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A debate about Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and babydoll dresses has erupted into toral chaos on social media.
And as usual, the Swifties are not holding back in their efforts to defend their queen.
But does Taylor really need to be defended in this situation? We’ll present the facts and let you be the judge.
The trouble began when Olivia performed in Spain last week.
She sported a babydoll dress for the performance, and several social media critics alleged that Olivia was infantilizing herself in an off-putting manner.
Earlier this week, Vogue published an article by columnist Hannah Jackson, who wrote that the babydoll is a current hot trend among pop stars.
As an example, Jackson used a photo of Taylor rocking “a breezy black crepe Michele-designed Valentino babydoll dress with a silver-sequined bust.”
“Swift is hardly the only pop star to embrace the babydoll dress this week. On Friday, Olivia Rodrigo teased her forthcoming album in Barcelona, dressed in a pink ditsy floral peasant-sleeved minidress and matching bloomers,” she wrote.
The article noted that “Rodrigo went for a punkier look, styling her babydoll dress with knee-high Doc Martens.”
“Rodrigo caught some flak for her outfit, with some fans calling the look infantilizing,” Jackson acknowledged.
From there, Jackson explained the babydoll has a place in music history as a favored look for grunge goddesses like Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland.
“I just remember being younger and having pictures of Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland from all these riot grrrl punk bands in their babydoll dresses, just owning it,” Olivia is quoted as saying in the piece.
So what’s the problem?
Well, Swifties are convinced that Vogue ran the babydoll piece as a PR favor to Olivia.
They believe that Taylor was unfairly roped into the controversy as evidence in support of Olivia.
And since Taylor and Olivia are rumored to be feuding, Swifties believe that Vogue is guilty of a grave injustice here.
They’re so angry that some Swiftie accounts are attempting to organize a harassment campaign against Vogue and Jackson.
One account even noted that Jackson has made her Instagram private in response to the online bullying. The same account then posted a link to Jackson’s Threads account so that the harassment could continue there.
Needless to say, this is not the stuff of normal pop star fandom. And while it’s only a small percentage of Swifties who are engaging in and advocating for this kind of behavior, it’s more than enough people to create a serious problem.
