Who’s scared of Taylor Swift's fans?
Paste Magazine recently dropped a critical review of “The Tortured Poets Department,” Taylor Swift’s latest album, without revealing the author's name for safety reasons. Back in 2019, when Paste reviewed “Lover,” the writer faced violent threats from readers who disagreed with the review. The magazine tweeted, "We care more about the safety of our staff than a name attached to an article."
Released last Friday, "The Tortured Poets Department" has garnered mostly positive reviews, with Rolling Stone praising its "adult heartbreak" and hailing it as Swift’s "most personal album yet." However, The New York Times suggested that Swift "could use an editor."
Paste’s review was particularly harsh, accusing Swift of “infantilizing” her fans. It criticized the album's lyrics as "irredeemable" and "relentlessly cringe," sarcastically asking, "This is your songwriter of the century? Open the schools."
After the review's release, a writer unaffiliated with the review shared screenshots of disparaging messages from Swifties who mistakenly believed she wrote the review.
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