The list of pop's household names who have grisly stories to tell about sexism and assault is long, from Joni Mitchell to Lady Gaga via Madonna, Björk and Beyoncé. Now we can add Taylor Swift's name, after she went to court against a former radio host who groped her before a concert.
On Monday, Swift won her case against David Mueller, who had sued her in 2015 claiming that the singer's team caused him to lose his "dream job" at a radio station by making false groping accusations.
Swift counter-sued for assault and battery, claiming Mueller had touched her inappropriately during a pre-show meet-and-greet event in 2013.
In Mueller's suit, he sought $3-million (R39-million) in compensation, while she merely requested a dollar - albeit one laden with symbolism.While the grim incident that sparked the Mueller v Swift case should never have happened - not to her, not to anyone - the star handled it in a way that reminded us of why we adored her in the first place: as the pop star who sang about high school bullies and spoke honestly about her troubles.
As the years of ongoing legal wrangling experienced by singer Kesha show, the music industry remains deeply flawed when it comes to true gender balance. But Swift's victory shows that its victims can win out over ingrained sexism.
Like Kesha, who found her retort in a recently released, deeply defiant album, Swift has emerged from this incident as a stronger woman - and exactly the kind of pop star we should be listening to...