It is almost impossible to have not heard about the new “it couple” of pop culture — Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. A surprising pairing, Swift, a 14-time Grammy-winning artist, and Kelce, one of the best tight ends in history, have captured the hearts and minds of millions. However, it has not all been rainbows and unicorns; there has been backlash against the couple, or more specifically, against half of the couple.

Swift has angered many NFL-loving men by showing up at Chiefs games and cheering him on. Their claimed reasoning is that she is taking the attention away from the game and therefore making the Chiefs worse. The real reasoning? Fragile masculinity and misogynistic thinking. 

There have been rumors regarding Swift and Kelce’s relationship since July 2023, and Swift was seen at her first Chiefs game on Sept. 24. Since then, they have been much more open with their relationship, causing both love and hate to be sent their way. They have spent the last four and a half months constantly showing up for one another, though only one of them receives scrutiny for doing so. It should not surprise anyone that it is, as always, the woman receiving said scrutiny.

When Swift attends Chiefs games, she is seen as a distraction, self-centered and taking up too much screen time. When Kelce traveled to Argentina to attend The Eras Tour, he was the most supportive and adorable boyfriend ever. This is one of the most prominent double standards in society today, as well as embarrassing for the sheer amount of football-loving men who are shining a light on their fragile masculinity. 

Both Swift and Kelce are incredibly successful people who are used to being in the spotlight. It is inevitable for two famous people starting a new relationship to be the center of attention, but it is ridiculous to hate on one’s support and adore the other’s.

Not only is Swift hated for her relationship with a football player, but her fan base is also condemned for being “obsessed” with the artist. On the other hand, football fans are “dedicated” when they show their support. This is yet another example of the stark hypocrisy surrounding pop culture; even fans of female celebrities cannot catch a break.

In her Person of the Year interview for Time, Swift addressed the hate she gets regarding her attendance at the Chiefs games, saying “I’m just there to support Travis. I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.” 

While this answer probably did offend said dads, Brads and Chads, it was a clear indication that she is simply there to support Kelce. 

Swift has been the victim of misogynistic hate for years now, specifically because of her songwriting. After releasing almost all of her albums, Swift has received comments saying that she only writes about breakups. However, you never see artists like Morgan Wallen being on the receiving end of hate due to the topics of his songs. Wallen is grieving a relationship and has every right to sing about it, but Swift is desperate and needs to get over herself and her past relationships. This logic makes no sense; you would think people would be more likely to hate Wallen due to his use of racial slurs, but apparently that is easily overlooked. Swift singing about breakups and being at football games, on the other hand? Inexcusable.

None of this is to say that even the most popular of people should not be held accountable; nobody is perfect, and Swift is no exception. However, people need to learn what a valid reason to not be fond of someone is, such as not using her huge platform to speak up about present day issues, and what is just plain absurd, such as supporting her boyfriend. 

It is extremely outdated and embarrassing at this point to be so adamantly hating Taylor Swift and wasting your breath trying to convince other people to do so as well, especially for something as inconsequential as going to a football game. It probably takes a fair amount of someone’s day to hate someone this much and broadcast it to the world, which poses quite the question: are her fans really the ones obsessed with her?