It’s officially been a year since cultural phenomenon Taylor Swift’s pop album 1989 hit the shelves. This means that it’s been about a year since that “James Dean daydream look” has been in your eyes and since you first started “shaking it off.” For Ms. Swift, this record was more than just an album; it changed her persona as an artist and as an icon. So, it’s no wonder she’s been on the cover of Time and Rolling Stone just to name a few since the release. But what makes her better than the next blond singer or even “the biggest popstar in the world,” as vulture.com says? Well, if you don’t think that’s true, then maybe you should take a hint from the queen of pop herself: haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate.
In 2006, Taylor Swift released her first album “Taylor Swift” with hits songs such as
“Tim McGraw” and “Picture to Burn.” The cover was a photo of a girl with long curly blond hair and butterflies framing her face. Compare that to her fifth album, 1989, with a cover as a retro polaroid photo of a girl with short blond hair and bright red lipstick. Taylor’s switch from the country world to the pop world confused and angered many listeners, but others welcomed the change with open arms.
Not only did her music change, but her persona as a role model for so many shifted as well. As she began to crack out of her shell, her influence on social media increased as well. Today, Taylor’s Instagram posts get around 1 million likes. She is also a major face on Tumblr. Taylor has been known to reply to fans’ Tumblr posts and give advice to young girls when they ask for her help. Today, in 2015, she’s no longer just a country singer but a technological/communications icon across the globe.
CNN.com claims that one of the reasons the world follows Taylor Swift’s every move is the fact that even with seven Grammys, she’s still most likely to be found baking cookies or hanging with her cats on the weekend. Yes, she’s the world’s biggest popstar, but she’s still a real person, which is what makes her so lovable. Her two cats, Olivia Benson and Meredith Grey (obviously, named after TV show
s Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Grey’s Anatomy, respectively), travel with her on most trips and are often all over her social media feeds. Taylor Swift proves to us all, the quiet teenager being bullied and the young adult trying to figure out his/her life alike, that you can still be “cool” while being a cat lady and a lover of baking. Maybe being “cool” isn’t just about being “popular” anymore?
After earning $17 million on the 1989 tour throughout Europe and the U.S., Taylor has almost reached the end of the tour. So it’s appropriate to celebrate her album’s birthday and her willingness to change the world one cat at a time. So here’s to you, T Swiz. Thanks for teaching us it’s okay to dance like an idiot and name our cats after our favorite Netflix shows. HBD, 1989!
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