Popular opinion: I love Taylor Swift. It’s incredible how she can connect with 9-year-olds like Jersey just as easily as a 9 year old‘s mom (like me!).

Last Friday night, I took Jersey to the Taylor Swift movie, a recording of one of her live concerts. A couple of years ago, I also took Jersey to an actual Taylor Swift concert (Her “Reputation Tour”) as Jersey’s first-ever concert.

One of the things that I love about Taylor Swift is the community of Swifties she has built. Throughout Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour, a trend from the 80s/90s reemerged. Girls made homemade bracelets with her song titles or album names on them and brought them to the concert to trade with others. So, the week before the concert, Jersey made a ton of bracelets to trade at the movie in hopes others would do the same. (And, they did!)

When we were sitting there in the theater, it felt like we were on the stage with Taylor, which is something you usually don’t get to feel at an actual concert. And as we were watching the concert and listening to these songs, it gave me chills. Taylor just seems so authentic, unapologetic, and powerful. I felt really moved. And when I left, I kept thinking about it and trying to figure out why it had that effect on me.

Then it came to me. Now, I don’t know if somebody else has coined this, but it felt like “the Taylor Swift Effect.” It’s the idea of someone having the ability to make someone else feel empowered, just by connecting to them. She’s so good at that. She provides so much more than just a feel-good experience. She’s more than just a performer or a really good storyteller through her songs.

As we all left that movie theater, it was like her self-confidence had been transferred to us all. We all felt especially empowered just by having been in her virtual presence. It made us feel like we could do almost anything.

Part of what makes Taylor seem so powerful and inspiring is that she has broken a lot of ceilings. She has carved out her own space in the industry and taken ownership of what belongs to her in a business way. She re-recorded every single one of her albums recently, which was a great deal of work, just so that she could reclaim ownership of all of her music. So, she just re-released her 1989 album.

She has also found a way to be that powerful and confident while still coming across as someone who seems like a bit of the “girl next door.”  Girls can look at her and realistically think, “I can be confident like her. I can have the strength and courage to be me and do what is right for me.”

Despite becoming this amazing icon, she somehow appears so relatable. And like someone who could hang out with almost anyone as that confident friend who is unafraid to speak her mind. There’s something so powerful about that, too.

The concert was the night before EYT, so I even caught myself thinking about it at EYT the next day. Looking out at all the bowlers who had come into the bowling center for this event I have built and nurtured, I started thinking about how I want to create my version of the Taylor Swift effect through bowling. She inspired me to want to do even more to empower everyone who comes out to those events.

How can I have that level of impact? How can I make people feel even more empowered every time they leave?

The underlying message of Taylor Swift and what she represents to people really resonates with me. She’s not just putting on events. And she’s not just helping people feel personally empowered by showing them how much potential they have inside themselves. She’s connecting people and making them feel a part of a community. And that community is next level. Everyone in it has started lifting each other and encouraging one another. It’s not just a temporary effect on individuals. She’s created an entire community and a bit of a movement. 

Taylor Swift is empowering me to step even more into my own power. I truly hope that I can be that for others.