WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (UPI) — Taylor Swift may be the most-followed Instagram user now that she has officially gained more followers than reality star Kim Kardashian.
As of Thursday morning, Swift led with a total of 45.8 million followers, while previously reigning social media queen Kim Kardashian-West had 45.6 million.
On Twitter, Swift’s follower count far overshadows the soon-to-be mother of two by almost 30 million followers with 63.3 million to Kardashian’s 35.1 million.
The news only adds to the “Wildest Dreams” singer’s success in 2015. On top of her 1989 album going platinum, her three top Billboard singles and plenty of awards, Swift’s social media stardom is just a product of her growing global fame.
However, with fame comes criticism. The leader of her ‘crew’—including Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid and others—came under fire after the MTV VMA premiere of her “Wildest Dreams” music video. Many felt the video, which portrays a brunette Swift in wild African plains, idolized 20th-century colonialism and excluded black characters.
The video’s director, Joseph Khan, defended his work after initial backlash, telling UPI, “There is no political agenda in the video. Our only goal was to tell a tragic love story in classic Hollywood iconography.”
