The Swifties

Flag shown at one of her concerts

    The Swifties are one of the most devoted fan groups that support the famous pop star, Taylor Swift. The name Swifities comes from her last name, Swift. This nickname just distinguishes the die hard Taylor Swift fans from the other fan communities (1). They are so devoted to her music by attending the concerts, purchasing merchandise, and even backing her up with any hardship that comes her way. The Swifties have all different types of ways to express their love for Taylor, one being that they wear all the different colors associated with her albums. For example, the fans wear the color red in cordination to her pop album, Red. Not only do her fans dress the part for her albums, they do so many other events to show their love and support for her music.

Swifties on the Country Side 

    The fandom started way back in 2006, when Taylor started as a 16 year old country singer and released her first album titled, Taylor Swift (2). The Swifties had a major impact on the young stars career as she was a very young artist for the country music platform. The Swifties started out with a bondage with her music as they connect over their mutual broken hearts, her most famous connector being, Picture to Burn (3). Her fans loved this song as they could relate to the lyrics, from either a breakup they experienced or just a hard time that they went through. Taylor Swift started transitioning by adding a touch of pop into her music and he fans started to notice the change. After many country hits, she decided in 2014 that it was finally time to fully switch to pop music with the release of a new album called "1989". Some of her fans didn't agree with this transition, but her die hard fans were supoortive of her decision and are loving it today. 

The Swiftie Activities

Fan's dressed up for Taylor's concerts 

    One of the most popular interactions that Taylor has with her fans is the way she makes all her fans clueless as to what songs she plays at her concerts. In an interview with US Weekly she stated, "Let it be said about the Eras Tour, we're tricksy. That's what we are [and] we enjoy a good, healthy setlist hijinks" (4). The fans always try to plan out what songs she might play at her concerts and it helps keep the Swifties interest in her even more. For example, this video shows a fan's reaction (5) to Taylor's surprise song she added into her tour. Another interaction is how the Swifties wear all the different colors associated with her albums and create unique, custom outfits. For example, the fans wear the color red in cordination to her pop album, Red. 

    Overall, the Swifties are one of the many reasons why Taylor Swift is still rising as she grows further into the pop culture. Taylor's fans can be seen as one of the most interactive fan bases at her concerts (6), as shown in the video. They are one of the most supportive, dedicated fandoms and are crazy about her hit songs, from 2006 country hits to her pop culture rising songs. 

References 

(1)  Swifties. (n.d). Fandom. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://taylorswifts.fandom.com/wiki/Swifties#:~:text=Swifties%20is%20the%20name%20of,trademarked%20the%20word%20'Swifties'. 

(2) Van As, Amber. (n.d). Taylor swift and the story of the swifties fandom. Diggit magazine. https://www.diggitmagazine.com/articles/taylor-swift-and-story-swifties-fandom.

(3) Instrumental, Music. (2022, January 17). Taylor swift- picture to burn (original 2006 audio). Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX9kNqd0Eiw 

(4) Swiak, Miranda. (2023, April 1). Taylor swift explains why she changes 'eras tour' setlist between concerts: 'we're tricksy'. US weekly. https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/taylor-swift-explains-why-she-changes-her-eras-tour-setlist/ 

(5) Nelson, Elle Caroline. (n.d). Two taylor swift fans finding out the surprise songs at the eras tour. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5yOH3pVPNX8

(6) sara. (2019, February 20). Taylor swift- best fan reactions #reputation era. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDwvF8WHZDI