Does being a celebrity have to equal no privacy?

It’s no surprise Taylor Swift is currently the biggest celebrity in the world. In the past year alone, Swift has been the TIME person of the year, played 149 sold out The Eras Tour shows, sold over 6 million tickets to The Eras Tour, and still had time to bring out The Eras Tour movie on Disney+, along with a double album in April, The Tortured Poets Department and The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology. Swift’s The Eras Tour is so popular, that it was sold out within minutes, with those not lucky enough to get tickets choosing to Tay-gate at the venues instead, by sitting out the front of each stadium, or staying home and watching livestreams on social media.

Swift has also started a new romance with NFL star Travis Kelce, which is highly scrutinised daily, with everyone having an opinion. Swift is not only attending her tight-end beau's NFL games, but is bringing along the Swifties who are hoping to catch a glimpse of the popstar during the game, with the NFL claiming to have “massive increase in viewership”. A quick Google search of “Taylor Swift NFL” features numerous articles regarding Swift’s outfits being ranked, Swift being accused of causing Kelce to be "out of shape" and not performing properly during his games, and a comparison of Kelce’s stats from 2022 when he and Swift were not an item, to now.

Being the number one celebrity in the world, Taylor Swift has no privacy, with paparazzi and fans stalking out each of her homes, favourite restaurants and recording studio for a glimpse of the star. If Swift steps out with friends, it is immediately broadcasted to the world in seconds. Whatever Taylor Swift does, the world knows in record time, along with opinions from reporters, fans, enemies, foes, you name it, Swift has been portrayed in every single light possible – ‘she is shown too much during the NFL game’, ‘she is the reason Travis is playing great’, ‘she is the reason Travis isn’t playing great’, ‘Swift was out for dinner with Gigi Hadid without Travis – have they broken up?!’ ‘Swift and Kelce have baby fever’. These examples are recent headlines that have been written about Taylor Swift. Yes, she is the biggest celebrity in the world, does that mean she deserves to be watched 24/7? Does it mean that she deserves people out the front of her home with long cameras starting it? We share our thoughts on media posts about Taylor Swift here, but we know when lines have been crossed, and know that everyone does deserve to have a private life. 

A Tale as Old as Time

It's 2008, and I am sitting in the front passenger seat of my mum's old blue Barina, my little sister directly behind me while mum reverses up the driveway to head out for the afternoon. As mum finishes reversing and puts the Barina into drive, my fingers are already reaching for the stereo (we did not have Apple Carplay back then), ready to put my favourite radio station on when I hear "You were Romeo you were throwing pebbles" (Swift, 2008). Mum turns to me saying 'this is Taylor Swift, do you like her music?', I replied 'she's okay, but she is dating Joe Jonas', as a moody freshly turned teenager does (one who also believed that she would one day marry Nick Jonas mind you), and knew the second we returned home I would immediately be on Limewire downloading every possible Taylor Swift song that I could download for my iPod Nano. I guess now is the time to apologise to my parents for the constant computer viruses...

After my Nano was filled with Taylor Swift songs, that was it, I was a Swiftie, who turned my sister into a Swiftie, my mum into a Swiftie, and even my dad into a Swiftie. Love Story was our jam, You're Not Sorry brought us to tears, and my mum hoped Fifteen would ensure my sister and I made the correct choice to not get our hearts broken. Taylor and her two released albums at the time (Debut and Fearless) was all we listened to, again and again, during an interstate move, the breakdown of my parents marriage, for the start and end of my first relationship, and more. 

Each of Taylor's albums hold meaning to her fans, core memories for me are listening to each of the albums with my mum and sister, screaming the lyrics to the songs with them, while also trying to explain to our mum what the song is about (it was a very long ten minutes when Red (Taylor's Version) was released with All Too Well 10 minute version). Her music resonates with her fans, and helps them through things, as it helped during the breakdown of my parents marriage, and ultimately mine. Being able to see the Eras Tour Concert in Sydney with my sister was amazing, and there was no one else I would have wanted to scream the lyrics all night long with, so thank you Taylor, for ensuring my relationship with my sister is concrete through your music. 

(Image by Getty Images)