My Thoughts on ‘Miss Americana’

I recently shared my thoughts on ‘Folklore‘ by Taylor Swift, and I thought it was time to share my thoughts on ‘Miss Americana’, Taylor’s documentary all about her life in the limelight and her experiences, both as a singer-songwriter, and as a young woman navigating her way in the world.

I watched this documentary a few months ago, but I forgot to write down all my thoughts. I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan- and this documentary is no exception. I loved it so much, and I actually re-watched it the other day.

A still from 'Miss Americana'. Taylor Swift stands in a lift with a glittery outfit on.
Picture credits here

I’ve always admired Taylor Swift as a singer and a song-writer, and this documentary really lets the viewer explore Taylor’s “process” as she thinks of an idea, and starts writing her lyrics down on paper. As a fan, I loved watching this process, getting a snapshot view of what goes into her writing and her music. It’s clearly a lot of hard work, and I loved seeing how her tracks took shape, forming fantastic albums.

While she writes a lot of the lyrics herself, I love how Taylor shows the other people involved in the song-making progress- she gives the impression that her music is about more than just her story, and she shows the various people who support and advise her- including her mum, her friends, and song-writers.

Taylor Swift and her best friend make tea together in her friend's kitchen.
Picture credits here

I also really liked how the documentary showed how Taylor’s experiences in life had a direct effect on her music. You can really see the progression she’s made as an artist when watching this documentary- and the various life experiences that sparked the changing pace of her music.

Whether a particular song comes across as angry, loving, or deeply sad- there’s always an inspiration behind the path her music takes. As she says on the documentary- a lot of her fans can relate to these feelings too- especially those that have followed her as she’s grown up, and followed this musical progression throughout her career so far.

Taylor Swift performs on the stage for her fans, wearing a brown glittery dress and boots.
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I loved how Taylor addressed the ridiculous beauty standards set for women by society. She speaks primarily about her experiences with fat-shaming, body image, and eating disorders, but she also talks about how she feels she must always be “perfect“- with society setting standards that all women fail to live up to.

I thought it was interesting to see how she reacted to all the hate thrown her way, and the viewer can see just how much it has affected her over the years. It’s clear from the documentary that throughout her career Taylor has been on a very personal (and often difficult) journey, especially considering issues such as her sexual harassment law suit, and the hate she’s received for just about everything she’s done.

Taylor Swift prepares to go on stage and adjusts her microphone.
Picture credits here

I loved watching Taylor’s political involvement during this documentary, as well as her role in the Pride movement. Before watching this, I didn’t really know much about her involvement in American politics, or the great lengths she had to go to in order to actually speak out and move on from her “good girl” country roots. This was a really interesting development to watch- and it’s amazing the influence a big celebrity can have on issues such as voting registration- even if things didn’t quite go as she wanted.

The logo and advertisement for the documentary 'Miss Americana'.
Picture credits here

Overall this is a fantastic documentary, and I loved watching the clips of Taylor Swift performing, the scenes of Taylor writing lyrics for the first time, and the touching experiences between Taylor and her friends and family. I think this is a great watch for any fan of Taylor Swift- but her expression of what it’s like to be a young woman in today’s society and all the anger, and love, and fear, and hope she expresses makes it a great watch for anyone.

What are your thoughts on ‘Miss Americana’? What’s your favourite song by Taylor Swift? Are there any singers you’d like to see a documentary about?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Happy reading x

35 thoughts

  1. I’m so conflicted about Taylor Swift. On the one hand I love her, but on the other hand I wish she wouldn’t try to jump into the political arena. Encourage people to vote, get out the word about important issues that she wants people to learn about, but I’d rather not hear her political opinions from her (or any other entertainers). I go to music and movies and tv to get away from political stuff so to have that be interrupted by someone’s politics really makes me shy away from searching out their work.

    Anyway, great post! I definitely did learn a lot about her in this post and by watching the documentary.

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    1. I understand your thoughts on entertainers trying to put themselves into politics, and I definitely go for escapism too! I think after watching the documentary, I understand more why Taylor Swift got involved with politics and social issues, and it was empowering to see her find her voice in issues such as gay and women’s rights. Thank you for sharing your thoughts 🙂

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    2. I do agree with you about escaping from current situation by listening to music and watching movies. But it is important for people like Taylor Swift to use their platform to promote campaign like “VOTE”. In this day and age it is so important for everyone to use their voice to make sure we elect better world leaders
      💕💕 xxx

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  3. I haven’t seen this documentary before. I’m not anti-Taylor Swift, but I’m also not a huge follower of hers. That being said, I do love learning about what goes on behind the scenes for artists. I am a musician myself and the process that goes into it is so unique and different from person to person. I might have to check it out just for that aspect.

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  7. People hate her because she didn’t have scandals, so they made a big deal on her dating life. She’s a really great songwriter even if people “hate” her 🙄 they can’t deny that she’s a great songwriter and had great impact on pop culture. I love how the documentary didn’t focus on making her look like a victim but it focused more on how she cope with everything and how she focused on her music, and how she found her voice on issues. The documentary was really well crafted.

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  8. I loved Miss Americana! Like you, I’ve seen it twice! What struck me the most is that she’s more willing to speak up about political issues at the risk of alienating some of her fans. Though seeing her dejected when her efforts fell flat was a low point for me. Nevertheless, great documentary, and I am glad that you revived it by talking about it now!

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    1. Yes I agree, seeing her transformation from a “good girl” to more politically visible was interesting to watch 🙂 thank you- I should have posted when it first came out but I completely forgot! x

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    1. Thats fair enough, her style and music has changed a fair bit since she first started 🙂 I’ve always loved her stuff- even though I agree it’s now a lot different from her country roots! Thanks for sharing, let me know if you enjoy it x

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  10. I loved Miss Americana! I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan anyway, and if anything the documentary made me love her even more. I loved the scenes showing her songwriting process and I liked how it didn’t shy away from showing her more vulnerable side too, like when she found out Reputation was snubbed for the Grammy nominees and the whole beef with Kanye. Also loved how her cats featured a fair bit! 😂 😍 X x

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  12. I’ll have to give this a watch. I’m not a huge fan of hers as such, however, her interest in politics and what impacts everyone has piqued my interest. Those who say celebrities should stay out of politics of not voice their opinions on it are missing the point that politics is in every facet of our lives — including music and entertainment, which has always been a politizied industry anyway. Really interesting post!

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  14. Everything you wrote was basically what I thought while I watched the documentary! I was so excited when it came out and it’s easily one of my favorite documentaries of all time. I adore Taylor Swift and it was just the greatest inside perspective on her life and her work over the years. So glad to read this!

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  16. I have to watch this now! I really enjoy Taylor’s music and I love a good documentary about musicians. I love seeing the songwriting process and getting behind the scenes. Can’t wait to check this out!

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