Be it her record-shattering “The Eras” global tour or her becoming the world’s most-streamed musical artist, 2023 has truly been Taylor Swift’s year. And now to top it all, the mega pop-star has been named “Person of the Year” by Time Magazine.
2023 has been the year of “The Taylor Effect”. Wherever she has had a new concert, a mini economic boom took place locally as hotels and restaurants saw a surge of visitors. Time has noted how “politicians from Thailand, Hungary, and Chile implored her to play their countries. Cities, stadiums, and streets were renamed for her.” There are college classes dedicated to her, including one at Harvard.
The 33-year-old has recently turned a billionaire, joining the ranks of Rihanna, Beyonce and Jay-Z and the only entrant in the list to have accumulated her wealth from music alone. By a margin, she has been the most influential personality on this planet for this year and fittingly chosen by Time for its annual accolade.
KnowALLedge Plus:
The Time Person of the Year is an annual issue of Time magazine that features a person, group, idea, or object that “for better or for worse, has done the most to influence the events of the year.” The tradition began in 1927 when the magazine’s editors decided to highlight a prominent figure on the cover of its year-end issue. Although initially called “Man or Woman of the Year”, in 1999, the title was changed to the gender-neutral “Person of the Year”.
Here is a brief overview of the history of the Time Person of the Year:
First Selection (1927): The first Time Person of the Year was Charles Lindbergh, an American aviator who made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
Notable Early Selections: In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi was chosen as the first non-American to be its Man of the Year. Franklin D. Roosevelt was chosen thrice (1932, 1934, and 1941), and Winston Churchill twice (1940 and 1949).
Groups and Ideas: Time has also chosen groups of people and even ideas as the Person of the Year. For example, in 1950, “The American Fighting-Man” was chosen, representing the U.S. forces involved in the Korean War. In 1960, it was “U.S. Scientists,” in 1966, it was “The Inheritor” and in 1975, it was “American Women”.
Controversial Selections: The Person of the Year has sometimes been a controversial figure. In 1938, Adolf Hitler was chosen, and in 1979, it was Ayatollah Khomeini. Even the choice of having Donald Trump as its Person of the Year in 2016 courted controversies. Time’s selection is not necessarily an endorsement but an acknowledgment of impact.
Recent Selections: In recent years, Time’s selections include Volodymyr Zelenskyy and “The Spirit of Ukraine” (2022), Elon Musk (2021), Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (2020), and Greta Thunberg (2019).