When Taylor Swift first rose to fame, her flocks of fans, passionately known as Swifties, formed shortly thereafter. As a proud member of this group, I can attest to the personal benefit it brought to my own life.
After that first Taylor Swift concert I experienced years ago, my mom bought me a bracelet to commemorate the special evening. She never realized this at the time, but that two-dollar purchase would turn out to mean everything to me. Once I had that bracelet on, I subconsciously decided never to take it off. I wore it every day following that unforgettable night, even to middle school dances.
On one particular occasion — after having just completed my second day of an arduous high school math class — I went to lunch to decompress and ended up randomly sitting next to a girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes, who also happened to be sporting the same rubber Taylor Swift bracelet as me. Nervous to strike up a conversation but eager to make a friend, I turned to her and said, “Are you a Taylor Swift fan?” as if the bracelet wrapped around her wrist did not already answer my question. When she confirmed that my assumptions were true, I couldn’t have been happier, and I know that she felt the same way, too. From that point forward, a friendship like no other blossomed, all thanks to Taylor Swift.
Because Taylor brought me my high school best friend, one person I have always “worshiped” is her — in a non-literal way, of course.
To a majority of people, hearing that I "worship" Taylor Swift might come across as extremely ironic, especially since she and I have never even met and she quite literally has no idea I exist. However, to me, she is everything. Taylor is the epitome of kindness and generosity. She gives to those around her without expecting anything in return, whether it comes in the form of paying for someone’s rent or visiting terminally sick children in the hospital. The environment that she creates for her fans is very welcoming. One thing that people who have met her will surely tell you is that when you have a conversation with her, she makes you feel like you are her best friend and the only person in the room who truly matters.
While she is definitely someone I look up to on a personal level, I also respect the way she carries herself in the business world. Most recently, she had her album recordings stolen out from underneath her. The songs she had spent hours handwriting on her bedroom floor were now gone. The songs that teenage girls like myself related to now belonged to someone else, a person who was hungry to make money off her fame and success. Taylor knew that not only was this a devastation to herself, but also to her millions of loyal fans. So she took matters into her own hands, announcing that she would be re-recording each one of the albums that no longer belonged to her. I have a deep admiration not only for how she responded from an artistic standpoint, but also for the fact that she did not let power-hungry record label walk all over her and steal her pride and joy. She set an example of right and wrongfor her fans — an example that will surely never be forgotten.
Even though Taylor does not know who I am, I still consider her one of the greatest people to "worship." I aspire to be like her, someone who does not back down from a fight while also making sure to live their life acting in kindness and making the world a better place. I worship the humble way in which she carries herself when she interacts with her fans and how she is an example for those within the music industry. No matter where my life takes me, I hope to act in the way Taylor does with such grace and compassion. And at the end of the day, I know I will never be too tired to turn on a Taylor Swift song.
Isabelle Kause is a sophomore at Notre Dame studying sociology and minoring in journalism. When she’s not busy, you can find her listening to country music or Taylor Swift or trying out new makeup/skincare products. She can be reached at ikause@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
