Eras Tour & Argentina Election: Is It Okay To Put The Face Of Taylor Swift On Something Political?
Thousands of Swifties, a term commonly used to describe fans of Taylor Swift, eagerly lined up Thursday for the 12-time Grammy winner’s first-ever concert in Argentina. But the people also saw themselves surrounded by posters urging them to not vote in favour of Javier Milei.
Argentina’s presidential election is just round the corner. But is it right to put the face of the superstar on something political? Scores of fans who had been impatiently waiting for the Eras Tour to enter South America were eager to shake off any discussions on politics.
Argentina Presidential Runoff: Javier Milei VS Sergio Massa
Some Swifties appeared to agree with the posters they found themselves surrounded by while lining up for the concert. “A Swiftie Doesn’t Vote Milei,” read one of the posters. A 17-year-old Julieta said: “Taylor defends lots of positions and things that Milei doesn’t represent.”
At the bottom of the poster a hashtag read “Milei is Trump”. The right-wing populist holds lots of socially conservative positions including opposition to abortion. “I think Trump is very similar to Milei,” said Constanza Trunsky, a psychology student.
Milei has said he supports marriage equality, which has been the law in Argentina since 2010, but has spoken up against sex education in schools and is opposed to the state devoting funds to assist the trans community as well as other minority groups.
Keep Reading
“America Has A Chance To Start The Healing Process”
Another poster showed a portrait of Swift holding a tray of cookies that read, “Massa 2023”, in reference to Milei’s opponent Sergio Massa, the Economy Minister. Some Swifties knew the image referred to a photo of Swift holding cookies in favour of Joe Biden’s 2020 candidacy.
The superstar has often incorporated baked goods into her public statements. In her statement for V Magazine, Taylor said she would be voting for Biden and Kamala Harris this year because, “America has a chance to start the healing process it so desperately needs.”