It’s been a challenging few weeks for our little family.
Flea’s been having some struggles in her relationship with her Dad – just the usual growing up stuff, but it’s a little more complicated, I think, when you’re not living in the same house as one of your parents.
Those struggles have had knock-on effects on my relationships, in various ways, and there’s probably been a bit more angst around the house than we’re used to.
And on top of that, Flea managed to get clonked in the face by a water bottle at school this week, giving her a nasty black eye that’s painful, and has made her a bit self-conscious.
So… it was the PERFECT time to forget all our worries and head off to see Taylor Swift in concert.
Now, despite what certain friends might think, I happen to believe that Taylor Swift is full-on amazing. She plays the guitar, she writes her own songs, she’s not afraid to be smart in business, and she likes cats. What’s not to love?
Flea definitely agreed. She and my niece threw themselves into the gig, singing along at top volume and dancing their socks off.
I’ve been to quite a few concerts in recent years but this was a definite highlight – the back-up dancers were incredible, the music was brilliant (imho) and it was fab to see Flea having a blast.
We jumped like fools to Shake it Off and stomped around to “I knew you were trouble”, and ohmygoodness, I just loved every bit of it.
There were some lovely touches to the concert – on each seat was a wristband that suddenly lit up when Taylor came on stage, and pulsed in time to the music. I loved seeing all the girls dressed up – there were ballerinas, cheerleaders, foxes, and a hundred other outfits. I loved how the pre-show featured YouTube videos of Taylor Swift fans doing covers of her songs.
I love how Taylor Swift is openly friendly to fans. None of this, “I’m ignoring you now because I am Special and Chosen.” Pfft. Of course, you can argue that Taylor’s “you’re all my Internet friends and I love that I can talk to you all about what you’re going through” might seem dubious given she’s a gazillionaire pop star, but isn’t it brilliant to have someone that, as a Mum to a girl, I think, “Yes. There’s someone who’s telling my girl to be strong, and kind, and have fun, and be herself”?
Because that’s certainly not what I thought when I saw Ariana Grande a few weeks back. During THAT performance I mostly thought, “Blimey, why are you even wearing a sweater if you’re just going to wear it round your elbows like that?” followed by, “God, I bet I sound just like my grandmother.”
Anyway, last night I thought it was fantastic that between songs, there were video messages from Taylor’s famous and not-so-famous friends, talking about the importance of friendship and of women supporting one another. About how it’s easy to tear each other down but that the real victory comes from being sisters to one another, even if we’re not related. At one point Jaime King said, “There is NO competition, we can just have each others’ backs,” and I thought seeing thousands of young girls cheering that sentiment was pretty cool.
And I loved Taylor.
I loved that she had an audience of 15,000 (mostly) young girls in the palm of her hand and told them that you can’t confuse your Behind-the-Scenes movie with someone else’s highlight reel. I loved that she told them that taking hours to respond to a text message just to play with someone’s head isn’t flirting; it’s just rude.
I loved that she told girls it’s okay to date, it’s okay to make mistakes, and it’s okay to just be your own person. That success is about having more fun than everyone else, not fitting in with them.
That’s the sort of message I want my girl to hear, loud and clear. Check out the video below for a snippet of The World According to Taylor…
Ok so I have to say that the string of ‘dates’ that Taylor Swift is known for doesn’t make me like her as a role model, but I guess at 10 my daughter is pretty unaware of that aspect of her life. So yes, her outward attitude is a good one. And her songs are huge fun. Plus, I can’t tell from your photo, but I’m guessing she was wearing more than dental floss below the waist so yes, she totally beats Arianna Grande for me!
Sorry Flea’s had a bad couple of weeks – lucky she’s got such fab opportunities to distract her 🙂
It’s interesting the dating thing – for me, Taylor is 25 and has probably publicly dated a dozen men over the past 10 years. That’s probably comparable to a lot of women, and I’m not sure I’d have any concerns if Flea followed suit – I’d be WAY more concerned if she married the first guy she dated, or didn’t date at all!
I’ve chatted with Flea about the notion of “slut shaming” and how some people (male and female) will imply that dating or sleeping with other people is a bad thing, but that providing you’re honest and safe and treat people with respect, then there’s no reason not to date as few or as many people as you choose. Personally, I think it says a lot about the media that Taylor Swift is seen as a “serial dater” rather than “a perfectly normal young woman who dates”
I’ve watched lots of interviews with Taylor Swift and I have to say I think she comes across a pretty well-rounded young lady. She is doing something she loves, she shows loads of respect and gratitude for her fans and she isn’t trashy like sooooo many other young ‘role models’. We absolutely LOVE Shake It Off, could there be a more fun song?! Great post, looks like you had lots of fun.
On the flip side sorry to hear things haven’t been great for Flea, the dynamics of a split family are never easy for any of the concerned parties (I am the wicked stepmother) but it’s definitely the kids who are the important ones. I hope her eye and family life improves very soon x
I am totally with you – I loved how grateful she is to her fans, so many slebs aren’t like that AT all. And it was such a fun concert 🙂
I’m 11 years old, and for me, Taylor Swift is my idol. She is my inspiration, my enthusiasm, and my Queen. My dream is to meet or see Taylor one day, and for my 11th birthday, I was given tickets to a Taylor Swift concert, so I can’t wait!
That speech was amazing too!
– http://www.whatlexieloves.blogspot.com
I wanted to write this as a separate comment though.
Ever so sorry to hear Flea has been having a rough few weeks. I really hope everything will come through soon enough!
Hey Lexie, thanks for commenting – I know you’ll have an awesome time at the concert, it’s amazing!
Hope Flea is back to her self soon
x
I love Taylor Swift her stuff is SO catchy
Thanks lovely x
*whispers* I might actually be coming around to good ole Tay-Tay.
I think the comment about her being a serial dater depressing.
You’ll be singing along before you know it.
As role models go, she is definitely one of the better ones. I do like the way she tries to empower girls which is what we all want to do for our daughters.
And please don’t tell anyone this but I actually really like her music too 😉
Shake it Off. Bona fide classic.
I agree wholeheartedly that Taylor Swift is a brilliant role model for young girls. My 11yr old and her friends are like sponges soaking up the influences all around them, and the messages Taylor sends out about being yourself, having respect for yourself and others, friendship and female solidarity speak directly to them in such a positive way. And I absolutely loved her recent stand against Apple – she’s an example to us all!
Completely agree on the sponges remark – it’s amazing how much kids pick up from what these celebs say and do – and how much better to hear Taylor’s message than some of the others out there?
God I love Taylor Swift even more now!
Also, maybe just a little jealous you got to see her live!
It was A-MA-ZING and worth every penny, if you ever get a chance, go for it!
Hope things are stabilising at home and YAY to Taylor Swift, we need more women telling our girls that we need to stand together, we need to treat each other with respect and that it is ok to not be perfect (perhaps an easier message if you look like Taylor than the back end of a bus but you get my drift)
Thanks – yes, I do wonder rather how many bad hair days Taylor has but then I’m just old and bitter, probably.
It’s so nice to see someone so young and famous act and conduct herself so humbly. She comes across so grounded! Fantastic role model to young girls, and it’s a relief for me that my own daughters love her songs over those of Ariana Grande too 😉