#swiftieracism begins trending on X after Taylor Swift fans hurl racist abuse at Beyoncé
It’s been roughly three days since it was reported that Beyoncé beat Taylor Swift to end up being crowned Billboard’s greatest pop-star of the 21st century and X (formerly Twitter) already has beef… No surprise there. The announcement sparked significant backlash from Swifties, who felt like their idol had been snubbed and their response was less than unsavoury. So after an avalanche of racist and insensitive tweets, #swiftieracism started trending on the platform.
Of course, Billboard was placed in the hot seat, having to make the call on a very close race here. Both women have accomplished things that are literally historic. For starters, the music and entertainment magazine praised Swift for “gravitationally bending culture to her will,” and transitioning from her country roots to becoming one of the most iconic pop stars of all time. Swift ended up outranking Rihanna (place three), Drake (place four), Britney Spears (place six), and Ariana Grande (place nine), but the publications ultimately had to give the title to queen Bey.
Once Beyoncé’s impressive track record of a historic 99 Grammy nominations and the most Grammy wins ever came into play, it was undeniable that her impact, which can be measured in gold as well as the confidence and motivation she inspired across two generations of Black and Brown women, outranked Swift’s.
Yet, some Swifties resorted to calling the announcement a “minority handout” and propelled #BillboardIsOverParty to viral heights. This hashtag originally started to gain traction after it was discovered that Billboard included a video excerpt from Kanye West’s song ‘Famous’ in its retrospect of the artist. It infamously features a naked Taylor Swift lookalike wax doll in bed next to West, a move that has been branded as offensive, misogynistic, and akin to revenge porn by Swift’s fanbase. And rightfully so, if you ask me.
However, after a while, the hashtag was co-opted by vengeful Swifties who used it to air their grievances over Billboard’s decision to move Swift to second place in the runoff for greatest pop star of the 21st century.
A select few fans even adapted racial slurs such as “beymonkey” and “beyn*gga” to tarnish and degrade Beyoncé.
Actually insane Taylor didn’t win… like she’s literally the most talked about artist ever and has been on a record-breaking tour, that even in movie format, outsold everyone else…. ?? https://t.co/VQYH3ViJpJ
— Julia 💫 🇨🇦 (@ShookBySwift13) November 26, 2024
#swiftieracism thread of racism from the swifties
— 16 derringers (@shouniai) November 28, 2024
And once the mud-slinging started, there was no end or limit to the racialised misogyny the fandom was willing to subject Beyoncé to.
TW // RACISM, PEDOPHILIA & INCEST
This is probably one of the most disgusting things I have read on Beyoncé’s internet. Swifties are SICK!!!#swiftieracism pic.twitter.com/WewIpVuaLt
— ShayFobic (@bbeyfobic) November 29, 2024
Anytime a Swiftie is called out on their racism, they always use the same tired excuse of it being “setup accounts.”
Notice they never denounce the racism or voice disgust of it. It’s always “it’s a set up.” The gaslighting is over. Swifties are RACISTS. #swiftieracism https://t.co/dpslYv49KL pic.twitter.com/eJ1waSiCPE
— Lovely2BMe (@Lovely2BMe81) November 29, 2024
Anytime a Swiftie is called out on their racism, they always use the same tired excuse of it being “setup accounts.”
Notice they never denounce the racism or voice disgust of it. It’s always “it’s a set up.” The gaslighting is over. Swifties are RACISTS. #swiftieracism https://t.co/dpslYv49KL pic.twitter.com/eJ1waSiCPE
— Lovely2BMe (@Lovely2BMe81) November 29, 2024
“This is like Trump winning over Kamala… I’m sorry Taylor,” one Swift supporter joked. “Jay-Z paycheck impact,” someone else commented.
Of course, the Beyhive was having none of this and was supported by many other users who were appalled at the display of racism and misogyny. So it didn’t take long until the hashtag ‘Swifties racism’ started trending, under which X users called out and responded to the egregious responses they witnessed.
me hyping up all the posts spreading awareness about #swiftieracism bc of course this is happening im not surprised one bit. pic.twitter.com/IsvxWL5Z9Q
— tyler, the hater (@dramathecreator) November 28, 2024
Swiftie talking about Feminism and sorority? #swiftieracism https://t.co/u899KRDinh pic.twitter.com/9lVEi9qN8V
— Beus 𐚁🪩🎸 (@renascido1981) November 28, 2024
The swifties racism is FINALLY being exposed and all it took was a fucking list IJBOLLLLLL. Can’t wait till this makes news outlets #swiftieracism pic.twitter.com/jaHGJHlMq3
— 𝔖𝔱𝔢𝔭𝔥 𐚁 ᴺᴹ (@negressvelaryon) November 29, 2024
Neither Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, or Billboard have commented on the ongoing debates.
