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Time magazine has named Taylor Swift its “Person of the Year.”
Every year, Time chooses an individual, group or concept that has had a strong influence on the world — for good or bad — to receive the distinction. This year, it’s Swift’s turn.
“It’s hard to see history when you’re in the middle of it, harder still to distinguish Swift’s impact on the culture from her celebrity, which emits so much light it can be blinding,” Time magazine’s Sam Lansky wrote of Swift’s influence in the article. “If you’re skeptical, consider it: How many conversations did you have about Taylor Swift this year? How many times did you see a photo of her while scrolling on your phone? Were you one of the people who made a pilgrimage to a city where she played?”
Lansky further pointed to a number of Swift’s notable 2023 moments, including her much-publicized relationship with Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, her two chart-topping albums (which themselves were re-released “Taylor’s Versions” of previous material) and her record-breaking Eras Tour, which also spawned a record-breaking concert film.
Swift, objectively, is also one of the biggest entertainers in the world.
“I’ve been raised up and down the flagpole of public opinion so many times in the last 20 years,” Swift tells the magazine. “Ultimately, we can convolute it all we want, or try to overcomplicate it, but there’s only one question — ‘Are you not entertained?’”
Earlier this week, Time had announced a list of nine candidates up for the title. Others on the list included: Hollywood strikers; Chinese President Xi Jinping; CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman; Trump Prosecutors; Barbie; Russian President Vladimir Putin; King Charles III, and Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve since February 2018.
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