It’s time to call out violent misogyny for what it is

I have patiently watched on as her billion-dollar baby took Australia and Europe by storm and now it’s my turn to see what all the fuss is about. If you had told me a year ago that I would be preparing to queue outside Wembley Stadium for Taylor Swift merchandise at nine o’clock in the morning, or that I’d be travelling to London solely to see her perform, I would have laughed – but alas, here we are.

What’s arguably most special about the Eras Tour is the uniquely feminine experience that has been born from it, cementing it firmly as the modern girlhood experience of all girlhood experiences.

The unparalleled joy it has brought in particular to women and girls on its journey across the world has been a sight to behold – and as a woman it has been beautiful to both watch and, finally, partake in. Though that joy has been robbed in recent weeks by the never-ending scourge that is male violence.

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Just two weeks ago, a Swift-themed dance class was targeted in a knife attack that claimed the lives of three young girls and critically injured another 10 people, both children and adults, in Southport.

Last week Swift was forced to cancel her three consecutive nights in Vienna after a terror plot was uncovered by authorities that would have seen teenage boys using knives and homemade explosives to “kill as many people as possible.” By people of course, they meant women and girls. It is not a coincidence that this space is being targeted by angry men with weapons and deadly intent.

The Eras Tour is a primarily feminine space. It has been co-opted organically by women and girls across the world who have come together to revel in their commonalities with one another.

They have spent hours, days and even weeks hand-beading friendship bracelets to give to complete strangers when they join together in their shared love of Swift and her music – even if there is nothing else whatsoever that unites them.

(Image: PA)

I’m not for a second suggesting that men and boys do not find any joy in Swift. I have personally witnessed male participation in it, in queues for merchandise amongst other places.

But Swift’s core fanbase consists primarily of women and girls – and it isn’t an accident.

At the very heart of her appeal is her ability to craft songs that resonate with the lived experiences of that demographic. Her lyrics often explore relatable themes and offer an empowerment that transcends generations.

In fact, it was for this reason that I myself began to take an interest after finding myself resonating with her mammoth 2024 release The Tortured Poets Department.

The sense of emotional authenticity she offers her fans has created an environment of shared experience and vulnerability, which has allowed raw connections amongst her fanbase to flourish.

And violent men are enraged by it.

Swift herself is a prime target for misogynistic men. She is an outspoken and successful young woman – reason alone for them to target her of course, but she is often found with her head above the parapet on issues related to gender equality and specifically in resistance to industry norms that exploit female artists.

And they can’t stand it. Attacks on her concerts can, relatively clearly, be seen as an attempt to undermine her influence and by extension, disempower the women and girls who look up to her and revel in the space that she has cultivated.

The truth is that this runs deeper than terrorism, as has frustratingly taken most of the focus as events over the last couple of weeks have unfolded. It is a male revolt against pure feminine joy. It is a war primarily on women and girls – at the hands of men – and it’s infuriating that it isn’t being explicitly labelled as such.

When thugs terrorised the streets of Britain in the name of the Southport victims, it wasn’t once in the name of women and girls – but it is us who are ultimately those with targets on our backs.

(Image: Chris Furlong)

We have long been targets, and the creation of the cultural experience that is the Eras Tour has just presented a fresh opportunity for male violence to escalate.

These outbursts are not even solely about Swift or her fanbase, they are a direct attack on the very notion of female empowerment and the progress women have made towards gender equality. It is an attack on every one of us, whether we like Swift or not.

Women’s spaces, whether physical, digital or cultural have always been under siege by misogynistic men – and undoubtedly owing to a rise in far-right narratives and the legitimisation and consumption of hyper-misogynistic characters like Andrew Tate – it’s getting worse.

This was proven again by a report published this week that showed violent crimes against women on trains have increased by more than 50% in the UK – 11,357 crimes were perpetrated against women and girls on trains alone in 2023.

Instead of standing around looking bewildered every time one of these horrific statistics is published as if the evidence isn’t staring us plainly in the face, perhaps it is time for some genuine reflection on the uncomfortable truth – we have a serious problem with misogyny and the online radicalisation of young men against women and girls.

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We have a responsibility to call this violence out for what it is – gendered. For as long as misogynistic crimes are referenced as anything other than what they are, we are allowing the culture that cultivates them to continue on unchallenged – where it will fester and breed.

Terrorism might be a more shocking headline, and it might turn more heads than misogyny does, but pretending that these recent attacks on expressions of female joy are anything other than cold, hard misogyny is a crime in itself.