Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes hugged. Backlash followed.

Brittany Mahomes came under fire at the end of the summer for her potential political positions.

Businesswoman and wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes sparked a fierce backlash last month when she appeared to like an Instagram post by former President Donald Trump. Brittany Mahomes, who later reportedly liked the post back, appeared to show her support for Trump's “2024 GOP Platform” on Instagram. The post called for sealing the border, “keeping men out of women's sports” and not funding schools that teach critical race theory.

Now her best friend, pop star Taylor Swift, is also in the crossfire. Since Swift publicly began dating Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes' husband's close friend and teammate on the Chiefs, last summer, the two women have become fast friends.

From left to right: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, musician Taylor Swift, Brittany Mahomes and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Ms. Swift and Ms. Mahomes stir up controversy over their shared and differing political views.

They have been photographed at dinner, soccer games and now at the US Open, where the two embraced on a doubles date at the men's singles final of the annual tennis tournament over the weekend.

Taylor Swift has neither of the two candidates.Why do we care who she votes for?

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But the music industry heavyweight has angered critics who accuse her of avoiding taking a side in the 2024 presidential election while apparently continuing to support her boyfriend.

Although Swift endorsed 2020 Democratic nominee President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris this election cycle, she has not made a public statement about her choice this time around. And Brittany Mahomes hasn't either, but some have interpreted the alleged “liking” of Trump's post as an endorsement.

The internet is divided. Some believe Swift is complicit in supporting former President Trump's policies – and the hug is a signal to the conservative right. Others believe it is a sign of how more of us should be: that we can be friends with people even if they have different views.

So why is a hug so important to us and how did these accomplices become partners in conflict? And can they still be friends even if they are on opposite sides politically? Experts have their say.

Swift was largely apolitical during her two-decade career

Over the course of her career, Swift has publicly endorsed three candidates: Tennessee Senate candidate Phil Bredesen in 2018, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper in his re-election campaign for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District in 2018, and Biden in the 2020 presidential race.

Why do we want Swift, a largely apolitical pop star, to share her personal views, and why are we upset by her embrace? According to Kristin Lieb, a professor at Emerson College, it's because of a lack of boundaries between fans and celebrities.

“Knowing who someone is voting for is a pretty personal matter. That's why we have to draw the curtain in the voting booth or, more and more, seal our votes in envelopes and send them in the mail,” Lieb said, adding: “In general, people in the United States are advised not to talk about politics or religion at work or when we don't know people well. Stars, on the other hand, are somehow expected to provide answers to questions about their personal lives when asked, as fans demand.”

Aria Halliday, a cultural critic and professor at the University of Kentucky, agreed with Lieb, telling USA TODAY, “We don't expect people to stand outside in our everyday lives and tell everyone what they're doing, do we?”

Halliday continued: “And that’s why we shouldn’t expect that from celebrities either.”

Taylor Swift experts explain why fans want support

Swift, known for celebrating the seasons of her career, has kept a reliably low profile this presidential election. And she hasn't endorsed any candidate, even though Election Day is less than two months away. But why do Swift's fans, known as “Swifties,” want her to enter her era of support?

Stephanie Burt, a literary critic who teaches a course on Swift at Harvard University, also attributed Swift's desire to talk about her politics to parasocial relationships that she said are reciprocal between Swift and her fans.

“Many of us would like to see Kamala win and Trump lose, and we believe her support would help,” Burt told USA TODAY, adding that in parasocial relationships, “we want our friends to support our actions and agree with us on everything that is important to us.”

Kristin Lieb told USA TODAY, “People can relate to her and her perseverance and the kind of constant self-examination that runs throughout the song. But that doesn't mean she's inviting you to a dinner party at her house. It might feel like that, but that's strategic.”

Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes hugged. Backlash followed.

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