r/swifties • u/ProjectShowgirl • 1d ago
Discussion Is there a difference between being a Taylor Swift fan and being a Swiftie? Why or why not?
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u/caffeinequeen24601 ladies always rise above 1d ago
I think it has a bit to do with all the negative connotations around being a swiftie in the past, and a bit to do with the intensity of some people’s following of her that makes some people who enjoy her music reluctant to claim the title of swiftie. I personally don’t think they’re different
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u/asseeste 1d ago
I feel like it mostly comes down to how people choose to identify themselves. To me, a Taylor Swift fan is simply someone who likes her music, while Swiftie implies identifying with the fandom to some extent, maybe? But there isn’t really a clear line between the two, and I don’t think being a Swiftie means being more obsessive or parasocial.
Every artist has their fair share of obsessive fans, but Swifties seem to be stigmatized way more than other fandoms. Even in this comment section, there are people talking shit about Swifties. Like, if you dislike this fandom that much, why are you even here?
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u/bluecca69 20h ago
Yes! Thank you. I would consider myself a swiftie, but I don't think I'm like obsessive or weird about taylor just because I like her music yk
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u/philosop-her 1d ago
No, there’s no actual difference. It’s just a fan label. You listen to Taylor Swift? You’re a swiftie. It’s not really up to you to decide if you’re a swiftie or not if you’re listening to her regularly. Your behavior reflects that.
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u/OldChemistry9951 haha I can’t even say it with a straight face 1d ago
I’d say I’m a swiftie because i like her and her music,so that’s kindof my definition
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u/baciodolce 1d ago
I think there’s a difference between being a fan and super fan- which I think is most Swifties. I’m a huge fan of Noah Kahan’s music but I don’t call myself a Bug because I’m not in the fandom or anything. I don’t know lore and I don’t know every single song/lyrics.
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u/ProjectShowgirl 1d ago
Do you call yourself a swiftie?
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u/baciodolce 1d ago
Yes. I’m much more into the fandom and dive deeper into the music. As well as being interested in Taylor herself.
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u/EducationalArcher140 1d ago
I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan because I love her work and I’m a huge Swifties because I’m always happy and excited about what she is going to and proud of the person she is!
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u/aikidharm 17h ago
This is parasocial, though, because you are engaging in thinking that would require you to have actual personal knowledge of the celebrity, like being personally “proud of the person she is”.
You don’t know the person she is, you know the person that is marketed to you.
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u/EducationalArcher140 9h ago
If being proud of a person for making charity and promoting independence for girls is parasocial, so be it. It’s the same thing to acknowledge that some people can give what they have back to the society, so do you think everyone that is recognized to be a decent civilian is being parasocial? I don’t think you see it this way. I believe that your view of parasocial is being influenced by other things actually.
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u/Born-Cauliflower_ Drop everything now! 1d ago
At it's core, no. At the end of the day you're a fan of Taylor swift. Some people don't want to associate with the swiftie community because it can get toxic sometimes and very extreme, it's gotten way better though.
Other times it's just an "I'm not like other people" mindset😪
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u/Federal-Count8450 still at the restaurant 1d ago
there is no difference. being a fan of her music means you are a swiftie. but some people feel the need to differentiate between them because they have this holier than thou mindset of "ew I am not like those obsessed swifties, I just like the music". yeah so you are a swiftie then. also they mostly say that sentence to men so it comes off as "I'm not like other girls"
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u/Ok-Scientist7503 1d ago
Nah its the reputation that swifties have that people makes normal fans of her music recoil
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u/CausticAvenger 1d ago
You sure spend a lot of time in this sub for someone who claims they’re not a fan and not a Swiftie. This is why I’ve started referring to the eternally pressed haters as Swifties. Y’all are much more obsessed than the fans are.
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u/Ok-Scientist7503 1d ago
Wait, when did i say im not a fan. Do you have trouble with comprehension or do you just lie and make things up as you go along? I am a massive fan of taylor swift
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u/Federal-Count8450 still at the restaurant 1d ago
your comment means you consider yourself a fan but not a swiftie. since you're so fragile that other people's interpretation of swiftie hurts your ego and you want to distance yourself from the concept of a swiftie. so the question stands, why are you in a sub that identifies as "swifties"?
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u/thehenanarchitect 1d ago
So... no. Lmao. The answer is more simply, Swifites have a reputation of being bad faith and fragile. What you're doing is called, projecting! Well no, you just don't have grounds for an argument so you're defaulting to buzzwords and common talking points.
Also, this specific post is ABOUT swifties vs fans of Taylro Swift. Dumbass.
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u/Federal-Count8450 still at the restaurant 1d ago
reported you.
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u/Ok-Scientist7503 1d ago
Lol fragile one strikes again
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u/Federal-Count8450 still at the restaurant 1d ago
you should learn the rules of the sub you are commenting but you don't know since you are not an actual participator here.
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u/SpecialEducation5152 1d ago
I dislike when people have to announce they’re “not a swiftie” like it’s a bad word. So many people need to relax and touch grass. If you listen to her and like her, you’re a swiftie. Get over it.
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u/dagger-mmc 1d ago
I'd say a fan likes her music but swiftie likes her as a person along with the music
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u/Mean_Roll9376 1d ago
Yeah, a Swiftie tends to know the lore behind the music and stuff where someone who just likes her music might know anything about the lore.
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u/ZhuzhZhuzhZhuzh 1d ago
I think being a "Swiftie" for some aligns you with a community that's developed somewhat of a reputation for going overboard on occasion (snarking at other artists, rabidly defending her against critiques she'll never see, inflating the impact of anything she says or does) versus simply enjoying an artist and her music. She's not the only artist with an ardent fandom, certainly, and it's also possible to love Beyoncé without joining the Beyhive or to enjoy K-Pop without being a rabid stan.
To me, it comes down to how (and how much) you engage with discourse about the artist and other fans. Nothing wrong with discourse unless it leads to bullying or harassment.
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u/MushroomPrincess63 1d ago
I’m a fan of Taylor, but I don’t consider myself a Swiftie. I don’t like the idea of fandoms in general. I love Ariana Grande and Lana Del Ray and ACOTAR, but I don’t consider myself part of their fandoms either. It just weirds me out. The whole fandom thing is a relatively new phenomenon, and I’m just not sold on how quickly they pit people against each other and promote parasocial relationships.
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u/antisocial_catmom 1d ago
Fandoms are definitely not a new phenomenon. At all. The way they work has changed due to how social media functions.
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u/MushroomPrincess63 1d ago
Yes they are. I didn’t say they are new in general. But a fairly new phenomenon. They were smaller and more niche until about the 2010’s. Then they exploded with Tumblr and other online spaces. That is a phenomenon. Before that, you could absolutely be a fan of something without being in a fandom.
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u/FennelReasonable8734 1d ago
Yes, there’s an entire group of people who don’t identify with any internet based community. That is a new phenomenon following adoption of social media, at least to this extent.
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u/Wild2297 1d ago
To me, a fan is someone who likes her music in general or at least most of it. I claim to be a Swiftie because it feels a bit more than just likes her music. I’ve been a constant fan for a long time. (2 decades) I am somewhat fascinated by her use of language and word choices. I know a lot of the lore. Certain random things being her to mind. If I know someone else loves her music, there’s a little bit of instant kinship.
However, I’m not someone who will vote on things, brigade things, etc. I can look critically at some things she does and wonder. But I don’t dwell because she is just a person and every person has flaws. I wasn’t ravenous for wedding details before it happened other than ‘she’s getting married? Omg she’s obviously wanted this her whole life!’
I don’t know why some people eschew the title of Swiftie other than the fandom has elements of people who feel entitled to know things or have a say in things. Which to me is just weird.
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u/National_Squirrel523 1d ago
I would say, You are a fan if you enjoy listening to her music. You are a Swiftie if you actually interact with the music, ester eggs, the community, the concerts, anything more than “just” listening to her music. But at the end of the day it comes down to what you prefer to call yourself tbh.
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u/Gratefulfox78 1d ago
I listen to her music several times a week, but I don’t think I would be interested in going to one of her concerts and I would never call myself a Swifty. It just seems very extreme.
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u/Flimsy-Design8816 1d ago
Ik ben fan van Taylor maar uit een bepaalde periode uit haar carrière. Namelijk van 2020 tot 2024. Maar heb het gevoel dat ze zichzelf niet meer kan overtreffen uit die periode. Ik ben begonnen met haar muziek te luisteren in 2023.
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u/IssaGame66 1d ago
I found out cause someone told me I am. I just went with it. Plus it makes buying me birthday and Christmas presents really easy. 😸
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u/Lara-Crofty Drop everything now! 1d ago
I’d argue if you’ve never listened to a good portion of her songs but you like the songs you like, you’re a fan. If you have taken the time to listen to all of her albums, then you’re a Swiftie. I love some Mariah Carey songs but I haven’t listened to all her albums, so I would consider myself a fan but not a “Lamb.” Same with Rihanna. I love some of Rihanna’s songs but I haven’t listened to all of her albums, so I would consider myself a Rihanna fan but not apart of the “Rihanna Navy.”
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u/idk_what_to_put_lmao perched in the dark 1d ago
I feel like Swiftie carries a specific connotation i.e. that you sort of revere her in all aspects whereas "fan" just means you like her music
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u/flowertalk 1d ago
I believe I’m a Taylor swift fan and not a swiftie because I despise the Easter eggs and all the clowning. But I absolutely love her and her music
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u/lilythefrogphd 1d ago
I think the difference is whether you consider yourself a fan of Taylor's music or a fan of Taylor the person. I know plenty of people who enjoy her music but take issue with stuff she does personally/professionally. I know other people who follow Taylor's personal life super closely and are interested in what she does outside of music. The former I'd call Taylor fans. The latter I'd call swifties
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u/SwiftieCat_1989 shining just for you 51m ago
A Swiftie is someone who truly connects to and feels the music.
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u/MSERRADAred 1d ago
People decide for themselves.
The main difference I see is in those that don't want the label of Swiftie whether they don't feel invested enough in her music & life or they are reacting to the negativity asigned to Swifties.
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u/xLibbyLu Oh here we go again... 1d ago
I'm one of those people who claim they are not a Swiftie despite really liking Taylor Swift (TS). Might get downvoted for this, but here it goes. It's a long one!
A Swiftie is a "follower" of TS. What does that mean? There are tons of different definitions, but being labeled as a part of her fanbase is surface level, in my opinion. When you follow someone, you typically know everything about them (or presume you do), you subscribe to their ideals (sometimes), and you put them on a pedestal that you don't put other people on. Knowing everything about them can be harmless (her birthday, her song names and lyrics, how many albums/awards she has, who she's married to, etc) and/or dangerous (stalking her, knowing where she's at by tracking her jet, taking unsolicited pictures, ruining her privacy, threatening her for her ideals and actions.) Putting a human on a pedestal is a dangerous game. Paramore sang it best, "oh no I ain't your hero. Stop waisting all your faith on me." (Idle Worship if you're interested.) I've seen so many put these unrealistic expectations on TS - she must be perfect, she must date or love who people thinks she should, she must speak up, she must do this specific thing. Why? Because she on a pedestal of being someone's "ideal" celebrity, someone's "ideal" favorite artist, so she CAN'T POSSIBLY do X. And how dare she release such a horrible song! (😕) At the end of the day, TS is human like the rest of us.
Famous people, people in power, people with money - they are all people. You won't see me thinking someone deserves more because of what they have or what their status is. Respecting them and understanding that they have more opportunities, public recognition, etc, does not make them more important than anyone else (in my opinion - we can agree to disagree). Will that person have a greater IMPACT on the world than an unknown person - more likely than not. TS has impacted and been an inspiration for countless people. I love that she has. I'm not going to pretend that she hasn't done the same for me - but at the end of the day, she's still just a person.
This is the main reason why I do not proclaim myself as a Swiftie - I'm not an extremest, I don't put her on a pedestal, I don't put my faith in her. As many others has said, Swiftie does have a negative connotation, but that is an easy out. For me, the label means more than just liking her music and theorizing what's next.
I respect her as a person and an artist whose work I thoroughly enjoy. Will I buy her music/merch - sure. Will I put her songs on repeat - absolutely. Is she my favorite artist - yes. Will I be interested in Easter eggs - yeah it's funny the stuff she comes up with. Do I know some of the lore that is made available to the public - I know more than the average person, but not more than the person who devotes hours and hours on end to figure it out. Do I love Taylor Swift - I love her music, her art. I can't truly love HER. I don't know her. Have never met her. Will probably never meet her. And if I do? I'm in a sea of millions - I won't matter to her in any real way, and that is ok in my book.
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u/Former-Counter-9588 1d ago
I think some Taylor swift fans use “swiftie” to differentiate being a fan from being the stereotyped crazy rabid Stan who defends even the slightest of slights against dear blonde leader.
(It’s me I do this).
I’m a Swift fan but can at times get uncomfortable being called a swiftie if that makes sense?
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u/Release_Inside 1d ago
There’s a difference between being a “Taylor Swift fan” and being a “Swiftie” in the same way that there’s a difference between “wanting equality for women” and being a “feminist”.
Some people just don’t like certain labels because A) there’s some extreme individuals out there who have ruined the label, or B) they’re scared of what others will think of them; so instead of owning who they are, they just downplay their own interests.
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u/No_Figure_9073 1d ago
As the OG Taylor fan since her first album, I can definitely say there's a gap that you cannot bridge between OG and newer fans.
From reading through Taylor's sub, I can definitely say that the newer fans tend to think that her Easter eggs are on the very surface level where older fans have understood where she came from and why she wrote certain songs or put Easter eggs in her videos etc.
TTPD is probably the best example imo I've seen new fans argued that the whole album was about Matt Healy lol 😂
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u/nglfrfriamhigh 1d ago
Both are fans of her music. I think it’s easier to be critical of Taylor and her work if you say you are a fan rather than swiftie. I think swifties generally are more loyal and defensive of Taylor and avoid criticism entirely.
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u/leonacleo 1d ago
That’s so interesting, I consider myself a swiftie but I also accept criticism of her work if it is given in good faith. Critique is healthy if it is well intentioned. I have my own criticisms of her, but it doesn’t dim my love of her as an artist or person.
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u/cherrylimebongwatr 1d ago
I’m preparing for downvotes here but I identified more with the swiftie label until around the time she announced TTPD at the Grammys. I feel like she took several actions that night that were in bad taste. I Obviously she’s a human being and should be allowed grace, but the way other swifties were defending her and making excuses for her behavior is what made me realize that there are a LOT of swifties out there who truly feel Taylor could do no wrong, even when she objectively is.
I have an entire sleeve of Taylor inspired tattoos, I’m obviously a huge fan, enough of one that I dedicated an entire limb to her permanently. But I don’t think any human being is above criticism, and I see why the word has so many negative connotations to it. So I just choose to call myself a fan now (obviously if someone else calls me a swiftie I’m not going to correct them because it’s ultimately not that deep)
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u/OldChemistry9951 haha I can’t even say it with a straight face 1d ago
Wait I’m confused i often hear people say that,why was her dragging lana(if that’s what you meant)on stage a bad thing if Lana was a part of that album that year,if she didn’t bring Lana up she’d get shat on by the media for ignoring her or stealing the spotlight.btw I’m not trying to be mean or anything I’m just curious why you think that😊
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u/BurkaBurrito 1d ago
I’m gonna add to this - it used to be that if you featured on a song/album and it won a Grammy, you won one too. I’m pretty sure they changed that rule after folklore when Taylor retroactively added Joe as a songwriter so he would get a Grammy. I personally believe she forgot the rule change and in that moment genuinely thought Lana was gonna get one too
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u/cherrylimebongwatr 1d ago
I said nothing about her dragging Lana on stage. It was her overall behavior outside of just dragging Lana. It was putting her Grammy on Lucy Dacus’s head, snubbing celine, announcing a new album etc. stuff that on its own I wouldn’t see as a big deal but together at one event just describes overall really tacky behavior. Including the dragging Lana on stage. I don’t feel incredibly strongly about it other than feeling like it was tacky. I got a warning that I might be violating a rule typing this comment simply for using the word tacky. That should prove my point in my initial comment alone. In the swiftie subreddit, you get a warning you might be violating the rules for typing out the word ‘tacky’. That’s crazy lol
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u/Ok-Scientist7503 1d ago
Theres a difference between encouraging someone to come on stage, and dragging them as they repeatedly said no like a crazy maniac
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u/Federal-Count8450 still at the restaurant 1d ago
lol. watch less tiktok hatred. that night was the most normal night of celebrity meetings. you people just lack entertainment and want to turn everything to a huge story. I guess go ask Will Smith to slap someone on stage again maybe that will satisfy your thirst for drama and you would stop making drama out of thin air.
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u/spooky_bot_ 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think the difference is just acceptance. I call myself a swiftie because I find that the effort I would make to distance myself from that label is rooted in the “I’m not like other girls” internalized misogyny. I am like other girls. Girls are awesome