Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" Lands This Vevo Honor

Taylor Swift has had an incredible year. Her album, 1989, continues to sell by the truckload, and was recently covered in its entirety by Ryan Adams. Swift's 1989 tour was attended by millions of fans, with most of the gigs selling out super-quick, and famous people walking the stage with her. Everyone, from Julia Roberts to Lena Dunham to Kendall Jenner made an appearance. Her list of BFFs is enviable: not only are her friends successful in their own right, but they are also so supportive of Tay Tay and wish her only the best. She must shell out a lot of cash on best friend jewelry, that's all I'm sayin'. So, news on Tuesday that Swift's single "Blank Space" is the most viewed video on Vevo is hardly surprising.

"Blank Space" is an incredible song that people enjoy misquoting ("lonely Starbucks lovers"), and the video's every bit deserving of its most viewed title. Where "Shake It Off" introduced us to Swift's new style, "Blank Space" takes on her persona: the tabloid idea that she's a nightmare ex-girlfriend, and that every relationship she has will "go down in flames." By taking on her critics, Swift shows that she's in on the joke, aware that her reputation precedes her, and it only makes her more legendary.

Why, then, has there been so much Swift backlash this year? With over 1.2 billion views — which really puts my YouTube channel into perspective — the whole world is watching and listening to Swift's music. But, with public spats with other celebrities on Twitter and continual speculation about her relationships, is Swift purely being criticized because of the status of peak popularity that she has reached?

Negativity seems to follow Swift, even though everything she stands for is to the contrary. Her 1989 tour featured video clips of her besties telling the crowd what a good friend she is, and the way Swift has always interacted with fans on social media is totally enviable. Not many celebrities would bother, or understand their fans as well as she does.

The accolades will certainly not stop coming for Taylor Swift, and her album that continues to break record after record. Perhaps the price you have to pay in becoming a pop star is blistering criticism, scrutiny of every aspect of your life, and an expectation that you'll fail. Which is sad, but, with 1.2 billion views, it seems like Swift's still winning to me.