During the bleak winter months, many students find themselves deeply invested in the lives of glamorous superstars. This fascination came to light most recently at FCHS lunch tables and on Twitter directly after the 2016 Grammys. The most popular topic of discussion was Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for the album of the year award; this speech created an enormous buzz because of how it alluded to another famous artist, Kanye West.

“I want to say to all the young women out there: there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame,” Swift said upon accepting her award, “but if you just focus on the work, and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you will look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there and that will be the greatest feeling in the world. Thank you for this moment.” Many felt Swift’s speech indirectly attacked Kanye West for saying in his new song “Famous” that she is famous solely because of him.

This caused a wide range of responses from both fans of Swift and of West at FCHS. Out of 50 students, 21 said that Swift was right to stand up for herself, while 12 said that it was unnecessary for her to respond the way she did, and 17 said that they were uninterested/tired of the drama between the two. Many students recalled the 2009 MTV music awards when West jumped on stage and humiliated Swift, an incident which West has implied made Swift famous. Some students are still unhappy about West’s treatment of Swift, then and now.

“I completely support Taylor and I think her speech was really thoughtful. It showed her fans that success is the best revenge.” said Junior Megan Ludwig. “I’m not really a big Taylor Swift fan, but I liked how she stood up for herself; it showed a lot of courage,” said Junior Renee Custer.

For his part, after the Grammys, West told a reporter, “It’s like- I want the best for [Swift], but there’s people going through real issues out there.” He went on to say, “I don’t think people care about me or her in that way. People care about their families, their kids. If you like my music, listen to it. If you like her music, listen to it.”  This response seemed to calm down some Swift fans, while angering some West fans. “I don’t think he needed to apologize,” said Freshman Joshua Tawney. “Tons of celebrities get mentioned in songs they don’t agree with. She shouldn’t have made it such a big deal,” he said.

While this controversy has begun to die down, given West’s recent money issues in the media, it won’t be the last. If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that celebrities will fight, and high school students will tweet about it.