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| Swifties at the Eras Tour (Ulin L. D. 2023) |
Do you love a story of childhood stardom turned into a multi award winning pop princess? Well then Taylor Swift and her army of Swifties is the perfect fit. Taylor Swift is an American singer and songwriter. Known for her biographical song writing, artistic reinventions, and cultural impact. She is one of the most famous leading figures in popular music and the subject of widespread public interest. She has recently risen to fame in the last few years. In those last few years, she has grown a huge fan base. They call themselves the "Swifties". Swifties are known for their high levels of participation, creativity, community, and cultural impact on the music industry and popular culture. They are one of the largest, most devoted, and influential fan bases to date.
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| Taylor Swift Hosting a "Secret Session" (Nessif 2014) |
What's the Deal with Swift?
Have Swifties Gone Crazy?
Love at First Number?
Newsweek. (2024, February 9). Taylor Swift's Toxic Fans.
Swifties are a proud fan base. The name and culture originated in the late 2000's. Swift acknowledged the term herself in a VEVO video, shared in 2012 which is (shown below) (VEVO 2012). Eventually during Swift's 1998 era, Swift herself broke down the final barrier between her and her fans. As a gift to some of her long-standing followers, Swift created the "Secret Sessions", in which she hosted groups of Swifties at her many houses around the globe. (Shown in the picture to the right). There, they got to interact with Swift as if they were close friends. Though the fans surely felt that friendship connection long before she extended these invites, it made it real and unquestionable. Alex Hopper wrote "Swifties feel so connected and seen by the award-winning singer both personally and through her music they put their full power behind the singer. Their force is so strong that fellow nominees at award shows know that they are up against a true force to be reckoned with when they see her name alongside their own. Swifties will not let Swift lose at anything she does."(Hopper 2024) Their relationship towards Swift is a symbiotic one that has yet to be replaced in the music industry. That being said, being a Swiftie isn't a past-time it is a full-time gig.
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| Guessing Game of Swift's Outfits (v_swiftie_) |
Who are you wearing Tay- Tay?
An influencer that goes by the tag "Carlygravley" wrote "Many Swifties are known to recreate Swift's concert outfits and wear them to the concerts or cosplay as her. " (Carlygravley 2024) There are a total of sixty outfits all together that Swift has showcased during the tour that Swifties have recreated. There are ten eras in total, they all commemorate the evolution of Swift's career and her life story. The common thing to ask a Swiftie is what his or her era or favorite era is. The concert is full of adoring Swiftie fans that are dressed in their favorite era's tour outfits. Each concert Swift showcases sixteen outfits in the span of three hours. There would be tremendous speculation of what outfit she would wear so much so it went viral on social media and Tik Tok. The biggest thing that Swifties would do is play a guessing game of which outfit or song Swift would wear and come out to. (Shown in the image to the right). The eras also have their very own designated color to visibly represent the distinct mood, themes, and sonic era in Swift's music career and albums. (Shown Below). Each Swiftie has a certain era that resonates with them to be able to feel connected to Swift.
Some popular songs from Taylors Albums that I suggest you listen too:
"Cruel Summer "from the Album Lover
"Shake it Off" from the Album 1989
"Love Story" from the Album Fearless
"Fortnight" from the album The Tortured Poets Department
"Look What You Made Me Do" from the Album Reputation
"I Knew You Were Trouble" from the Album Red
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| Fanart of "The Virgin Taylor Swift" (Sissie London n6!!!!) |
Swifties are not like any other fan base, they are obsessed with Miss Americana herself, one of the many names Swift goes by. Their idolization of the pop princess can be characterized as unhealthy and unnatural. Some of them even compare Swift to the Virgin Mary. (Shown to the right). They have taken the liberties to even make fanart to solidify their beliefs. Many of their behaviors, such as spending ten thousand dollars on concert tickets, or filming themselves sobbing like a baby while watching a recording of her concert in a movie theater. Can be viewed as unencumbered and frowned upon. Writers AJ Pulkkinen and Kathy Murray wrote "More crucially negative behaviors Swifties can display are cyberbullying, aggressive defending, making death threats, and doxing others." (Pulkkinen, AJ, Murray, K. 2024) These behaviors belong to an unhealthy phenomenon called "stans". An example of these behaviors can be found in a (Newsweek 2024) article that wrote "A Business Insider defense reporter Chris Panella wrote about receiving death threats for having "gently criticized" Swift's hugely successful Eras Tour." Meeting the full wrath of the die-hard Swifties as a result, Panella stated that "he was hit with accusations of pedophilia and grooming and told that members of his family be "doxed" or have their private information released in retaliation". "I was shocked and chilled by how far it went," Panella wrote. (Panella, C. 2023)
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| The Lucky Number "13" with Friendship Bracelets (Aniftos, R 2023) |
Many of her fans have been infatuated by her recent relationship with Kansas City Chiefs own tight end Travis Kelce. Their blindsiding blooming relationship had Swifties in a frenzy. Their relationship started in the perfect depiction of one of Taylor's love songs. Travis went to one of her concerts and indulged in the popular fan activity in trading friendship bracelets that often accompany the famous number thirteen. The number is so significant because it is Taylors lucky number. The difference with Travis’ bracelet was that he put his phone number on it. Travis was so excited to trade bracelets with Taylor but didn’t get the chance. So instead, he threw the bracelet at her and she picked it up. A little while later on the Kelce’s Brothers Podcast “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce” Jason and Travis were recalling the interaction with Taylor (Shown below.) and Travis stated “Never thought it would have landed. I didn’t even think it would have landed, or I would have gotten a response from her.” (Kelce 2024) Fans of both Taylor and Travis went crazy and the two worlds that no one ever thought would’ve come together did. The media depicted them as the modern Romeo and Juliet, the two star crossed lovers, the perfect couple.
Sorry Folks All Sold Out
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| Swiftie Called out Sick from Work (News 12, 2023) |
Way before the couple started dating Taylor announced she would be going on tour to showcase her new album. The whole world went crazy when Taylor Announced that she would be touring. Once word got out that tickets would be available to the public it was impossible to get any. In a Reddit posted by r/Music talked about "Everyone had their electronics on Ticketmaster waiting for the tickets to go up for sale. Once they did it was sold out in seconds. So many people were on the site that it crashed." (r/Music 2024) Think about how many people had to be on that site for it to crash, over half of the world had to be on that site. Once the tour started both fans and the media were all over it. The world went from hearing nothing of Swift to hearing nothing but things about her. A reporter Ashley Iasimone wrote about in an article stating "Fans would wait outside the stadiums where Taylor would have her concerts and sleep there overnight just to be the first ones in line. One particular fan called out sick from work just to be able to see Taylor and her Concert." (Iasimone A. 2023) The news did a piece about this particular fan; to not be identified she threw a blanket over her head with a pair of sunglasses. (Shown above). Once in the venue fans would rush to the merchandise table where there would be a plethora of memorabilia. You could find things such as hoodies, t-shirts, posters, bracelets and tote bags. (Shown below). Taylor even has her own website that sells merchandise. Taylor Swifts Shop.
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| Eras Tour Memorabilia |
Works Cited
Newsweek. (2024, February 9). Taylor Swift's Toxic Fans.
Hopper, A. (2024, January 18). A Look at the Phenomenon of Taylor Swift’s Fanbase: the Swifties.
Beil, L. (2023, November 14). Targeting Miss Americana: Why it is unhealthy and unnatural for obsessed Taylor Swift fans to idolize her.
BU today. (2023, November 1). Elvis? Madonna? Michael Jackson? What Makes Taylor Swift the Pop Icon She Is? Boston University superfans and professors in musicology, marketing, and law on what makes the pop megastar so impressive.
Dazed. (N. A.). Life after Taylor: Former Swifties reveal why they left the ‘toxic’ fandom.
The Economic Times. (2024, December 1). Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce officially confirm their relationship to families? A big update from Thanksgiving event.
For The Win. Joseph, A. (2024, February 7). Travis Kelce described how surprised he was to get Taylor Swift's attention with his friendship bracelet remark.
Wickman, K. (2023, December 6). Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Origin Story Confirms His Bracelet Thing Actually Kind of Worked.
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