Miss Americana Review

Let me preface this: the first soundbite I ever heard from Taylor Swift was Reputation. I didn’t give Taylor a proper go-around growing up, despite her being one of the biggest faces of the music industry. 

So when I heard Netflix was releasing a documentary about the legendary country-turned-pop star, I knew I had to see it. Despite my delayed entry to the Swiftie world, I’m now a hardcore fan —when her album, “Lover” dropped, I played it on loop for a week, screaming the lyrics to “Paper Rings” with co-online editor-in-chief Jackie Cameron in the journalism room. 

After the Rockhurst game, I did not follow the crowd to the Chick-Fil-A drive thru, nor any kind of after party. Instead, I snuggled up in my bed with my mom’s computer ready to be blown away—but boy was I not prepared for the genuine and heartwarming story of how Taylor came to be.

The movie begins with Taylor reading through some of her old diaries, filled with song lyrics from the wild haired, country-singing Taylor, and montages of her singing when she was on the brink of fame. The movie covers different chapters of her life — writing the “Lover” album, Kanye West humiliating her at the VMA’s, her body image and political involvement.

For me, the most jaw-dropping moment was after Taylor won her first VMA for Best Female Video, and Kanye West took the mic from her and said, “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, Imma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.” The fact that one of the most famous rappers in the world could belittle a 17-year-old girl’s first VMA left me speechless.

Although I’m used to hearing Taylor through my radio, seeing her through my screen, I found the deeper look into her life, and what it’s like growing up in the music industry.