In a column published by The Daily Wire, writer Rich Cromwell uses the engagement of pop singer Madison Beer to Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert as a jumping-off point for a broader critique of what he calls the “increasingly midwit nature of the world” — arguing that music, architecture, clothing, and other creative fields have grown bland because they aim to offend no one.
The piece, titled “Madison Beer And Mid Art In A Post-Taylor Swift Age,” draws a deliberate contrast between Beer and Herbert’s relationship and that of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Cromwell writes that Beer and Herbert are “both adequate,” fulfilling their roles competently but without the kind of excellence that would unsettle their peers. Swift, by contrast, is described as “a business, man,” a reference to Jay-Z’s lyric, and Kelce as “an exceptional football player” — together, in Cromwell’s framing, a “Platonic ideal” of modern celebrity success.
The ‘Adequasivity’ Critique
Cromwell’s argument centers on the idea that contemporary artists and public figures are incentivized to avoid taking genuine stands, not out of conviction but out of a desire not to land on the wrong side of any issue. “Taking a stand isn’t super popular these days,” he writes, adding that taking a stand for standard-issue current mores “isn’t actually taking a stand, just echoing the herd.” The result, he says, is that “art, architecture, clothing, and music become bland nothings, as attempts to placate everyone inevitably end up.”
He applies this critique directly to Beer, calling her “the modern corporate architecture of a musical artist” — someone who “probably won’t offend anyone, but she also won’t truly stand out.” Herbert receives similar treatment: “He’s a stable central structure in a fluid landscape,” Cromwell writes, acknowledging his talent and his talented team while suggesting his metrics look better in isolation than in the big picture.
The column acknowledges that both Beer and Herbert are “fine” and “talented,” and that Beer’s career has been notable: born in 1999, she began her rise in 2012 when Justin Bieber reposted her cover of Etta James’s “At Last.” Her first solo album arrived in 2021, a second in 2023, and her most recent in January of this year. She and Herbert hard-launched their engagement on Instagram on July 28.
A Structural Problem, Not a Personal One
Cromwell is careful to frame his criticism as systemic rather than personal. “This isn’t about them, not really,” he writes, “but about the increasingly midwit nature of the world.” He argues that if artists like Beer truly excelled, it “might threaten their peers’ sensitivities.” In a “just world,” he suggests, a visionary producer would take Beer under his wing and challenge existing structures. Instead, he contends, the days of legendary risk-takers in the music industry are “largely on pause.” Labels, he writes, now find talent on social media, “juice them for everything they can, and then move on to the next.” He describes this as “elevator music as a business plan” and “the safety of superhero franchises extended to a different medium.”
Yet Cromwell does not conclude on a pessimistic note. He points to Sienna Spiro, an artist who writes all her own music and, according to Cromwell, “bests Beer across all charts.” He argues that such artists “better represent the future” than those relying on what he calls the “tried-and-true formulaic approach.”
His optimism, he admits, is partly anecdotal: he has three teenage daughters, and none of them listen to Beer — including one who is an actual cheerleader. If the industry wants to keep young listeners’ attention, he writes, “it’s going to have to unleash the risk-takers of yore and let them hit the play button, because beige album after beige album isn’t going to cut it.”
The column lands amid an ongoing cultural conversation about the homogenization of pop music, the influence of social media on artist development, and whether the industry’s risk-aversion is a temporary phase or a lasting shift. Cromwell’s closing line — “So, while the present is mid, the future might just be bright” — encapsulates his view that the current moment, however safe and sanitized, may be setting the stage for a more adventurous era.
Rich Cromwell is a writer based in Northwest Arkansas who produces the Cookin’ Up a Story podcast.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/madison-beer-and-mid-art-in-a-post-taylor-swift-age