While Taylor Swift is celebrating the release of her brand new album, 1989, we thought it would only be appropriate to express our affection for the singer/songwriter/superstar. Think you are “too cool” to listen to Taylor Swift? Well, the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. Here are some reasons that queer women should revel in a little T-Swizzle. She lezzed up some lyrics during a massive televised show: During the huge iHeartRadio show this fall, Taylor Swift made a tiny but memorable change to her song, “I Knew You Were Trouble”: “When the saddest fear, comes creeping in, that she never loved me, or her, or anyone or anything.” Fans absolutely lost it. Sometimes a tiny acknowledgement, can make all the difference. The fact that Swift decided to do this at a concert like IHR, makes it feel like an act of delicious rebellion. At the 2:36 mark, the bridge in question kicks in.
“Welcome to New York” gives a shout out to Taylor Swift’s queer fans: In the infectious track, “Welcome to New York,” Swift makes it quite clear that she supports her LGBTQ fans. “When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors, took our broken hearts, put them in a drawer. Everybody here was someone else before. And you can want who you want, boys and boys and girls and girls.” She’s buddies with Lena Dunham: A couple of years ago, Taylor Swift was reluctant to claim the label of feminist, but after becoming good friends with writer/director/actress Lena Dunham, Swift is now proudly so. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Swift talks about how her friendship with Dunham, really opened her mind to feminism. “Becoming friends with Lena—without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for—has made me realize that I’ve been taking a feminist stance without actually saying so.”
Swift appeared on the French Canadian talk show, Tout le Monde en Parle this September to show her support for Emma Watson’s UN speech, and to express her stance on being a feminist.
She loves to process: What’s a young woman to do when she’s had her heart stomped on publicly since she was old enough to drive? Process that shit! Swift is notorious for putting her broken heart into lyric form for the whole world to see. While some may find this sort of processing overly-dramatic, once has to admit, it’s also pretty brave. She rocks with Tegan and Sara: While on stage at the Staples Center last year, Taylor surprised her audience by bringing your girlfriends, Tegan and Sara, up on stage to perform “Closer.” Calling Hearthrob “one of my favorites of all time,” Taylor worked the crowd into a frenzy before joining the duo in a rousing version of the tune. Adorableness ensures at 3:58 mark, when Swift encourages thousands of Swifties to bounce around like caffeinated bunnies to one of the queerest songs of the last few years.
She is constantly evolving: It’s been eight years since Taylor Swift released her first album, where she was busy getting teardrops on her guitar and firmly planted in the world of country music. Since then, each album has experimented with new styles and sounds, clearly showing off Swift’s influences as she grows as a musician. 1989 is a melodic electric pop treasure, and is sure to win over an entire new set of Swifties. If all of this hasn’t convinced you to give Taylor Swift a chance, then how about this GIF of Swift’s getting her Tori Amos on at last year’s Grammy Awards.
1989 is available now on iTunes and anywhere you buy music.
