Kaitlin's Rant, Today's Topic: Double Standards

Today Taylor Swift's album, "1989" was released and she has been all over the news and every social media platform. I am a huge Taylor Swift fan, I think she's very talented, and her lyrics speak to me and almost every other girl in the universe. Now you're probably wondering what does Taylor Swift have to do with a rant about double standards? Well how many times have you heard someone say "oh she's such a slut" or "I hate that skank"? I've heard it one too many times and I'm fed up.
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Taylor is 24 years old and of course she's dated several men. That's not surprising at all, in fact that's normal in today's society. But still people feel the need to label her as a skank or a slut. Now why does Taylor get so much flak? Because she's a celebrity! It's her job to write a song about a boy she's dated or had a crush on. She gets paid millions to do so, that's how she makes her money. Now how many boyfriends have there been since she has become famous? Let's count.

First there's Joe Jonas, who dumped Taylor over the phone so he could date Camilla Belle, jerk. Yes I am still bitter about this. But then again he, well Camilla inspired one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs, "Better Than Revenge." Then there was Taylor Lautner, they met on the set of Valentine's Day, and the song "Back to December" (another great song) is allegedly about her break up with Lautner. Now this next boy really broke Taylor's heart, good old John Mayer. He has inspired several of her songs, which makes sense because they were together for over a year. Since bad boy John Mayer, Taylor dated Jake Gyllenhaal who pulled a Joe Jonas and dumped her via text. He has inspired many of Taylor's songs off of her cd 'Red'. Now the next boyfriend was not an older bad boy like the two previous boys Taylor dated. Next was good old Conor Kennedy, ah a Kennedy, I really thought Taylor found love there but sadly that ended. Now I consider Conor to be Taylor's last boyfriend, but some people consider Harry Styles to be Taylor's last boyfriend. I'm convinced that was just a PR stunt, but then again I could be wrong, so he shall be counted so my credibility won't be ruined.

Alright so if we add that up we have a total of six boyfriends between 2008-2013. Six boyfriends within five years, personally I don't think that's makes her a "skank". Then again how does one define "skank"? Skank is defined by Merriam-Webster as a person and especially a woman of low or sleazy character. Now is Taylor Swift a skank? Personally, I don't believe so but others are sure to disagree. Now let's take a look at some male celebrities who were known to date a lot.

First there's Adam Levine, he dated lots of pretty models and actresses before settling down. He admitted to Fox News he was promiscuous and a bimbo. Was Adam Levine ever called the male equivalent of a skank? Probably not. Gerard Butler, was another infamous womanizer back in the day. He has been connected to Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, Naomi Campbell, Madalina Ghenea, Angelia Jolie and Brandi Glanville. In an article by British tabloid Daily Mail, Butler is asked about being called a sex symbol and admitted it helped his ego. Even well loved Derek Jeter had been quite the player off the field, back in day. He dated Miss Universe Lara Dutta, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Minnillo, Jordana Brewster, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Adriana Lima and Minka Kelly. The amount of women he dated never tarnished his reputation, in fact no one can say one bad thing about Derek Jeter.

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One of the most famous womanizers in Hollywood is Taylor Swift's ex-boyfriend, John Mayer. Before Taylor he dated Minka Kelly, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jennifer Aniston, and Jessica Simpson, just to name a few. Then after Taylor, John decided to settle down with Katy Perry for a bit. Now was John called a skank? No, but he was called a douchebag, but that probably wasn't because of all the women he dated. It was most likely for all the rude things he has said, for example telling Playboy all the details about his and Jessica Simpson's sex life and when he called his dick "a white supremacist" when asked if he would be with a black woman.

From what I've noticed in our society, if a man dates a lot of women, he's considered to be a sex symbol and stud. But if a woman dates a lot of men, that makes her a skank or a slut. This double standard has been around for centuries and by the looks of it, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. Women are slut shamed on a daily basis by both men and women. That doesn't happen so much with men. How can we live in a society where both women and men shame women for dating several men, but when a man dates several women, they're a stud. Will we ever live in a world where men and women will treat and view each other equally? I sure hope so.