Taking on Teendom with Taylor Swift

In the fall of 2006, my life took a turn, and whether it was for the best is still up for debate. That September, I started middle school and Taylor Swift’s first album “Taylor Swift” was released. I then understood what Penny Lane meant in the movie Almost Famous when she said, “It’s all happening,” because it was all happening: my newfound interest in boys, my boobs, my period, and my love for Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift’s first album highlighted youthfulness, innocence, and the magic of a budding romance. In “Our Song,” Swift highlights the novelty of a first crush and the shyness and secrecy that comes with it. She sings, “When we’re on the phone and you talk real slow/’cause it’s late and your mama don’t know.” I remember thinking “Tay gets me,” fully believing in her support more than that of my AA-cup bra.

Soon enough, however, I realized that Swift instilled in me a false sense of hope, as I realized that the relationship she describes in “Our Song” might be too good and too simple to be true. Nonetheless, I enjoyed her optimism and unique country sound too much to stop listening to her.

After two long-awaited years, Swift released her second album “Fearless,” which, again, centered on her feelings about guys and love, but this time in a way that felt more truthful. In “You Belong With Me,” she details the story of an out-of-reach love interest, which I found incredibly relatable as a chubby, awkward, love-stricken eighth grader with braces. On the same token, the song suggested that looks aren’t everything, and that strong relationships require depth and open communication.

Her third album “Speak Now” was released in 2010 and debuted a slightly more serious side of Swift, as she delved into the more complicated, and sometimes overlooked, aspects of falling in love. In the song “Sparks Fly,” Swift recounts falling in love with the bad-boy although she knew she probably should have kept her distance.

In 2012, Taylor’s fourth album “Red” was released; this album showcases a turning point in her life. Although it continues to highlight typical-Taylor like themes of love and heartbreak, her perspective is seemingly more mature and refined, which sent a more realistic message about the changing nature of romantic relationships that come with age. In the song “Red,” Swift talks about love’s intense, toxic, and tumultuous nature. More specifically, she’s brutally honest, uncensored, and confident in the song “I Knew You Were Trouble,” as she sings about a previous love affair, calling out and empowering other women to truthfully communicate their desires, passions, and quirks to their partners.

Two years later, Swift released her 5th album “1989,” which illustrates her staunch feminist stance even more clearly. Capitalizing on the theme of the ‘80s, Swift channeled this very experimental and opportunistic time in pop music and embraced the “no rules game,” demonstrating that women don’t need to follow a particular formula to achieve success.

This is evident in her song “Shake It Off” in which she disses the #haters, exhibiting a huge contrast from an older single, “Dear John,” in which she disclosed how she let scrutiny from others consume her and almost destroy her confidence altogether. The contrast between “Shake It Off” and “Dear John” proves how much Swift has grown as a woman and an artist, which allows her to shed a more sincere light on relationships and growing up. It’s clear that T-Swizzle definitely had her priorities straight when writing “1989,” as the album’s songs emphasize the importance of strong personhood, rather than the effect of people’s opinions (most of whom have no bearings on her life).

After almost a decade of listening to her music, I can say that Swift’s views now mirror my own, and that we grew up together and shared similar experiences, albeit virtually, of new lovers and new friends.