Taylor Swift is pretty much the most relatable singer out there... or is she? You're not so sure anymore. The truth is that your love for T-Swift has definitely been tested over the past year or so. The news hasn't always been kind to her and that's probably the understatement of the century. Sure, you adore her music and songs like "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "Shake It Off" have gotten you through the worst of times. And you will always love following her interesting and perpetually changing love life. But let's be real here, the Taylor Swift of 2017 is a lot different from the girl of 2014 or even 2015, and you're not really sure what happened. You totally get that people change and grow but this really seems like something different.
Here are 15 things about Taylor Swift that you just don't understand. You would definitely love some answers.
16 Her Girl Squad
People have said that Taylor is kind of a mean girl because of her girl squad, and while you don't want to think that about her, you kind of can't argue. It definitely seems to be that way, right? Why is she only friends with fellow famous people or models? When you break her squad down and look at the people in it, they literally only seem to be famous celebrities or models. What, she doesn't know some normal people? She doesn't keep in touch with any of her childhood friends or anyone from before she was famous? You honestly expected more from her and you don't get why she only hangs out with the rich and famous. Is that some kind of rule for friendship in her world? It seems like something new and you don't understand it. You're not sure that you ever will and you think that other fans totally agree.
15 Her Rags To Riches Story
The truth is that the Taylor of today just isn't all that relatable. You don't know what happened to the girl from a small town who dreamed of a country music career. She wrote songs about being bullied as a child and always being an outsider. You could really relate because of course you've gone through that stuff too since literally every kid and teenager has. It's just part of growing up. But now? You almost want to laugh at the idea that you could relate to Taylor Swift. She's truly got this rags to riches story going on and it's like she only wants people to think of her as this big celebrity who is super successful and wealthy. She does fabulous things, goes to fabulous places and only hangs out with people as fabulous as she is. You don't get it because that was never her whole deal. She was always this country girl who didn't fit in and to be honest, you miss that.
14 Why She Takes Forever To Put Out New Music
Her last album, 1989, came out in 2014. 2014, people. That is a really long time okay. Sure, her new album is apparently coming out this year, but that is still a really long gap, especially considering how many people love her music and have been waiting not-so-patiently for new songs. It's not like she has any shortage of personal and romantic expense to write about (more on that later). She has honestly lived a lot in the past few years and it seems like she never should have waited this long. If it was up to you, she would have a new album out every year. No, you don't think that's too much to ask for. She loves writing and recording, right? So wouldn't she agree? You just hate the gaps between new music and you refuse to understand them. You think that other fans agree with you too.
13 What She's Been Doing
In 2015, Taylor heavily toured for her 1989 album. In 2016, she only did one concert which was in Austin. So naturally, you have no idea what she's been doing. Seriously, what did she do all of 2016 if she didn't tour and if she didn't seem to be working on a new album? You really want to know. When you think about T-Swift, you picture her either happily recording, furiously writing songs, or touring and performing. So if she wasn't doing those, you have no clue what she could have possibly been spending her time on. Okay wait, you just had a total brainwave and now you're totally convinced that you know exactly how she has been spending her time. She's been hanging out with her equally rich and famous girl squad and dating up a storm. Basically, she's been busy being Taylor Swift. Or at least the Taylor Swift that she's created in the past few years.
12 All Her Ex-Boyfriends
It's become a cliché at this point to say that Taylor Swift dates a lot. You get that she's not the only person to have a lot of ex-boyfriends and that she deserves to find true love as much as anyone else. But you really don't get the sheer volume of ex-boyfriends that she has. She seems to have dated anyone who is anyone in the music and acting industry and you don't know why the relationships only seem to last anywhere from a month to maybe six months tops. She doesn't seem like a loser or like someone who can't keep a boyfriend around. In fact, she seems like a really good contender for a good girlfriend. She's smart, she seems sweet, and she's definitely successful with a good work ethic. Aren't those things that guys want in a girl?! You don't get all her ex-boyfriends and you know that you're not alone there.
11 Her Single Period
In 2014, around the time that 1989 came out, Taylor said in interview after interview that she was single... and absolutely thrilled about it. You don't really get that, though. If she was so into dating and having a million relationships, why would she be so glad to be single? Was that just for show and for the media's benefit? Or was it for real? You have no idea. If she was so happy being single, then you don't get all the relationships that she had in 2016. You just don't. You're never sure that you will ever really get to the bottom of exactly why Taylor was single for what seemed like such a long time and why she suddenly changed her tune. It would be great if she could write a song (or ten) about it but you're just going to have to be patient and wait and see what happens in terms of her next musical offerings.
10 The Katy Perry Feud
From Katy Perry to Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, it's no secret that Taylor has fought with a lot of famous people over the past few years. You don't get the Katy Perry feud because you think that women should support each other. You also wouldn't expect either one of them to be jealous of a fellow female singer because let's be real here, they're not the only two successful women to be pop stars. They seem to have separate things going on and separate fan bases and neither one is hurting for money or success or attention. It seems like they were friends at one point but then, as the rumor goes, Katy apparently stole back-up dancers from Taylor. That really doesn't make any sense. She must have been able to find other ones, right? But you don't want to call Taylor a liar. It's just a whole big mess that honestly makes your head hurt.
9 The Kanye West Thing
The Kanye West thing is like the pop culture gift that keeps on giving. You don't know why they keep bringing this up and why it has become such a big deal. You're also not really sure whose side of the story you believe, either, and that really confuses you. You don't want to call one of your favorite singers a liar and you're not sure that it would serve her well to be anything other than honest, either. But you don't necessarily want to call Kanye a liar, either, and there is some cell phone proof that you can't really argue against that, either. Sigh. You're not sure what you should think about this because it honestly doesn't even seem real. It definitely seems like it bugs Kanye more than it does Taylor since she has recently spoken out on the issue and said that she never wanted to be part of this whole deal.
8 Her Relationship Hopping
What you really want to know about Taylor Swift is why her relationships end so quickly and why she always seems to be hopping from one relationship to the next. This seriously seemed to get even worse and even more obvious in 2016. She jumped from Calvin Harris to Tom Hiddleston. It was like whiplash for your brain. You honestly thought that she really liked Calvin and that things were going well. It seemed like they were well-matched since they are both in the music industry and could understand each other's busy schedules, which honestly seems like half the battle when it comes to celebrities dating. They were together for 15 months which is like 10 years in the Taylor Swift universe. Then all of a sudden she was not with Calvin anymore but seem out and about with Tom... and then after three months, they were totally over. Say what?
7 What Really Happened With Jake
All you know about this relationship is that it was probably (most likely and 100 percent) the real life story behind Taylor's beautiful song "All Too Well." Based on those amazingly well-written song lyrics, you kind of get the whole deal. You know that they took a road trip through a bunch of small towns during the fall season. There were crunchy pretty leaves and lattes and all that good stuff. They most likely drove to his childhood home where she met his brother and mom. And of course, she saw pictures of him as a kid. Then he stole her scarf and kept it even though they broke up. Yup, that's pretty much all that you have. You want to know what really and honestly happened between these two. They seemed like an unlikely match and yet the same time, they were pretty adorable together. Anyone that could inspire such a great song was probably boyfriend material.
6 Her Instagram Changes
Remember the good old days of Taylor Swift's Instagram? It was like one big advertisement for pumpkin spice lattes and holding baking and hanging out at home getting cozy with her cat Meredith. Now her Instagram account is solely devoted to how fabulous she is. It is all about her famous friendships and her concerts and her selfies. You are really sad that her old posting style is gone because you loved checking in with her account just a few years back. It was like visiting the Instagram feed of a really good friend and it was a happy part of your day. It was like you could imagine the two of you being BFFs, baking cookies together and drinking coffee. Now that's all gone because no matter how much you dream and wish, you're never going to be a celebrity and therefore you two can never be friends. Sob.
5 Whether Or Not She's Humble
Sometimes Taylor seems really, really humble, like when she says that she is just shocked that she has won yet another Grammy. Then there are times when it seems like she is just pretending to be surprised and she is really not that shocked after all. It is impossible to know whether or not she is humble because she must know how successful she is. And her team must tell her their predictions for what awards she's going to win (as in all of them). You are never sure how humble she is and if she is really a good person who doesn't understand her place in the fame game or if it is all just calculated and manipulated so she gets the most attention of any singer. You hate thinking the latter because it is so bitter and dark but you're really not sure sometimes. That's how crazy famous she has become in recent years.
4 If She's A Dork Or A Princess
Seriously, this question is a huge one and it depends on the day, the weather or the interview. Sometimes Taylor seems like a huge dork and she's totally proud of it. When she debuted her song "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" she danced around (proving that she is not the greatest dancer ever) and seemed like she was okay with her nerd status. She also wrote her song "Shake It Off" and danced badly on purpose in the video to prove that she can poke fun at herself and it's really no big deal. But then she wins a billion awards all the time and hangs out with celebrities and seems like a modern day princess. You're not sure which one she is and it's hard to know. Sometimes it seems like it really does depend on a whole bunch of random factors. Hey, maybe she doesn't even know if she's a nerd at heart or not.
3 If She Gets Star Struck
Taylor Swift has met everyone from the Barefoot Contessa to Katy Perry and you have to wonder if she ever gets star struck (especially when she dates equally famous people like John Mayer or Harry Styles). On the one hand, her whole deal as a country turned pop singer who is just a normal girl would suggest that she gets totally freaked out. You know, the way that you would be if you spend a day cooking with Ina Garten. On the other hand, she has truly transited to a bonafide star in the past few years (really, since 2014) and so you think that meeting celebrities is just a part of her life. She probably is super used to it by now. But you would love to know how she really feels and so this really confuses you whenever you stop and think about it. You wish you could understand how she relates to celebs but sadly, you will probably never know.
2 Why She Cut Her Hair
On a less serious (but equally important note), you have to wonder why Taylor Swift cut her hair. Around the time that she debuted 1989, she also debuted her newly short hair. And to be totally honest, you were pretty sad about this. Maybe you're too attached to a celebrity's hair and maybe you should think more carefully about that. But she had such great hair before that. You were really into her long blonde hair that was usually straight and you especially thought that she pulled off bangs really well. As any female knows, bangs are just the hardest thing to wear. Some people really look great and others look like they are still in preschool. So it's a really tricky thing that depends on the individual. Why did Taylor give that up? Why would she want such short hair? You have so many questions and so few answers.
1 Who She Really Is
So at the end of the day, you have one major question on your mind: who is Taylor Swift? Is she the country girl turned pop star who is now a major force in the entertainment world and only picks friends based on their fame and fortune? Is she still the girl next door who is finding it hard to deal with her newfound place in the spotlight? Is she all of these girls and more? Or is she none of them and it's all just one big publicity ploy? You really have no idea and the more you think about it, the less that you know. This is something that really bugs you and gets under your skin, but you're just going to chalk up Taylor Swift's real personalty as one of the great mysteries of the universe. You're going to forget about this for now and just hope for new music. At least you know that her next album is going to be really, really good. Phew.
