After a week of decoding clues, hunting for Easter eggs, and theorizing about the re-release of “Reputation,” Taylor Swift fans were finally able to relax on Saturday.
To celebrate the Friday release of Taylor Swift's “The Tortured Poets Department,” which the artist revealed as a “secret double album” with 15 additional tracks, fans packed a rented photo studio in downtown Los Angeles for a party. listen.
The event, hosted by the SoCal Swifties Club, attracted dozens of women of all ages and a handful of men dressed in moody black-and-white ensembles who drank themed cocktails, exchanged friendship bracelets and speculated whether songs from the new album they were “Joe Songs” or “Matty Songs,” a reference to the singer’s most recent exes, fellow artists Joe Alwyn and Matty Healy.
Taylor Swift fans, affectionately known as Swifties, are an intense bunch. Some of its rather extreme members are a case study in the enthusiastic culture of fandom and celebrity worship. Between referring to the pop star as “mother” in conversations and agreeing that they couldn't go see the latest movie starring another of Swift's exes, Jake Gyllenhaal, fans at Saturday's event are loving her star and They protect her fiercely.
“Swifties tend to be more defensive of Taylor than other fan groups, sometimes to the extreme,” said Erin Asis, a Swiftie who attended the event with her friend Eirena Ewert.
Asis, who lives east of Los Angeles, hosted Ewert, who drove over the weekend from the Fresno area to celebrate the album's release. The pair agreed that some fans behave in extreme ways, citing that many are clamoring for Swift's release of the “Reputation” rerecording, despite the 31-track batch of original music she just released.
“I think we are intense and I will admit that,” said Joy Pangilinan, who founded the SoCal Swifties Club in September 2023 after attending the Eras Tour. “I think it's because we are passionate. I know we get criticized a lot, but like Taylor says, “Forget the haters.” We live as we are ourselves.”
Swifties danced the night away to their favorite songs from their latest album and some classic hits from their previous 10 albums.
(Annie Noelker / for The Times)
Swifties have long been criticized for jumping on anyone who utters a negative word about the singer. Reporter Chris Panella He said he received death threats and incessant harassment from so-called fans in June 2023 after writing an article mildly criticizing the Eras Tour. Fans who attended Saturday's listening party agreed that this sect of Swifties is not at all representative of the group they know.
“You can be a Swiftie on different levels: you can connect with her lyrics or you can dedicate your life to her, but people often forget that she's just a human being,” said Isha Agrawal of Pasadena. “We think she's perfect, but she's not. She has flaws. “Haters shouldn't hate, but I don't think Swifties should attack people.”
Beyond rational condemnation of the faction of Swifties who attack others online, the most common and casual critique against the group of millions is a misunderstanding of fans' undying love for the artist.
For some, like Cassy Simmons, who drove to the listening party from San Diego on Saturday morning, the group's love for Swift is no different than sports fans' rabid enthusiasm for their favorite teams.
“What's different about us going to a concert wearing our bracelets? It’s the same thing as going to a football game and putting on a mask or body paint,” Simmons said. “Leave us alone. Let's enjoy it. Doesn't mean you have to.”
The Swiftie culture that these fans know and identify with, as opposed to watchdog and doxxing on Twitter, has fostered a vibrant community and lifelong friendships for them.
Cassy Simmons, left, takes a selfie with Reagan Baylee, the host of a popular podcast about Swift's music.
(Annie Noelker / for The Times)
“Swifts are my life,” Agrawal said. “I have no other communities outside of this one; It's harder to connect with people. With Swifties, I can be a complete stranger to someone and then have something in common with them. Taylor is probably the most important part of my life. I have dedicated a large part of my life to it and I have seen thousands of people do the same and it is very easy to connect with those people.”
Saturday's celebration, designed to bring together local Swifties, also featured a solid agenda: a bingo game tied to the new album, a fashion show featuring attendees' themed outfits, a “sad poetry” open mic and a dance party to close. the night.
Even with the busy schedule, a big part of the fan base's draw for Saturday's celebration was hearing Reagan Baylee, host of the popular podcast “Swifties School.” The digital content creator led a “Taylor Talk” discussion as part of the four-hour day and came prepared with a notebook filled with thoughts about the album, theories about its meaning and questions to pose to the group.
The interactive discussion involved the group “getting into the trenches” of the album's symbolism, decoding Easter eggs hidden in last week's library installation at the Grove and even doing “flight math” to see if the singer can make it to the Met Gala. in May before his stop in Paris on the Eras Tour.
“I love it when we go crazy,” Baylee told the group as they threw out numbers and theories.
Baylee says the Swiftie community brings together people of all ages and musical tastes, given the rich lyrical and musical diversity of Swift's discography.
“You either get it or you don't,” Baylee said of the culture of the fanbase. “People live so much of their lives online these days and don't realize that this translates offline for a lot of people. “What I hope to do with my content is cultivate that same community and feeling that Taylor has done, but through my own life experiences and our shared love for all the songs and things Taylor has done in this world.”
Fellow Swifties cheered on Brooke Muschott after she performed a poem about their shared love for Swift at the listening party.
(Annie Noelker / for The Times)
That sense of community was in full force at the celebratory gathering, with several fans saying they felt a “brotherhood” or family bond with their fellow fans.
Brooke Muschott, a tortured poet in her own right, aptly summed up the artist's impact on her and her fellow Swifties at the evening's poetry open mic.
“I can open my heart to a room full of strangers because you did it first,” he said. “We survived because of you.”
