Dad’s Strong Message to Men Criticizing Taylor Swift Goes Viral for All the Right Reasons

The overall public perception of Taylor Swift may be a lot more positive than it was a few years ago, but, unfortunately, there will probably always be a selection of “Dads, Chads and Brads” who don’t know how to bite their tongues.

Now, one dad is speaking out against those critics—specifically, the ones who seem to hate her for nothing more than “existing”—for the poor example it sets for young girls. The vitriol has grown ever since she went public with her relationship with Travis Kelce in Sept. 2023, with football fans accusing her of “ruining” the game by distracting both players and fans.

Robert People, a retired military journalist, author and father, recently went viral on TikTok when he called out the “ridiculous hate” that he sees come mostly from “grown men.”

“Keep in mind, Taylor Swift’s not gonna see or hear any of that,” he pointed out. “But you know who will? Your daughters.” People suggested that that kind of commentary would “encourage your daughters to shrink themselves” and “reduce who they are” to avoid getting ” a whole lot of hate from not only the world, but from people just like you: their own parents,” just for being themselves.

Many adult women thanked the dad for speaking out.

“You made this grown woman cry, sir! 🥰 Thank you for this, the world needs more humans like you in it,” one wrote.

“Thank you for this. We are made to feel silly constantly and it’s paramount to have people around who validate and encourage! 👏,” another said.

In a new interview with Today.com, he elaborated on the impact that that kind of thought process can have on girls who look up to the “Fearless” songstress, like his 16-year-old daughter.

“My daughter watches football with me and pays attention to everything I do,” he told the publication, noting that complaints about her doing something as simple as attending a football game to support her boyfriend can translate to, “Everything that Taylor Swift is, I can’t be,” for young fans.

It can also affect girls who are interested in sports, leading them to question if they “really belong here” in a space traditionally dominated by men.

On the flip side, People pointed out in a follow-up video that young boys will see the way their fathers speak about female celebrities, too, and use it as the road map for their own futures and the way they’ll speak about women.

“If you don’t know much about her, then don’t say anything. She’s a human being and people reduce her humanity,” People told the outlet.

Luckily, there are plenty of dads out there who are thrilled to see their daughters developing an interest in the NFL thanks to Swift’s involvement—so much so that Vivid Seats is offering up a pair of Super Bowl tickets to one father-daughter duo that has bonded over Chiefs games these last few months.