Taylor Swift is much like any other 29-year-old when it comes to her relationship with her body. She’s had to learn to love it.
Unfortunately that’s the kind of society we live in… still. Where skinny is best, according to our models, our celebrity role models, our clothing sizes, and our magazines.
In our social media driven world we are constantly fed images of washboard abs and perfect figures – the kind we apparently should be striving for.
How to improve your daughter’s body image. Post continues after video.
Now imagine that pressure when you’re a millennial superstar singer with millions of fans and millions of red carpets to walk.
We can only imagine what that added level of critique would be like – growing up in the glare of a paparazzo camera flash.
“I learned to stop hating every ounce of fat on my body,” Swift said, in an article she wrote for Elle to celebrate her upcoming 30th birthday.
“I worked hard to retrain my brain that a little extra weight means curves, shinier hair and more energy.
“I think a lot of us push the boundaries of dieting, but taking it too far can be really dangerous. There is no quick fix. I work on accepting my body every day,” she wrote under lesson number four.
This is just one of many incredibly raw, real and to be honest, bloody great reflections Swift made in her article.
Other pearls of wisdom include turning off her social media comments so she “trains my brain to not need the validation of someone telling me that I look hot”.
She also talks about trusting her gut, growing a backbone and learning from her failures.
Swift also made it clear in cases of sexual assault, she believes the victim. She has learnt sleeping in makeup is a big no no, and that not all friendships are lifelong, case in point her famous ‘girl squad’.
In lesson six she again touched on body image stating; “I’ve learned that society is constantly sending very loud messages to women that exhibiting the physical signs of ageing is the worst thing that can happen to us.”
She loves how actor and model Jameela Jamil has talked about this topic.
“Reading her words feels like hearing a voice of reason amongst all these loud messages out there telling women we’re supposed to defy gravity, time and everything natural in order to achieve this bizarre goal of everlasting youth that isn’t even remotely required of men,” Swift wrote.
Basically, we can all learn a thing or two from Taylor Swift’s musings.
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Top Comments
Wow, what an intersectional feminst, helping out women who are both rich and white overcome their arduous trials, such as looking bad in a photo...........*eyeroll*
Oh my God, Taylor Swift is the living, breathing definition of white privilege. White, blonde, attractive, thin, tall, rich, did I miss anything? The only extra level of privilege she's missing is an actual penis.
You have got to be kidding me if you think I will listen to this woman's spectacularly privileged position on feminism.
Does she have a new album about to come out or something? I don’t know what it is that rubs me the wrong way about her, but it all just feels so inauthentic.
But she's friends with Lena Dunham! They've talked about Women's Issues! That makes her a total intellectual feminist!
As opposed to all the other authentic, spontaneous things Taylor Swift does...
Of course there's a reason for this Swift image renaissance. She's got something to sell or needs leverage for a new project. Given her age, I guess her PR team told her that playing the perpetually-wronged teenage ingenue wasn't going to last much longer.
I should have been more clear- I agree with you, pretty much everything she does feels kinda fake.