She’s a feminist icon to generations of women around the world, so Taylor Swift’s response to Harrison Butker‘s controversial speech was subtle but meaningful. The Kansas City Chiefs kicker, Travis Kelce’s teammate, said that women had been told “diabolical lies” and that “homemaker” is the “most important” role a woman can play in society.
His speech took place on May 11, 2024, at Benedictine College—a Catholic liberal arts college in Kansas—and he actually had the audacity to reference Swift in his speech, quoting her song “Bejewelled”: “As my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘familiarity breeds contempt’” among other attacks on abortion, contraception, IVF, and accused world leaders of “pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America.”
The day after Butker delivered his speech, Swift dedicated an Instagram post to “the new Tortured Poets section of the Eras Tour (aka Female Rage The Musical!)”. Swift has been an advocate for equality and an ally to the LGBTQ+ community so it’s safe to say his values do not align with hers.
Fans too have taken to the Chief’s Instagram account in response to Butker’s comments. When sharing the team’s schedule for the upcoming football season, the comments section was flooded with satirical observations. “My husband doesn’t let me watch TV, he says it gives me ideas,” wrote one. “sorry i can’t watch, i’ll miss my fertile window,” said another.
Others weren’t so apologetic. “Imagine capitalizing on Taylor F-ing Swift all season and then letting Butker talk shit about successful career-driven women. How dare you USE WOMEN all season and then turn your backs on us so blatantly….” Another expressed a similar sentiment: “A woman brought in an additional $331.5 million dollars for you and you can’t make a statement???” making reference to Swift’s attendance at Chief’s games over the 2023 season.
Indeed, the Kansas City Chiefs have not made a statement in response to Butker’s speech. The team’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes gave a pretty lacklustre response to questions about it. “There’s certain things that he said that I don’t necessarily agree with, but I understand the person that he is and he is trying to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction,” Mahomes told reporters.
“And that might not be the same values as I have, but at the same time, I’m going to judge him by the character that he shows every single day. That’s a great person and we’ll continue to move along and try to help build each other up to make ourselves better every single day.”
The NFL distanced itself from Butker’s comments, saying in a statement: “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization,” the league’s chief diversity officer, Jonathan Beane, said. “The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
