Miss Americana: Looking at fame in a different limelight

By: Emelia Richling

In the opening scene of Netflix’s biographical documentary that aired on Jan. 31, Taylor Swift seems completely comfortable, sitting at the piano as her cat lazily crawls across the keys. However, from that point on, the artistically-crafted documentary is packed with a raw honesty that Swift has previously not shared because of how uncomfortable and vulnerable she feels when exposing her opinions and the way she truly feels.

As the audience follows Swift’s story from the first song she wrote to the present day, the documentary does an incredible job of exposing how the media makes an everyday person into an icon, stripping them of their emotions and allowing them to be judged by other people while only showing one side of the star’s life.

Many “Swifties” feel as if they may know a lot about Swift, but this documentary reveals how little we really know about the lives of famous icons. Swift reveals a vulnerable side of herself, expressing her insecurities, fears and political viewpoints. For so long, Swift felt as if being a traditional “good girl” meant that she had to seek validation through praise and couldn’t express her political viewpoints; however, “Miss Americana” shows Swift coming to terms with herself and what she believes. Anyone can relate to Swift’s story as we all struggle to come to terms with our opinions in a hyperjudgemental world.

Before watching “Miss Americana,” I only saw Swift as a famous musician. In 2018, when she didn’t receive a Grammy nomination, I didn’t think twice about the incident, but I didn’t realize how much it hurt her until I saw a clip of her struggling to contain her tears on the couch. This isn’t just the story of Taylor Swift; this is the story of the superstars that we judge, even though we don’t truly know who they are.

“Miss Americana” documents the story of someone discovering herself and her opinions while being influenced by a world that wants her to be perfect. Just like how Taylor Swift won’t be stepping out of the limelight anytime soon, “Miss Americana” won’t be leaving Netflix for a long time, profoundly impacting everyone who watches the empowering documentary.