1. Is this a postmodern text?
Helena O’Keeffe
Taylor-swift.tumblr.com

2. Overview
• This is a blog dedicated to Taylor Swift. It was
created by fans and is contributed to and
discussed by many other fans.
• It contains many images of Taylor and also videos
and quotes.
• It aims to provide a collection of different media
texts that give a broad overview and show ‘what
she is like’.
• The likely audience for this text would be Taylor
Swift ‘fans’; these are typically teenage girls (11-
16).

4. What is postmodernism?
• Baudrillard: According to Baudrillard, postmodernity is an era of
hyper-reality. He suggests that images no longer refer to reality, but
are merely images of images. The world is now saturated with
images that disconnect us from reality.
• Lyotard: this theorist suggests that postmodernity is concerned
with a lack of faith in metanarratives. Particularly the metanarrative
of progress. He suggests that we decide upon our own truths and
morality, the world no longer holds a unified view. He would also
say that ‘science’ is another way of expressing opinion and is no
longer concerned with finding ‘truth’.
• Jameson: Jameson takes a negative view on postmodernism. He
suggests that postmodernity does not exist, it is more a state of late
capitalism. The postmodern style is produced by large companies to
ensure consumers keep buying and don’t question the world.

5. Features of postmodernism; Bricolage
• A patchwork of styles from a range of eras or genre.
Taylor Swifts ‘star image’ is a collection of styles from many different eras. She
models styles from the 40’s ‘flapper’ era to 50’s young sophistication. Displayed on
this fan site, we also see her move between the typical ‘country’ genre associated
with the star to a more ‘rock chic’ look.
This imitation of styles could also be described as pastiche; a copy of style/text with
little attempt to comment on the original.

6. Representation
In this picture, Baudrillard would say simulacra
occurs in the sense that Taylor Swift’s clothing
and style appears to be reminiscent of the 1950's
era, however the image does not represent a true
reality of this time. It is merely an image of what
this era is portrayed as, it is a representation of a
representation of a 1950’s woman. Swift doesn't
appear to be making any comments on the era
and so this is also a pastiche(Jameson). The text is
only concerned with the surface image, there is
no attempt to create meaning and so the image
both lacks depth, and focuses on surface over
content.
Barthes would argue that the audience create
their own meaning from this text, that in fact it
doesn’t matter what the artist intended, only
what the audience takes from it. Similarly, Lyotard
suggests that within postmodernity, we view the
world from our own experiences and so each
reader would take their own interpretation from
this text about how Swift is being represented.

7. Fragmented Identities
• The adoption of different roles and identities, often playful.
The fan site is primarily made up of different images
of the star. These all create a brand image. When
Taylor Swift first appeared on the music scene, she
had a clean cut, country genre, innocent young girl
image. As time has gone on, the star has become
more daring with her image and started
experimenting with different representations.
Not only does she do this through the fashion and
hairstyles she chooses, but through her music and
her actions too.
These are all portrayed through the media text,
revealing clearly the ‘play’ with images and identity.

8. Fragmented Identities
In one section of the site, Taylor is portrayed as a caring, loving
person. Many pictures show her visiting sick fans in hospital or
signing autographs for children. This creates a positive representation
of her and shows she is a good role model for the young girls that
look up to her. This is potentially a modernist feature as it creates a
deeper meaning and tries to push society forward by revealing a
strong message about caring for others. However Baudrillard may
argue that this is a simulcrum of ‘caring’ and the image is more
important than the content of it.
In contrast to this, the site represents Taylor in a sexually
objectified mannor. Typical of women in the media spotlight,
Swift is subject to the ‘male gaze’. This image makes no
attempt to create meaning, it is primarily concerned with the
surface image. The cowboy hat shows intertextuality as it
references images from the western genre, this could also be
described as pastiche(Jameson) as it makes no comment on
the image, it merely imitates it.

9. Fragmented Identities
In this image, Taylor Swift is representing herself as a simple, country
artist. The checked shirt is typical of the country genre, along with the
plaited hair and guitar. The image is concerned with surface over content,
it does not attempt to make a comment on the genre it is illustrating. This
also means that the image has a lack of depth. It illustrates clearly
Baudrillards idea that we can ‘play with signifiers’, the conventions of the
country genre have been adapted and glamourised to suit the overall
portrayal of her Star Image.
This image constructs a more daring, ‘rock chic’ appearance. The
change of hairstyle and clothing creates a completely different
representation of the Hollywood star. The combination of different
styles from different eras means that this image could be described as
bricolage. The image offers examples of different styles without
commenting upon them, the star is not attempting to create humour
from the replication and so the image is a pastiche. It is also heavily
concerned with surface over content and so presents a lack of depth.

10. Intertextuality
• The fan site is a large example of
intertextuality in itself.
• The blog is made up of references
to other texts and images, it is a
collection of anything to do with
the star.
• Many of the images are
‘borrowed’ from other media
texts such as blogs or music
videos.
• There are no further intertextual
links within the images that
appear in the text. This suggests
a low cultural capitalism as the
audience do not need a deeper
level of understanding to take
meaning from a text.

11. Representation
This media advert shows Taylor Swift promoting
‘Diet Coke’. Jameson would argue that this image
suggests a large ownership of products that work
together to encourage consumerism. He
suggests that the economic system cannot be
separated from postmodernism and in fact, the
postmodern style is created from the economic
system and consumer culture. Baudrillard might
say the image is a simulacrum of drinking diet
coke, it does not represent the true reality. He
might also suggest that this image promotes
ideas about consumer culture- by drinking diet
coke, you are saying something about your own
image or identity. It might provoke the idea that
drinking diet coke will make you more like Taylor
Swift, encouraging the target audience of
teenage girls to buy this product. In turn, it could
be said that they are buying their identity.

12. Lack of Depth
The fan site is made up of various images of Taylor Swift. Most of these convey
no meaning and offer no opportunity to push society forward or challenge
view points. They focus mainly on surface over content, concerning
themselves only with the aesthetics of the final image. In the image to the
right, it is clear that there is no deeper meaning to this image, this means it
could also be described as a pastiche(Jameson). Taylor Swift is copying the
styles and fashion of a previous era without attempting to comment upon it.
However; In other parts of the text, controversial arguments are offered
surrounding issues such as Sexism.
This presents the idea that the text may be of modernist tone. An argument
was written by the target audience and submitted to the site.
(http://pleaseimbeyonce.tumblr.com/post/41342769596/sexism-and-
taylor-swift)
It concerns itself with the representation and judgements of Taylor Swift as
an artist. It considers her personal life and the way it is viewed in the media
spotlight, the writer offers their own opinion on this.
‘The type of person she embodies, somehow seems to be INCOMPATIBLE
to what is socially accepted in our society.’
By challenging the viewpoints of many others and suggesting what is
morally right, the text is taking a modernist approach by attempting to push
society forward. This contradicts Lyotard’s theory that society no longer
moves in a unified way towards a moral goal. It could also be taken
however that this argument supports Lyotard’s theory; the writer is offering
their own view and creating their own truth and interpretation from the
media text.

13. Is this text Postmodern?
The fan site, taylor-swift.tumblr.com, presents many postmodern features. The site itself is a large
example of intertextuality as it is made up of images that have been taken from other media texts.
These range from images from other blogs, to magazine adverts, to video and television clips.
The text is concerned mainly with surface over content(Jameson), it makes no attempt to challenge
ideas or push society forward. This supports Lyotard’s theory that postmodernity has a lack of faith
in metanarratives, particularly the metanarrative of progress. This also suggests that there is a lack of
depth within the media text, there is no deeper meaning or underlying sense of purpose.
The text presents a wide range of identities that are fragmented, it allows Taylor Swift to play with
images and create different versions of herself. Again, Lyotard may suggest this shows she is creating
her own truth and not working towards a unified view. Baudrillard would say that this illustrates a
‘play with signifiers’ as Taylor Swift is not creating a true representation of herself. She is creating
many identities based on other images. This means that the
images are simulacra as they are not referring to reality.
So in conclusion, I think this text is postmodern. Although it
contains some elements of modernism (such as the sexism
argument), the main ideas and features within this fan site
strongly reflect postmodernism.