases. But feuds, they are not.

Let’s investigate three of the most recent Taylor Swift “feuds.”

Headline: Avril Lavigne VS. Taylor Swift: Fans Speak Out & Take Sides Amidst Online Feud

Content: Avril Lavinge tweeted the following in response to Taylor Swift “liking” a photo online that displayed Swift being friendly with her fans while other celebrities in the photo collage were more standoffish.

Verdict: This is not a “feud” with Swift. This is a minor scolding, mostly of the fan who posted the photo.

Headline: Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus Feud: Bad Blood Singer’s Reaction to Ex-Disney Star’s Instagram Post Revealed

Content: Miley Cyrus posted a fan-made faceswap photo of Swift and Justin Bieber’s on Instagram with the caption, “If you faceswap Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, they look like a cute lesbian couple.”

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Taylor Swift’s response to the photo? “Sending you love,” which the Internet interpreted as “the ultimate act of killing someone with kindness, or the world’s new go-to response for icing out your enemy.”

Verdict: This is not a “feud.” This is Taylor Swift rolling her eyes at a silly photo. This is a “shrug.”

Headline: Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj Feud on Twitter Over VMA Nominations

Content: Nicki Minaj took issue with the fact that her music video did not get as many nominations as she might have liked, and suggested the problem was with MTV’s preference for “slim bodies.” Taylor Swift felt like she was being called out. Nicki Minaj corrected her, and suggested that Swift should also speak to this issue.

Verdict: This was not a feud. It was an embarrassing “misunderstanding.”

In sum, Taylor Swift is in a feud with no one, although the passive-aggressive hostilities between Swift and Katy Perry have the makings of a potential feud.