Taylor Swift’s Album Release
I love Taylor Swift. Not just edgy pop queen New Taylor, but also Old Taylor, the one who wore cowboy boots on the red carpet and cried glittery tears all over her acoustic guitar. She may be dead, but she’ll never be forgotten. So you can bet that whenever I need a pick me up, I will crank up that country-pop and jam just as hard as I did when I was thirteen.
I’ve been a fan for years, but for a long time I felt the need to keep quiet about it. There seemed to be a negative stigma around liking Taylor’s music, as if listening to her automatically made me “basic” or “preppy.” The fear of being stuck with a label, albeit one so arbitrary, was enough to turn me into a closet fan. Unfortunately, I’ve done the same thing with other musical artists just because I’ve been worried that people’s opinions of me will change based purely on my musical tastes. Conversely, I’ve said I loved musicians I actually don’t just to make people like me more. It may seem like a small, silly thing, but it actually carries a deeper meaning.
One of the things universally loved about music is how we can all use it to express ourselves, to find something to represent our deepest feelings when we just don’t have the words. The songs and artists that mean the most to us help us tell our unique stories. There’s really no reason to hide something so personal to who you are.
In addition, it’s ridiculous to make blanket generalizations about fans of certain musical genres or artists. Just a reminder, everyone is their own individual person, so it’s shallow to assign labels based on one small facet of a person’s interests. Similarly, it’s also impossible to really know someone based only on their taste in music. Although what a person listens to can give you a hint at their personality, there’s no way to draw a parallel from what someone listens to and who they are. This is especially true considering that most people enjoy a wide variety of music, so any false judgements made are completely without basis. So if you have a tendency to make snap judgements about someone based on the music they like, even if it’s unintentional, please stop. It’s pointless.
Conversely, if you’re someone who keeps their musical interests private because you’re afraid of being ridiculed, you shouldn’t be. Anyone who’s so quick to judge you based on something you enjoy really isn’t worth the trouble anyway. Music is here to make you feel good, and life’s too short to ignore whatever it is that brings you happiness. In addition, being open about what you like will allow you to find other people who share your interests and possibly introduce you to new artists.
So yes, I will stay up late for Taylor’s album release this Friday. And I will include “Our Song” in every single road trip playlist I will ever make. And I will be equally proud of every other song, artist and genre I love. I’m proud of who I am and all the music which reflects who I’ve become.