Snake. Victim. Trouble. Taylor Swift. For many people who follow the lives of celebrities and Hollywood drama, all of these words are synonymous.

Taylor Swift is often in the limelight, either for what she wore to that award show or this movie premiere. Maybe it’s for the last song she wrote to mourn the death of her relationship. But most recently, Swift is under scrutiny for her lack of a stance on relevant political issues.

Both fans and non-fans of Swift have questioned why she consistently chooses to avoid using her platform for the greater good, like many other Hollywood icons have chosen to do.

There are a number of celebrities who choose to use their influential platforms to stand up for what they believe is right, and in some cases, stand against what they believe is wrong.

Chrissy Teigen, Beyoncé and Jessie Williams are just a few who come to mind.

Teigen vehemently criticizes Trump every chance she gets with her famous tweets. Beyoncé publicly supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, funding her campaign and using her massive social media presence to promote the candidate. Williams shows strong support for the Black Lives Matter movement and filmed a popular documentary on the relevancy and importance of the movement.

These celebrities have received both immense support from their fans as well as criticism for their opinions or political affiliations.

Celebrities always face criticism, whether they choose to speak out or remain silent. Thus, the question begs to be asked, should celebrities always take a stance?

It is easy to immediately respond “yes,” when in reality, it’s not always a black or white situation, a stand up or stay silent decision.

The amount of power and influence that Swift has is incredible. She has an army of fans who would do anything for her and will support her every decision. If she wanted to, Swift could gain massive support for any cause of her choosing, either “good” or “bad,” depending on who’s doing the judging.

Swift chooses not to exercise her right to speak out, and maybe this is for the best. As someone who admires celebrities like Teigen and Williams for unapologetically using their careers for supporting causes that matter to them, I would rather Swift stay silent than unenthusiastically, or even falsely, stand up for a cause I support.

Silence is better when the alternative is merely noise.

Swift’s reluctance to speak out on relevant political topics implies that she does not want her fans or the rest of the world to know her personal opinions and beliefs. I believe that if someone is not going to stand proudly for a cause, they shouldn’t stand at all.

I have never been the type of person to hide my opinion, especially when it comes to topics that affect the lives of people in our communities. It seems like a shame for Swift to waste the astounding outreach power she has been blessed with.

Swift has the potential to inspire millions, to call her fans to action. It is a potential that I would not waste in her position, but if she refuses to use this potential for good, then I can at least be glad she isn’t using it for bad.

With her new album having just been released, Swift will be in the center of spotlight for weeks to come. She has chosen to adopt a new reputation, inspiring the title of her sixth studio album.

With the amount of attention on her and her apparent change in style, I’m interested to see if her political relevancy will change as well. After all, with a new reputation emerging, Swift has the potential to surprise us all.