I know that a lot of people don't like her (although I'm not sure why). But you know what? I love Taylor Swift, and I'm not afraid to say so. I love everything about the way she presents herself to the world. I love that she wasn't afraid to change and grow up, as well as allow her music to make that transition with her. She started out in country music, so what? She was a child then, only fourteen years old. She grew up, she changed. Her music did, too, and that's okay. That's normal. Change happens, you guys. Also, I love that she didn't let her image go wild. She never abandoned her dignity just to be "successful". Success here is used loosely, because I personally do not consider Miley Cyrus a successful person at this point. Yeah, people talk about her. Yes, they know who she is. That doesn't mean they like her, respect her, or idolize her. It doesn't mean they even consider her anything more than an overused joke. Taylor Swift, on the other hand, is someone I consider to be successful.
But what is success? A couple of weeks ago, the sophomore biomed students took a field trip to Greer laboratories, where, before our tour, we were spoken to by a doctor who works there, and he told us many definitions of success. (Like not living in your mom's basement.) So I got to thinking about the differences between our worldly successes and the meaning of success in God's eyes, a topic which was discussed at last year's Lutheran Youth Organization Assembly in Greensboro. What is the difference? Earthly success is often balanced on money, fame, and social status. Godly success is more focused on the way you live your life, and what kind of difference you can make when you follow God's will for your life. So the question is, can you have both? Yes! Which brings us back to today's topic, the lovely Taylor Swift. I can't imagine a more impactful person. We all know that celebrities impact our lives. They're a part of our society; we can't change that. But we can choose which celebrities to follow and which to disregard. Taylor Swift has made her impact a positive one. She dresses appropriately, for one. Yeah, she shows some skin at times. But guess what? She's in her mid-twenties at this point. She's allowed to wear things she couldn't wear when she started her career at fourteen years old. And the best part is, she didn't wear those things then. She only started wearing them when she was old enough to do so. Also, she's pretty admirable in her care for people in general, but especially her fans. For example, she sent a care package to a fan who was struggling with moving out of her childhood home. (The care package included a sweater, a blanket, candles, tea, and personal notes along with a journal. No Taylor Swift endorsement material included, I might add. It wasn't a marketing tool, people. It was a genuine CARE package.) She also showed up at a fan's home with presents for said fan's little boy, all because, five years ago, Taylor met this fan who was struggling with the fact that she apparently couldn't become pregnant. Taylor later learned that she had, in fact, eventually become pregnant and had a little boy. So Naturally Taylor showed up at their house, just to drop by and say hello. Because she's Taylor Swift, and she can do that. The remarkable part is that she wants to.
This is no small-time celebrity we're talking about here. This girl has broken records nobody could break. She beat the Beatles in record sales. That's not easy to do. The fact that she is staying humble and, even more importantly, true to herself, is even more remarkable considering her earthly success. She's a pretty remarkable person. I don't know what Taylor Swift believes. I don't know if she's a Christian. But I do know that she demonstrates some very Christian traits. (Forgive me for saying this, but sometimes I think she demonstrates them a lot more than some other celebrities who do profess to be Christian.) Regardless of what she believes, Taylor Swift makes a very positive impact. She gives back in a personal way, rather than just being the face for some charity. Don't get me wrong, that's good too. And I know the children Angelina Jolie adopted from various countries are grateful for that. But sometimes, in the grand scheme of things, the smaller things in life, like a toy truck for the little boy of a fan who thought she would never get pregnant, or a blanket and a journal for a struggling young woman who was having to deal with a massive uprooting, might mean more than any amount of money. It makes my reflective mind think. What kind of impact can one care package have? What kind of impact can one person have? A pretty big one, apparently! So, maybe you don't like Taylor Swift. Maybe you think she can't sing, maybe you think she can't dance. But don't tell me she doesn't care. Don't tell me she doesn't make a difference. I would so much rather tell you that I'm a fan of a girl who can't dance, but who sends care packages and makes home visits and takes selfies with excited fans at Starbucks, than tell you I'm a fan of a lunatic who swings through the air on a wrecking ball or who makes a fool of herself on national television by being disgustingly grotesque on stage and calling it art.
If Taylor Swift can't dance, so be it. Haters gonna hate.
Always, Cassie
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