Is Taylor Swift A Bad Role Model for Healthy Attitudes?

Taylor’s at it again.  Last weekend she performed her recent breakup song “Never Ever Getting Back Together” at the Grammys and took a swipe at an ex.  This is one in a long line of send-offs inspired by the real-life heartbreak she’s become synonymous with.

Why does this happen to her so often?  I have a cynical theory - that her record label and handlers exaggerate what would typically be normal dating drama, reinforcing her image and making her songs much more personal and powerful.

But let’s say this is real and she always strikes out.  We all have friends who seem to be unlucky in love.  But how much of this is outside their control and how much is a self-fulfilling prophesy?  Taylor may be attracted to the wrong people, but if her history and music is any indication, she could be trapped in a viscous cycle, struggling to break out of it.

While this pattern sells plenty of records, there are a some issues with her message when it comes to a few widely-held health tenets:

Health Tenet #1: Importance of strong long term relationships, both romantic and non-romantic

Issue: Taylor’s music discourages or minimizes the value of these relationships and says it’s OK to be alone

Health Tenet #2: Importance of a sense of control on mental / physical health

Issue: Taylor’s songs often lay the blame of failed relationships on her partner, allowing her to play the victim and brush responsibility away from her

Health Tenet #3: Power of positive thinking and optimism

Issue: There’s an underlying pessimism in her songs and an ongoing narrative that she’ll never be able to find love or happiness

Maybe this is going too far – at the end of the day, Taylor’s just singing fluffy pop music targeted towards confused, hormonal teenagers.  But it does beg a larger question – what is the entertainment industry’s responsibility when it comes to health?  For every success story (e.g., Jennifer Hudson’s weight loss, Robert Downey Jr.’s success in rehab), we’re fed many more stories about celebrity failure and downfall.  These narratives may make us feel better about ourselves, but can reinforce negative attitudes and desensitize us to bad behavior. 

I give credit when the entertainment industry takes a more nuanced view of these issues (e.g., non-exploitive profiles on celebrity challenges and recovery), but this won’t be enough if performers like Taylor continue to be role models and send potentially harmful messages.  

What Is The Impact Of China’s Rapid Growth On Public Health?

I flew into Chicago last Thursday night and was greeted by this gorgeous sight:

It’s not the traditional skyline, but in some ways I find it even more breathtaking.  Beyond its beauty, what struck me most was the incredible planning and work that went into creating this city.  But at what price?

China is facing this exact dilemma, generating record levels of pollution that have engulfed several cities.  This issue was highlighted by several news outlets over the past few weeks, including this great photo essay.  It’s clear that China’s massive growth has had some short term consequences, including apparent environmental impacts.  But when the public is breathing in pollution 25x higher than the safe amount, what are the long term impacts to public health and the economy?

MIT released an interesting study last year examining this question.  The study first laid out common health impacts of this pollution, ranging from hospital admissions, to chronic respiratory issues, to lost productivity.  Applying various scenarios and simulations, the study estimated that China lost $112 billion due to this pollution.  While this is dwarfed by China’s $7 trillion GDP, it’s still a staggering sum that will only be exacerbated as the country continues to grow.  Given the strain the US is currently facing on its own healthcare system, it will be curious how China deals with its issues down the line.

One area it needs to tackle is the disturbing misconceptions and a lack of public information about prevention.  In the photos, you can see people wearing face masks to combat the smog.  This is also a common sight at airports, where I usually laugh because I don’t think a flimsy mask is going to prevent you from getting sick (there’s even some evidence to back me up).  Similarly, the masks in China aren’t going to prevent people from breathing in many of the smaller particulates that can be just as harmful as the ones you can see.  China’s government needs to look beyond just curbing the pollution and think about educating people on how to stay safe or risk an even larger catastrophe.