Taylor Swift's new documentary has provided an intimate, humorous, emotional, and vulnerable look into her life over the past few decades- focusing primarily on the past few years. But what fans did not expect was for the personal life of one of the biggest pop-stars on the planet to be so relatable.
Today, we will be exploring some of the most relatable moments from this beautiful and thought-provoking documentary and how these moments made us laugh, cry, and feel validated in our own struggles.
The "Impossible Standards" Moment
In an emotional and vulnerable moment in the documentary, Swift opens up about her past struggles with disordered eating and the ways that the would punish herself when negative headlines were written about her body.
She then begins a small rant about the impossible nature of the standards of beauty that we have created and forced upon women in our society and how damaging they can truly be. Anyone who has ever stood in front of their bathroom mirror and wondered why they did not look like someone else can relate to the clear frustration in her voice in this powerful scene.
Benjamin Playing On The Piano
In an earlier scene in the film, Swift can be seen attempting to play a song on her piano with the youngest of her three cats playing on the keys. Anyone who has ever owned a kitten can relate to the adorable frustration of trying to complete a task while the pet needs to be right beside you and also involved.
The moment ends with her removing the cat from the internal mechanisms of the piano that he sought to explore in another truly relatable moment to cat owners and lovers everywhere.
Defending Her Political Stance To Her Father
Politics has become a truly divisive topic in recent years and many have found that the line between the two American parties have become thicker and harder to cross. And many younger people have found that they are having to stand up for their beliefs to their older family members and that doing so can be a rather emotional affair.
In a tear-filled scene, Swift defends not only her beliefs but her right to voice them during a debate with her father, who believes that celebrities shouldn't get involved in such things and that doing so could put his daughter in harms way. Swift's eyes brim over with tears as she attempts to explain just how important this move is to her and tries to make him understand her motivations.
Her "Nice Girl/Good Person" Fears
The documentary opens with a voice-over by Swift herself as she explains some of the issues that her core needs and previous image had created for her. She expresses a fundamental need to be a good person and to be praised. And later in the film, she explores how the combination of those needs ended up muzzling her due to unfair assumptions on what nice girls can and cannot do.
This was a touching moment for many viewers as a need for praise and validation is a basic human trait. We want people to let us know that we are doing a good job and are on the right path. And people who are concerned with being good people often find themselves wondering if they are as good as they hope to be or if they are secretly the bad guy. Her fears echoed the shared anxieties of so many viewers and was truly calming to hear coming from her as well.
The Making of ME!/Inside Her Mind
In a lighter moment in the film, while working with Brendon Urie on the song "ME!" which would later become the first single off of her 2019 "Lover" album, Swift explores the nature of the music video that is to follow the song. She expresses that she wants the video to express who they both are, at their core, and the things that make them those people.
An important part of growing up is figuring out exactly who you are and what things make you this person that you have always been. Watching her excitably list all of her favourite things was a soft and wonderful moment that prompted a lot of viewers to consider exactly what makes them who they are as well.
Zooming In On Her Own Photo
In a heartbreaking yet uplifting moment in the documentary, Swift zooms in on a paparazzi photo of herself and begins critiquing everything that she sees. Luckily, she stops herself shortly after and expresses that the need to do so is a leftover habit from her disordered eating days and that this act is something that she no longer does. She repeats a little mantra to herself, reminding herself that health is more important than unflattering photos and puts her phone down entirely.
Anyone who has ever found themselves struggling with their body image will relate to this moment. Zooming in on flaws and wishing that they could be eliminated as easily in real life as they can be with FaceTune. Her putting down her phone, cutting the bad habit short, and reminding herself why she does not do that anymore is also a truly relatable moment to anyone who has ever struggled with such things and is on the path to recovery.
Her Reaction To The Proposal
In a cute and fun moment in the film, a fan proposes to their girlfriend during a meet and greet with Swift. She stands there awkwardly in the background, at a loss for words, and cheers them on but clearly does not really know what to do while this moment transpires.
This funny moment is truly relatable as very few people know what to do when caught up in the personal moments between two other people.
Aging And The "New You"
Near the end of the film, Swift expresses the lack of opportunity for older people in her industry and the fact that she felt trapped at the age that she rose to fame due to the image attached to her and how it dictated her actions and available path.
Aging is a tricky topic in our society. Youth is praised above all else and there are numerous products available to reverse the effects of aging. Many young people feel the pressure to live their entire lives and have everything figured out by the time that they turn 30, and such pressure can cause severe burnouts for many people. Some people also feel trapped by previous versions of themselves and that they cannot grow and express new opinions without being negatively accused of changing and no longer being the person that they used to be, so they keep this new self to themselves.
The Tamagotchi Comments
Over dinner with her long-time best friend, Swift discusses a recent encounter that she had with a mutual friend who had just had a child. She jokingly summarizes the interaction by saying that a human child seems to be little different to her than a Tamagotchi.
This humorous exchange summarizes the feelings that many people have towards babies. They do not understand them, they would have no idea how to care for one, and they would rather hold them when close to the mother so that they could hand them back if the child does anything unexpected.
Her Apathy Towards Being Disliked In The End
The documentary ends with the message that Swift is going to express the ideas that she needs to express and be the person that she needs and wants to be, regardless of how others might react to it. She is going to focus on herself and no longer make herself more palatable to mainstream audiences in order to retain their favour.
And this is an important lesson that many people-pleasers have to learn as they grow up. That it is much more important to trust in what you know to be true and to be your authentic self even if it is not always everyone's cup of tea than to muzzle yourself in order to be liked.