An Open Letter to Taylor Swift

Holla,

This post is about something that I have been thinking about for quite some time, and I wanted to share it with you. I doubt Swift will ever read this so I will try and direct it to a wider audience.

Swift is 25. Her 1989 World Tour is in full swing, she has broken countless records including the first week of album sales, Vevo music video views, and trends on social media. She has accomplished so much since October 27th, 2014 when her latest album dropped. She lives in New York, hangs out with friends, and works hard to connect with the many fans that make her as successful as she is.

But that's not what I'm going to talk about.

Swift has had a long career of being famous because she sings songs about relationships. I'm not going to bash the content of her music, although it could go deeper than it does. However, I have marvelled at the way her music has changed and drifted over the years to reflect the person she has become today. She is certainly not the same girl who exploded into fame in the early 2000's. Her music and lyrics show that, as it should. But there's something astonishing that we can see after looking at all of this, and I want to shed light on it.

Taylor Swift wrote a song called Mean, which still comes on the radio after 5 years of airtime. It's the classic love story of "I got hurt by you! You are a jerk!" so that's not new. But the lyrics tell you something cool.

//Someday I'll be, living in a big ol' city//And all you're ever gonna be is mean//

Taylor Swift lives in New Freakin York. But it gets better. Take a look at this.

//Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me//And all you're ever gonna be is mean//

Look how tall she is though 

So tall. And you might be thinking "k cool she did the thing woo who cares" but that's not the point I'm trying to make here. Lets take a look at her song Belong With Me from 2008. 

//But she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts//She's cheer captain, and I'm on the bleachers//

Swift doesn't wear t-shirts anymore. In fact, she has gone so far as to start a fashion trend for two piece skirts and heels. There is no mistaking her street style, she is unique but so on point. Not to mention she is confident and beautiful as she does this. I'm not saying "lol wear short skirts cuz taylor" I'm saying she has found her individualism in a world of fake people following a trend. She has found her own trend. 

 

BUT THAT IS NOT THE POINT. 

In each of these songs, Taylor is trying sooo hard to impress and obtain ~a boy~ and this is her solid theme for her entire music career. Get revenge on the boy. Get with the boy. Get with someone else's boy. Feel bad about boy. Go find a new boy. 

And at 25 years old, Taylor Swift has accomplished all of those things she had hoped to do, except win the boy. AND IT TURNED OUT OKAY. She moved to the big ol' city, but didn't do it to rub her popularity in the face of her exes. She did it because she wanted to live there. She's wearing these heels all the time, but not to become the perfect girlfriend. She's doing it because it's cute and she wants to. She ended up finding all the things she was looking for, and she is SINGLE. 

This is as much a lesson for her as it is for me. My insanely concentrated romanticism gives way to a pattern of thinking much like Swift. I've gotta do these things because boys are really the end goal here. 

HECK NO. Women can accomplish the most amazing things, and we don't need to care about finding The One because dang, son, God will come through in that department. He will give you exactly what you need, not what you think you need. 

So wear heels. Wear sneakers! Live in Togo, Saskatchewan. Live in New York, New York! It doesn't matter! Just be available to follow God's guidance, and have personal motivation outside of trying to win someone over. Be an individual. Do crazy stuff. 

and someday maybe you'll be living in the big ol' city.