On Nov. 24, 2019, the American Music Awards honored Taylor Swift as Artist of the Decade, establishing her place in music history as a global icon. Her journey to stardom, however, has not been an easy one: the last ten years were marred by stalkers, celebrity attacks, incessant paparazzi, Grammy snubs, and the constant need to reinvent herself. In order to tell her own story, Swift released a personal documentary titled

Miss Americana

on Netflix on Friday, Jan. 31. The documentary serves as a magnifying glass for Swift’s personal life, elaborating on her political awakening, mental health battles, eating disorder, sexual assault case, family health scares, and song writing process. The household name that everyone has come to love or hate speaks her truth in an 86 minute tell-all.

“My entire moral code as a kid, and now, is a need to be thought of as good” is one of the documentary’s opening lines. Swift explains this was a “belief system” she subscribed to that she has spent years trying to deconstruct. The effort of maintaining a “good girl” image isolated the star. She says, “When you’re living for the approval of strangers, and that’s where you derive all of your joy and fulfillment, one bad thing can cause everything in your life to crumble.” The “one thing” that Swift describes was that infamous moment at the 2009 VMAs where Kanye West interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech for “Best Female Video.” Swift, at 19, was just getting her career off the ground, and was the youngest person ever to write and perform a №1 country song.

While the media leapt to Swift’s defense, along with President Obama labeling West a “jacka**,” Swift called this event a “catalyst for a lot of psychological paths that [she] went down, and not all of them were beneficial.” Swift opening up about this pivotal moment in her life is what makes the film so great. A recurring theme of vulnerability is apparent within the latest work of stars like Selena Gomez, Demi Lavato, Billie Eillish, and Miley Cyrus, who is expected to release an album later this year. However, Swift has risen above all of them with this documentary, providing fans with a first-hand look at her emotional breakthroughs and development as an artist.

Following the incident with West, the psychological path Swift went down was one to continue to prove herself in the music industry. To do so, she decided to change her genre of music from country to pop, and she did so with great success. She won her second Album of the Year award at the Grammys for

1989

, her first all-pop album, and it became her fourth consecutive album to spend six weeks at №1. But despite the success, she was left with the question of “What now?” It was an isolating experience, especially when the only person she could call was her mom. Her mother, Andrea Swift, is a breast cancer survivor and is currently battling brain cancer. As Swift’s best friend, viewers meet Andrea and her giant dalmatian during an intimate plane ride, where we learn of the value she places on maintaining close relationships with family and friends. The documentary’s inclusion of Swift’s friends and family brings an even more relatable side to Swift who viewers learn is held together by their strength.

Testing this strength was the incessant media and paparazzi. Swift was labeled as “too skinny,” “too annoying,” and “going through guys like a train” Swift faced a toxic double standard which the films highlights with a shocking compilation of headlines. This is all followed by a montage of clips about Kanye West’s 2016 song “Famous”. In the song, West claims in a lyric that he made Swift famous after he took the VMAs mic from her in 2009, despite her having already made a name for herself with her record breaking №1 hit “Our Song,” a Best New Artist nomination at the 2008 Grammys, and a 2009 win for AMA Artist of the Year. Swift’s justifiable frustration over the song led to a controversy that took the nation by storm. West and wife Kim Kardashian provided footage of Swift “approving” of the lyric inclusion which called her a “b*tch,” footage which was seen as a stretch by many in the media. Other members of the media said Swift, through this attack, played the victim and was a “liar” and “fake.” #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty trended on Twitter, causing her to “disappear” for a year, something Swift thought people wanted.

On came her 2017 album

Reputation

. She crafted the album during this year where no one physically saw her. She claims she “felt really alone, really bitter, and like a wounded animal lashing out.” The album represented a powerful example of Swift retaking her place in the music industry and demanding respect. However, the album was snubbed at the 2018 Grammys, despite being the best-selling album of the year and Swift being the highest ranking artist of the year according to Billboard. Heartbroken, she claimed she just needed to “make a better record.”

With a new album immediately in the works, Taylor also wanted to speak up about the importance of the 2018 midterm elections. Tired of people telling her no, along with her victory in her “dehumanizing” sexual harassment case, Swift said she couldn’t stop thinking that “next time there is any opportunity to change anything, you’d better know what you stand for and what you want to say.” The assault case especially spurred Swift to act, because she knew similar cases were going on with hundreds or thousands of other women across the world, women who maybe weren’t “believed” like she was. The moment where she lets the viewer in to her thoughts on the case is the most gripping part of the film. The decision for Swift to break her silence politically was also difficult for her, as viewers are let in on an intense family disagreement on her speaking out against “homophobic” and “racist” Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

Unable to sway the election against Sen. Blackburn, Swift was still able to secure 65,000 new voter registrations in just 24 hours. With this documentary, Swift released new single “Only The Young,” an uplifting anthem about the future of our youth and the power they have in politics to change society for the better. In her new album Lover, specifically during the music video for the song “You Need To Calm Down,” she also championed the Equality Act alongside LGBT icons and popstar Katy Perry. Swift claims that it “feels really good not to be muzzled anymore… I’ve educated myself now and it’s time to take the masking tape off of my mouth… forever.” The video for “You Need to Calm Down” won a VMA, and in her acceptance speech Swift triumphantly asked people to sign the petition for the Equality Act and inquired about the response from the White House regarding the petition, since it already had five times the signatures it needed to gain the President’s attention.

Towards the end of the film, Swift gives a scathing monologue about the way women are treated in the music industry, a chilling but true reality. She omits that this is probably one of her last opportunities to take advantage of the kind of success she has had over the past decade, so she wants to make a point musically. This new mission for Swift proves yet again why she will go down as one of the greatest artists in history. Her ability to grow as an influencer and artist makes her the perfect role model and voice for our generation. Swift wants to “wear glitter and stand up for the double standards in society. [She wants] to wear pink and tell you about politics.”

With

Lover

out, she says “there is nothing better than this moment… after thirteen years of constantly feeling like I was misunderstood, knowing that everything that happened was all going to turn into this moment is f***ing awesome.”

Miss Americana

proves that the new, vulnerable, and politically savvy Taylor Swift is just getting started. She passionately concludes that she “wants to still have a sharp pen, a thin skin and an open heart… [but she’s] ready for combat.”