This “22” year old young lady (and also the song title of one of Taylor Swift’s most popular songs) had the BEST night of her entire life last night, alongside her big sis, dear friends and thousands and thousands of diehard, screaming “Swiftie” fans of all ages.
Rachel is a devoted “Swiftie” through and through, and has been that way for a long time now so when she couldn’t get tickets upon their first release some 18 months ago to see her idol live at one of her 6 sold out shows in Toronto, she was beyond devastated. As resale ticket prices quickly grew into the thousands, she obsessed over finding other creative ways of seeing Taylor in concert. Some of which included looking into the cost of air travel to other cities and countries as well as entering contests from sponsors giving tickets away locally where she would text both her siblings and parents 5x a day for weeks on end, ensuring we all had the codes ready to enter (I would really love to meet anyone who actually won tickets this way!).
Then, with only a week before her first Toronto concert dates, Ticketmaster released more tickets. One very loving dear friend of ours who already had tickets to last night’s show got into the queue, texted Rachel right away, letting her know, and as they say, the rest is history.
Her mood changed in an instant. Manifesting works people. She was suddenly happier than a pig in shit and as a parent, there is no better feeling in the whole wide world than knowing your children are happy.
Quickly, her mental state and focus shifted from how she would get to see Taylor live and in concert to what she was going to wear. Her and Hannah spent hours together between work and school commitments, making friendship bracelets (a Swiftie tradition) and creating the perfect outfits by hand. Suddenly, Rich and I found ourselves jealous that we weren’t going too. Especially Rich who began watching her concerts livestreaming with the girls and listening to her music in his car. A baby boomer Swiftie fan or a dad who was over the moon happy, knowing how happy this made his daughter feel. Either way, she bought him a souvenir t-shirt last night!
Many people have questioned what the obsession with Taylor Swift is and why would anyone want to spend an exuberant amount of money for one night to see their idol in concert, many forgetting how they would’ve done the same thing back in the day for a chance to see the Beatles or Michael Jackson or even by today’s standards to see their favourite sports team in the Stanley Cup playoffs or Superbowl.
The influence of social media has definitely changed the game, though, since the Beatles or even Michael Jackson eras. Fans now have a real time and intimate look into the lives of their favourite celebrities, making their obsessions take over their lives in an even bigger way. The dopamine release of happy hormones is constant. And who doesn’t want to feel happy, God knows, I sure as heck do.
I can definitely see what the obsession is, as, even in the face of so much criticism, Taylor writes songs that are relatable to so many of us, both young and old, she has an unwavering commitment to being authentic and kind, she is a leader, she gives back, shows her vulnerabilty to the world, uses her platform for good, demonstrates resilience, is a beacon of empowerment and puts on a damn good show. So if Taylor Swift can give someone that dopamine boost they so desperately need or deserve, whether live on stage or from the comfort of their home, let her. There are plenty of unhealthy obsessions people struggle to overcome in their daily lives and there is plenty of hardship and sadness in the world right now, so whether you’re “22” or “62” (as Rich is) remember that there are plenty of worse role models out there that her fans could be obsessing over and let’s all “just keep dancing like we’re 22” instead.
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YouAreEnough 