Musk's creepy attack on Swift is revealing

If for some reason you found yourself worried last week about Taylor Swift's status as a "childless cat lady," have no fear, Elon Musk had you covered.

- ANNE T. DONAHUE

If for some reason you found yourself worried last week about Taylor Swift's status as a "childless cat lady," have no fear, Elon Musk had you covered.

In a post to X, the billionaire tech bro made the wildly inappropriate suggestion that he would not only "give [Swift] a child," but also promised to "guard [her] cats with [his] life." Woof.

As a vocal proponent of Donald Trump and anti-trans crusader, Musk's sad attempt at a joke isn't exactly shocking. What is surprising, however, is why right-wing figures consider "childless cat lady" an insult at all: It's 2024, and we should all know better than to equate a person's worth with their parental status - "should" of course being the operative word.

For good or ill, though, the conversation is moving outside of political spheres and planting itself in mainstream pop culture. On the one hand, it means that millions can access the beliefs of far-right Republicans while witnessing the desperation of men like Musk. But there may also be another silver lining: in addressing her fans directly, celebrities like Swift can visibly push back against the misogyny of people like Musk.