TAYLOR SWIFT LIFE LESSONS
With millions of fans across the globe, it’s no wonder Taylor Swift’s latest album Midnights has broken records on its release. But even though Taylor, 32, is at the pinnacle of her career and personal life, it hasn’t been plain-sailing over the years. Closer takes a look at how she achieved world domination through adversary…
‘BLOCK OUT THE NOISE’
She became a household name when she released her second album Fearless in 2008, beginning the crossover from country singer to mainstream pop star.
But with worldwide fame came intense scrutiny that dented the star’s self-confidence. In her 2020 documentary, she revealed she’d battled an eating disorder. She said, “People are mean, but we are really mean to ourselves. I work on accepting my body every day.”
Since then, and with the rise of social media, Taylor has learnt ways to deal with the trolling and fame – claiming she now turns off comments and avoids negative press articles all together. She said, “I learned to block out the noise.
Social media can be great, but it can also inundate your brain with images of what you aren’t.”
While she counts Gigi Hadid and Blake Lively as some of her closest friends, her best pal is childhood friend Abigail Anderson, who she takes with her on every tour.
‘GIVE YOUR WORRY TO REAL PROBLEMS’
Taylor dedicates her success to her mum Andrea, 64, dad Scott, 70, and brother Austin, 30. But the Swift family were devastated when Andrea – who Taylor calls her “guiding light” – was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. Opening up in a 2020 interview about how her mum’s illness put her life into perspective, Taylor shared, “It’s taught me that there are real problems, and then there’s everything else. I used to be so anxious about daily ups and downs. I give all of my worry, stress, and prayers to real problems now.”
‘ONLY BITE IF SOMEONE STEPS ON YOU’
Taylor has had public spats with other stars – there was the clash with Katy Perry who reportedly pinched Taylor’s backing dancers for her own tour. A war of words ensued until they made up in 2020. A long-running feud with rapper Kanye West has also been well-documented. It started in 2009 when, at the MTV VMAs, Kanye stormed on the stage and interrupted Taylor receiving her award for Video of the Year to say it should have gone to Beyoncé. The pair seemingly made amends, but the row reared its head again in 2016 after Kanye and his ex-wife Kim Kardashian accused Taylor of lying about agreeing to be involved in a song Kanye had released, branding her a “snake” on Twitter.
Taylor said the ordeal had taught her that being kind doesn’t always reap you r
