The latest Israeli air strikes on an encampment for displaced Palestinians in Rafah on Sunday and subsequent attacks in the days after have killed over 45 people, including at least thirteen women and girls, according to Al Jazeera, and caused an AI-generated image “All Eyes on Rafah” to sweep across social media. It was shared over 47 million times, including by musician Dua Lipa, and Palestinian American models Gigi and Bella Hadid.

Eight months into the war on Gaza, with the death toll now 36,743 Palestinians, people continue to demand action from brands, organizations and their favorite celebrities. Pro-Palestine encampments have swept college campuses across the nation, with over 2,900 people arrested, and both Columbia University and the University of Southern California canceling graduation ceremonies.

Most recently, the Swifties are calling on pop star Taylor Swift to speak out on the issue. Fans circulated a letter to Swift published on Twitter Wednesday demanding the singer to Speak Now, playing on the title of her third album.

“Your influence transcends borders, and your words have the power to reach and activate an extensive audience, including people who are unaware of the severity of the genocide. Speaking out about the Palestinian genocide would not only be consistent with your history of advocating for the victims, but it could also encourage your millions of fans to learn and take action to help,” says the letter posted by user @folkwhvre.

The hashtag #SwiftiesForPalestine has garnered thousands of posts, with some fans questioning the singer’s silence.

“i’ve never heard silence quite this loud… @taylorswift13 where is this woman who fought so hard to express her beliefs even if it received backlash? or do you only speak up when it benefits you? #SwiftiesForPalestine” wrote @katnation13.

For some Swifties, the hashtag and online community is being used as an opportunity to take their own action. Self-proclaimed Swiftie Anamta Rehan, created a “Swifties for Palestine” GoFundMe benefiting Medical Aid for Palestinians, which provides medical supplies to Palestinians living under occupation and refugees, which had 584 donations and raised $11,095 CAD at the time of publication.

“Me, @IMN0TALLT00WELL, and a few others wanted to create a fundraiser as a platform to garner support from other Swifties who want to help Palestinian families in need,” Rehan told Reckon, clarifying that the GoFundMe was not created in retaliation to Swift’s silence.

As of April 2024, Swift has a total of 263 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and has broken multiple records throughout her career, including her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, receiving third-largest sales week ever in the modern era when it dropped last month. She also became the most streamed artist in a single day on Spotify, beating her own record set in 2023, according to Vanity Fair. Her accomplishments don’t end at music, as Swift has branched into fragrance and film, with her “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” earning $262 million worldwide and $181 million domestically during its release weekend, and being the highest-grossing concert movie ever made as of April 2024, according to Statistica. Last year, she was named TIME’s Person of the Year, the same year she became a billionaire.

Swift’s influence extends beyond music. Since dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and showing up to games, Kelce’s jersey sales increased by 400%, Stubhub reported Chiefs home game ticket sales tripled, and generated over $300 million for the NFL, reports CBS. Social media showed young girls watching football just to catch a glimpse of the pop star, causing 64% of Gen Z and Millennial women to have a favorable view of the NFL, an all-time high according to Morning Consult.

If Swift can bring the girls to football and make millions for the NFL just by showing up, it isn’t a stretch to assume her stance on the ongoing conflict in Gaza could have a major impact on how her fans, and potentially politicians, take action themselves.

Because the “Swift Effect” isn’t limited to boosting NFL ratings; it extends to the political and social arenas, here are three other times Swift has advocated for an issue and had an impact:

Voter registration soars after an IG post

In 2018, Swift shattered her political silence, endorsing two Democratic candidates in Tennessee’s midterm elections and denouncing Marsha Blackburn, who has a record of voting against women’s rights.

“In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions,” Swift wrote.  “I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG,” Swift wrote in an Instagram caption.

The post reached millions and is credited with boosting voter registration. Vote.org reported that 65,000 Americans aged 18 to 29 registered to vote in the 24 hours following her post. Three days later, that number had jumped to 102,000, according to CNBC.

Years later another Swift IG post leads to increase in voter registration

Swift’s influence on elections was not a one time thing. In September 2023, the singer took to Instagram once again and encouraged her 272 million followers to vote, leading them to Vote.org on her Instagram stories.

Vote.org reported a 1,226% jump in participation in the hour after the post, and recorded over 35,000 new registrations that day, according to NPR.

Uplifting LGBTQ+ rights

Swift’s 2019 single, “You Need to Calm Down,” became an anthem for LGBTQ+ acceptance, accompanied by a petition urging the Senate to pass the Equality Act.The song’s music video featured numerous LGBTQ+ celebrities and activists, further amplifying the message of inclusivity.

She doubled down on the issue calling out the Trump Administration for not responding to the petition at the MTV VMAs that year.

“At the end of this video there was a petition, and there still is a petition, for the Equality Act, which basically just says we all deserve equal rights under the law. And I want to thank everyone who signed that petition because it now has half a million signatures, which is five times the amount that it would need to warrant a response from the White House,” Swift said while accepting the award for Video of the Year.

Congress passed The Equality Act in February 2021, though it did not progress in the Senate.

Swift said “pay me” and Apple listened

In 2015, Swift announced she would not allow Apple to stream her 1989 album, due to their three-month free trial period for subscribers, which she deemed as unfair to artists because they would not receive royalties for music streamed during that time.

“Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing. I say this with love, reverence, and admiration for everything else Apple has done,” she wrote in an open letter published on Tumblr.

The next day, Apple canceled the policy.

“We hear you @taylorswift and indie artists. Love, Apple,” tweeted Apple executive Eddy Cue.

The pressure for celebs to use their platform

On Monday, singer Kehlani took to Instagram to voice her frustrations with fellow artists who have remained silent on the issue.

“The disorience that is this f*cking industry, that is my peers of highly f*cking platformed people, well-paid people who have already beat the fucking game, and you can’t stop for a second and recognize that we wouldn’t have anything that we have, nothing we do has a fucking purpose without people and you can’t turn around and reach back for people,” she said. The music video for her single “Next 2 U” released today, features pro-Palestinian imagery, ending by listing the names of thousands of deceased Palestinian children.

An increasing number of celebrities have spoken up on Gaza, chronicled by the @celebrities4palestine Instagram account, who has highlighted solidarity from Youtubers like Ms. Rachel to athletes like professional boxer Sean McComb.

While celebrities like Kehlani, Jenna Ortega, Mark Ruffalo and the Hadids have vocalized their support for Palestine for months, what may be louder than the artists using their platform to share information is the silence in the room, most notably from major stars like Swift and Beyonce, who has also been called on by her fans to speak up.

Her “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” film was shown in Israel last year, which sparked outrage on social media with people calling on her to pull it. In a Dec. 2023 review of the film, Vulture critic Angelica Jade Bastién referred to the artist’s silence on Palestine as a statement itself, likening it to the loudest part of the film, after which she said fans attempted to doxx her and sent her death threats.

As fans and critics point out, Beyonce and Swift alike carry weight in their statements and silence on issues.

“Their political silence has proven useful as a marketing strategy, as the few statements they do opt to offer on social media carry more weight due to their rarity; an Instagram post becomes an event, a video a cause for celebration,” Editors Ayọ Walker & Samantha Borek wrote in a Dec. 2023 Truthout piece calling out the stars for not speaking up. They understand the impact their words carry, which makes their choice of silence, particularly when their films are being played in an apartheid state with no public comment, quite blaring.

The jury is out for how long Swift will continue to remain silent on Gaza, but in the meantime many Swifties are using their own voices to advocate for Palestinians while holding her to the fire.