“The message in the song is a problem we all deal with, an issue we deal with on a daily basis- we don’t live just in a celebrity takedown culture, we live in a takedown culture. People will find anything about you and twist it to where it’s weird or wrong or annoying or strange or bad. You have to not only live your life in spite of people who don’t understand you, you have to have more fun than they do.”
Chances are if you’re under the age of 25, you’ve heard Taylor Swift’s new song ‘Shake It Off.’ The catchy, upbeat, empowering anthem has quickly become another chart topper for the young starlet. In classic T-Swift style, however, the song is more than just a pop hit with a fun video. It’s a song everyone can take something away from.
In the above quote, Swift explains what she wants the audience to understand about the song and this explanation makes me love her more than I already did. She is so right in saying that we live in a ‘takedown culture.’ People are so quick to judge others’ life choices and criticize what makes others’ happy. I’m finding it to be increasingly apparent that people don’t want to see others following their bliss. At 23 years old, I’m at an age where most people around me are making life choices and going down their own paths. Some are committing to full-time, 9-5 jobs, some are going back to school to pursue their Master’s, some are travelling the world. In each situation, I hope these people are doing what makes them happy without worrying about the inevitable judgments from the outside world. Every individual has their own dreams and desires and should have the right to fully ravel themselves in them.
As our girl T-Swift says, ‘haters gonna hate, hate, hate.’ These people will always have something to say. You might as well do what makes you happy because this is your life and no one can live it for you.
