Hi, so I created this account so I could basically write about my inspiration in life - Taylor Swift. ❤️ Not only is her music amazing, I love the way she speaks out and stands up for women’s rights. People have thrown so much at her over the years but she fights back in a way that is clever and so much more effective. I also love how if people tell her she can’t do something she doesn’t give up and ends up proving them wrong. She didn’t just end up where she is, she had to work hard and keep trying despite all the rejections she faced before her first record deal.
People sometimes wonder if these songs take me back there and remind me of those horrendous times I experienced for years. They do take me back there in a way but not in the way people think. I always listen to those albums especially around the anniversaries because they bring back the same warm feelings that they have always done. It takes me back to the only thing that felt like safety and power during that time. Those moments when I turned up Taylor’s songs and sang along with her like I was telling everyone what was happening because I couldn’t actually find the words myself. Autism can make it hard to communicate and explain things so I use her songs to help me tell people how I am feeling. Songs like ‘Change’, ‘Tell me Why’, ‘You’re not Sorry’ and ‘White Horse’ helped me to find my words and tell my school what was happening to me. Although they are not actually about what I was going through at the time, I could relate to a lot of the lyrics and I could pull out the ones I needed to help me. In ‘You’re not Sorry’, Taylor says she doesn’t want to hurt anymore and I didn’t want to either. I have learned more from Taylor than I ever did at school about women’s rights and abuse. Without her, I don’t know when I would have learnt that I was not on my own and that this was actually something that I shouldn’t have to be going through. I learnt to show him that I wasn’t bulletproof and this meant that I then felt able to also speak to a charity and get support from them for years. If Taylor’s music hadn’t have helped me to break the silence then I may never have got the chance to speak to this charity that helped me so much or ever form friendships with other young people online through that charity. ‘Long Live’ gave me and other young people I spoke to hope that we could rule the world and that we might one day be remembered. We used to imagine a world where this was true, a life where we were safe and the people who hurt us could never reach us. We could see it so clearly that I can still picture our world as if we only just created it today. We would speak about Taylor’s songs and how we could relate to them even though our situations and experiences may have been different. Back then, Fearless and Speak Now helped us to feel stronger. Those albums and all of Taylor’s music continue to make me feel that way all these years later. I will never forget all the other young people I once knew and will always hope that they are all ruling the world in their own way.
What connects so much of my life together is Taylor’s music. So yes, Taylor was there when I told the school and the abuse finally stopped. She was even there when it was actually happening, she may never have set foot in the places where this happened but her voice could be heard. She has been there throughout all my losses, my hospital admissions, the times when I have felt like I can’t carry on. She was there before and after I took the stand in court for the case about the years of sexual abuse. She was there when the jury didn’t believe me and returned a ‘not guilty’ verdict.
BUT she has also been there for all the good times too, like the moment I felt like I did finally win and did trade my baseball cap for a crown when I became a volunteer counsellor 6 years ago for the same charity that had supported me after I told. I think it is amazing how I was listening to her music as a young person whilst typing to volunteer counsellors and now I listen to her music whilst I am on the opposite side of the computer, this time as the volunteer counsellor listening to young people.
Through Taylor, I learnt how to speak now and found my own version of what it means to be fearless and I hope that every other young person gets the opportunity to find that too.
Since 2008/2009 I have hoped to meet Taylor and although I haven’t been lucky enough to yet, I will always hope that one day I will be able to thank her in person (miracles happen!) but for now I will type this. Thank you Taylor! You and your music really have changed the world ❤️ Love you forever Taylor - You will most likely never see this but I really hope you always know how loved and appreciated you are ❤️
@taylorswift @taylornation
