It all started at Target when I was eight-years-old. I had Christmas gift money and my Hilary Duff phase was approaching a bitter end (still angry Lizzie McGuire was canceled, btw). So as I was wandering around the sacred halls of the East York Target, I came across a beautiful blue-ish green album cover with the words “Taylor Swift” across it.
And so began a 12-year long (and counting) obsession with everything and anything to do with the pop-country superstar.
As much it annoys my entire family, my friends, and anyone who talks to me for at least an hour, I don’t remember the last time I went more than an hour without making a reference to Taylor and more than a week without listening to an album at least five times. On bad days and good days (and especially when Garrett from my third-grade class refused to return my love. P.S. He’s no longer the reason for the teardrops on my guitar), I would retreat to my bedroom and get through whatever I was going through with Taylor’s perfectly timed and rhymed lyrics.
When I was the new kid in school, her debut album was released. When I was going into middle school and was starting to experience petty friend-drama and mean boys, Fearless came out and You Belong With Me reigned on the radio. High school was creeping up and Speak Now hit the stores, getting me through the rollercoaster of emotions that was Dallastown Area High School. Right in the middle of it, when I was on-again-off-again with this boy who never deserved a minute of my time, Red created a place where I felt understood. Then senior year rolled around, and 1989 began a new era for Taylor and for me.”Clean”, the final track on the 1989 album not only gave me the strength to dump that idiot but also to get past the drama, the heartache and everything else in high school that you realize doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. 1989 got me through high school graduation, spending my last summer with my friends from home, and moving into a new phase of my life without the comfort of parents or the familiarity of my hometown.
College rolled around and so did the media-take-over that was the Kim-Kanye-Katy-Perry ordeal. Throughout it, I remained a dedicated Swiftie. Even though I felt a bit neglected (with the social media hiatus and the longest period of time without new music ever) I knew in my heart that when I needed it most, there would be a new album (call it what you want, I don’t care that it sounds ridiculous).
Then Reputation dropped, and it was different… but pushed me into an era of an absolute badass mindset. Before the album dropped, I had been going through a lot of depression and anxiety about what I wanted to do with my life, and while Reputation didn’t cure me or choose a major for me, it did help me through it. Immensely
The point is, crazy as it seems Taylor Swift has dropped an album at the exact moment I needed it for her entire career. No matter what I was going through, there was a Taylor Swift song for it.
Not only does her music hold a special place in my heart, but her actions are inspiring. The relationship she has with her fans is unlike any other celebrity – sending gifts to fans, visiting them at the hospital, hosting secret sessions at her house and picking random fans from the crowd at her concerts to meet her… A true appreciation for her fans.
So you can say whatever you want to me, I will forever and always, as long as I live, be a dedicated Swiftie.
P.S. Yes, her Instagram and countdown shenanigans are driving me crazy. #TS7iscoming!