I have been a die hard Taylor Swift fan since her country days, and I was so excited at the possibility of seeing her live. However, the concert tickets were way too expensive for me to attend, but I was still hoping to travel to see one of her concerts and participate from the parking lot. Unfortunately, that plan never came to be. I resigned myself to the reality that I was not going to get to see her live. Fortunately, Taylor Swift loves her fans so much that she created a documentary to allow all the Swifties who could not afford or attend her concert for whatever reason (or for those lucky enough to go but wanted to relive the moments again) to watch her perform. I was so ecstatic to hear about her launch of the Eras Tour Movie. Of course, this wasn’t the first time Taylor had done this for her fans. She had already released a very similar documentary showcasing her infamous 1989 international tour after she had finished it. But, the fact that she released the Eras Tour movie before the end of her tour was a total surprise. Again I was hit with disheartening news–I discovered that this documentary would only be released in North America because Taylor had independently made deals with individual cinemas, breaking social molds once again and reshaping another industry (the music one was not enough for her; she wanted to transform the movie industry as well). I was going to be studying abroad in Colombia during the time of its theater release. However, I was one of thousands of international Swifties whose dreams were answered when Taylor finally announced that the release was going to be an international event on October 13th (her lucky number)! I logged onto her website and located the nearest theater to me showcasing her movie and attempted to buy a presale ticket. However, because I was studying abroad, I had problems with purchasing the ticket when my card was declined multiple times due to the threat of fraud. I had to act quickly as I fearfully watched more and more seats fill up. I contacted a good friend of mine from Colombia who helped me secure the ticket and started shopping for my Eras tour outfit! Taylor Swift wanted this to be a spectacle just like her concerts. In her announcement post for the movie, she encouraged her fans to dress up, bring their friendship bracelets, and sing and dance at the theater! She wanted to create a fun, lasting experience for her fans that couldn’t experience her live to enjoy; She wanted the movie to be as close as possible to the real thing. I was determined to make the most of it. My outfit was inspired by Taylor Swift’s 2011 CMT red carpet look mixed with the Deluxe cover of Speak Now (linked below)!
https://www.glamour.com/story/in-honor-of-taylor-swifts-red
I then began making as many friendship bracelets as I could until I inevitably ran out of string. I made over 40 bracelets for the movie and was able to give one to every person in the theater, trading with almost everyone. I spent a total of a little under $25 for my dress, $10 on the materials for the bracelets, and $8 on my ticket, making my overall Taylor Swift experience a little under $45 much more affordable than the average of $1,300 to see her live. Plus, it could cost even less than that, as some people were able to DIY their costumes from shoes and clothes they already had and make paper rings instead of friendship bracelets to trade, which is much cheaper than the supplies to make bracelets.
This experience really does allow everyone from all income backgrounds from all over the world to truly have an Eras Tour experience! Everyone was out of their seats singing and dancing even though they didn’t speak English! I was astonished at the energy of the crowd and the unique and overwhelming feeling of euphoria witnessing all of our wildest dreams come true. It was an incredible experience I will never forget. Thank you so much Taylor for making it possible for all your fans to have the most memorable experience ever! If you have not seen her movie yet because you feel like you won’t fit in, I promise that you will be welcomed by the Swifties all over the world, no matter what country you are in! We just want to sing and dance to our hearts content. It’ll be a movie event you have never experienced before! Go grab your ticket and forget your life worries!
