I’ll admit, I have always felt very lukewarm about TaylorSwift. Sure, her songs were catchy and she has this charming dorky/cute thing about her, but it ticked me off that almost all of her songs were about guys. I found myself rolling my eyes when I heard another one of her songs about a failed relationship or heartbreak, giving girls yet another set of cliché lyrics to tweet or set as their Facebook status after a breakup.
My opinion changed though, once I watched the music video for Swift’s new song, "Shake It Off".
Swift, who is notorious for being an awkward dancer, embraced her awkwardness by unsuccessfully attempting a variety of dance styles. In an interview with Rolling Stones Magazine, Swift talked about the dancers she danced with in her music video, saying, “they're doing the most beautiful things, and I'm being embarrassingly bad at it. It shows you to keep doing you, keep being you, keep trying to figure out where you fit in in the world, and eventually you will."
Swift definitely gained my respect, creating a song about her ability to “shake off” the criticism that rolls her way. This song is something everyone can relate to, and with its catchy beat, it’s no wonder this self-empowerment anthem debuted as number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart within one week of its release.
Shake It Off is from Swift’s new album, 1989, which will be released on October 27th. Swift talked about wanting to make this album different than anything she’s done before, and that the inspiration for these songs came from new sources.
"I've had every part of my life dissected — my choices, my actions, my words, my body, my style, my music. When you live your life under that kind of scrutiny, you can either let it break you, or you can get really good at dodging punches. And when one lands, you know how to deal with it. And I guess the way that I deal with it is to shake it off."
My favorite line from Swift’s interview with Rolling Stone Magazine about her new song was when she said, “life can be greatly reflected in your willingness to dance.” I think that’s so true. There’s nothing wrong with being goofy and dancing. I’d rather be judged for my weird dance moves, but have a great time, than be too self-conscious about what others think about me to dance and enjoy myself.
We can often get caught up in what other people think about us, when instead we should be more focused on our own happiness and not the opinions of others. This song serves as a reminder to shake off the negative things in your life, and to be happy instead.
