How Taylor Swift became Time's first entertainer "Person of the Year"
Time magazine began the tradition of selecting a "Man of the Year" in 1927. The idea was to identify the person who had done the most to influence the events of the past 12 months.
That year, the editors of Time had neglected to feature aviator Charles Lindbergh on the cover. It was an editorial embarrassment, as Lindbergh was a global sensation by becoming the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic. To remedy that oversight, Time decided to feature Lindbergh as the "Man of the Year" on the cover of the year-end issue, and the tradition thus began.
According to Time's editor-in-chief, the "Man of the Year" cover sprung from the "Great Man Theory" of history – a belief that individuals have the power to transform society. For better or for worse.
The recipient was usually a politician or a titan of industry. 14 U.S. Presidents, five leaders of Russia and three Popes have been recognized. There have been controversial choices, too, like Stalin, Hitler, and Ayatollah Khomeini.
Sometimes it has been an object – like the computer in 1982, and the Endangered Earth was named "Planet of the Year" in 1988. Occasionally, Time recognized a group. The first time it did so was in 1950, when it chose "The American Solider" as "Men of the Year" as they marched off to fight in Korea. And Time named American Women as "People of the Year" in 1975.
In 1999, the title "Man of the Year" was officially changed to the gender-neutral "Person of the Year" – although the winner that year would be Jeff Bezos. Donald Trump said he turned down the offer to be "Person of the Year" in 2017. Time magazine replied saying there was not a speck of truth to that.
Every year, the Time editorial staff gets together to assess the woman, man, group or concept that had the most influence on the world. The conversations are said to be both entertaining and contentious. A lot of arguing ensues. But eventually, a consensus takes place and the cover is revealed every December.
This year, Time magazine made an unusual choice for "Person of the Year." The editor-in-chief said that every year contains light and dark, and 2023 had significant shades of darkness. In a divided world, this recipient found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light. He said no other person on the planet can move so many people so well. Achieving this feat is often chalked up to be an alignment of the planets. But that, he said, would ignore her skill and her power.
Her name is Taylor Swift. And she is an incredible marketer.
Taylor Swift is the first entertainer in history to receive the title of Time's "Person of the Year." In the middle section of the magazine, it listed her accomplishments in bullet form – it took two pages to cover. Here are a few highlights:
Earnings from her Eras Tour are expected to be $4.1 billion.
Only female artist to land three #1 albums on the Billboard 200 in a calendar year. Twice.
Only female artist to replace herself at #1. Twice.
Just surpassed Elvis Presley for the most cumulative weeks spent at #1 on the Billboard 200. She trails only The Beatles.
First artist to occupy all top 10 spots on the Hot 100 in a single week.
Top artist on both Apple and Spotify with 26.1 billion streams.
Most Grammy 'Song of the Year' nominations in history.
Most awarded artist in American Music Awards history.
Holds over 70 Guinness World Records (as of this writing).
Personal net worth: $1.1 billion.
Age: 34.
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