"Drew looks at me
Can’t he tell that I can’t breathe?
And there he goes so perfectly
The kind of flawless I wish I could be"
-Taylor Swift, Teardrops on My Guitar
Although Taylor Swift may come off as insecure by writing songs about guys, ex-boyfriends and past relationships, the platinum album artist’s strategic placement of lyrics as well as her actions in releasing her detailed, personal work shows how confident and secure of a person she really is.
Take, for example, the above lyrics from one of Swift’s earliest singles, "Teardrops on My Guitar." Initially, the lyrics showcase Swift as sad and insecure as she is wishing she was “flawless” and seems to have difficulty breathing around some boy. What you may not know is that Swift is calling out the guy she has feelings for (and uses his real name) in that song she knew was going to be internationally released with her album "Fearless." Plus, how many of us girls would ever admit that the guy who never paid a grain of attention to us was someone we saw as “flawless”? Slim to none.
Some argue that the pop sensation calling her ex-boyfriends out in her songs only proves her insecurity further. Swift is not acting like a sophomore in high school and sub-tweeting about her boyfriend to her 239 followers. She is not Amanda Bynes, calling random people out on random tangents. Rather, she is placing the explicit details of her experiences and emotions into her own artistic work for millions of people to hear. That takes serious guts.
In addition to addressing her emotions and the people of her personal life, Swift addresses the media and her “haters” in her most recent hit single, "Shake It Off." Throughout the music video, Swift addresses her bad dancing that the media and several fans have poked fun at her for. The “bad dancer” makes fun of herself by awkwardly dancing with various groups of ballet, modern and hip hop dancers. Clearly, it takes a confident person to not only laugh at themselves, but also take the time to make an entire music video doing it.
In an interview with National Public Radio, Swift states that she is aware of her insecurities and flaws that people point out. While most of us would block criticism out or simply refuse to deal with our insecurities/critiques by putting up walls, Swift states, “As a songwriter, I can’t develop thick skin. I cannot put up protective walls, because it is my job to feel things.”
The fact that Swift is choosing to open herself in vulnerability, experience whatever may come next and share it to connect with people is just unbelievable to me. Imagine a time where you felt the most vulnerable, the most hurt, the most confused, the most lost you have ever felt. Imagine putting those raw feelings into words, into a melody, into a song. Imagine recording that song and then releasing it to the entire world. You have to be secure with who you are if you are going to be broadcasting your deepest emotions.
Whether you agree or disagree with the statement that Taylor Swift is one of the most confident people of our generation, she’s won seven Grammys and her album "1989" has sold more records than any other album within this year. She’s gotta be doing something right.
