When I was twelve, my now-best-friend-of-ten-years forcibly shoved her headphones into my ears whilst repeatedly saying “honestly, you’ll love this song. I found it on my sister’s iPod and I know you’ll be obsessed too’. It was Taylor Swift’s Love Story. Little did I know that the next ten years of my life would be defined by this moment, and significantly improved by this mutual love for Taylor Swift.
We would listen to her music before, during and after class. Her posters went up on my bedroom walls whilst we danced to her albums. She, essentially, took over my life (in a good way, obviously). I suddenly had someone to turn to when I wasn’t feeling worthy (Tied Together with a Smile), when the boy I fancied didn’t want anything to do with me (Teardrops on My Guitar), and when I was falling in love with the idea of being free and unapologetically in love (Fearless). But listening to her music wasn’t just a solitary event – shortly after we fell in love with her, my best friend moved to a school the other side of town, and I had no idea if I would ever see her again. We stayed in contact, though, coming together to play Singstar and go on adventures to the local shops and stage full on photoshoots that we then spent all afternoon editing on photoshop. The main memories that we reminisce on now, however, the ones that over ten years later are still so vivid in our minds, are the ones that included Taylor Swift; the album release sleepover parties we’ve hosted for every album since becoming fans, the numerous dance parties we’ve had and, of course, the concerts.
Concert prep is a LOT of fun when you go all out. Once the initial ticket buying stress is forgotten and the tour has started, it’s very important to understand the overriding ‘look’ of that era, references to moments or outfits or poignant lyrics that could potentially be made into a costume. Once a certain look has been decided on, that’s when the creativity really begins. Fabric pens and glitter glue and, once we got older, iron on sheets were bought in abundance so that we could wear our favourite lyrics proudly on our chest. We glitter glued until we couldn’t move our fingers, we cut and stuck until our arms were sore. It was hardcore, a preparation for battle in which only one thing mattered; am I wearing enough fairy lights?
Being a fan of Taylor Swift didn’t only keep me in contact with my best friend, it has brought me so many new friends; I’ve met/hung out with/had dinner with/been in text groups with girls who I have one major thing in common with – the fact that we are fans of Taylor Swift. We’d meet in varying places; outside radio shows, in merch lines, waiting for the doors to open at concerts, and slowly but surely (with major help from social media) we’d end up staying in touch, fully aware of each other’s lives being lived so far away from each other, but still connected in some way. These people have become my biggest support network; they comment love and compliments on my social media posts, are always willing to support me in times of need and can always be relied on for a good pick-me-up. They are, essentially, a group of really great friends. That we have been brought together by a mutual love for music, too, means we have a lot in common. We understand an underground world of being so immersed in love for someone that you’ve never met in a way that makes our bond unexplainable. We just get each other. It’s the most unexpected basis of a friendship but it is nothing short of perfect.
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