Taylor Swift has always been ignorantly perceived as the artificial icon of red lips, Polaroid photos, boys, and broken hearts, and rarely ever seen as the soulful, selfless, skillful, and self-reliant human being that she is, from all angles.

Being one of my favorite singer/songwriters, I always find myself strumming a few of her latest hits on my guitar or even throwing it back to her very first album.

I love her music because she can generate a connection with her listeners and has the ability to retell the stories of her life, relationships, and heart- something she must slowly put back together through her passion of songwriting.

And this seems to be what Taylor Swift’s reputation is defined by: bent and beaten break-up songs of searing revenge. But, since the beginning, music has been solely inspired off of feeling- specifically love! Singing and songwriting are supposed to be outlets of this emotion.

Oddly enough, male performers, like Justin Bieber, One Direction or John Mayer, are never publicly shamed for their various songs on girls and broken hearts, yet Swift seems to only be known for her long, infamous list of ex-lovers. This gossip extracted from her private, personal life is continually seen as more important than all of the amazing change she has caused in the modern world (and I am not just talking about her gracious charity work). She has become someone I, and many others, have looked up to for not only her music, but through her loud acts of self-independence and various moments of generosity, as well.

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In 2014, Taylor demanded that her songs be valued for the time and dedication they are worth rather than freely splayed across Spotify. In 2015, she took a similar stand against Apple, but this time it was not just for herself, but for all of the musicians that were being treated unfairly by the company. She stood up for herself and her art form.

And if her determination and talent cannot already be expressed behind her powerful music and actions, then how about the fact that she has won 8 Academy of Country Music Awards, 10 Grammy Awards, 10 People’s Choice Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, 19 American Music Awards, 22 Billboard Music Awards, and 25 Teen Choice Awards? She would barely be able to hold an eighth of all of her awards, in both arms, while other pop stars, like Nick Jonas, would be able to count their awards on one hand.

You do not have to ultimately love Taylor Swift, but that gives you no reason to hate her, either. Yet, as Taylor Swift would proudly proclaim: “the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.”