Class Is In Session: Life Lessons From Professor T. Swift
As I set forth into 2013, it was all about the lessons of 2012, rather than what I resolved to do in the year to come. I still believe that was a good plan; I mean, a month into the year it seems to be working. However, as I thought about the knowledge I vowed to carry through the next twelve months, I realized I had made one grave mistake: I forgot to review and carefully consider all the knowledge the opulent Miss Taylor Swift hit us with in the last 365 days. Let’s be honest, during this past year, Swifty peeped right into the souls of the collective teen and twenty-something and wrote the soundtrack to our lives, so pay tribute we must. As we go forth and conquer 2013, let’s ask ourselves, “WWTD: What Would Taylor Do?”
Let us go ahead and begin with the topic that our girl is working towards a PhD in: BOYS.
1. Taylor is never, ever getting back together with someone, ever, so obviously neither should we. There is always that guy that we break up with for “the first time” because we’ve “had enough.” We have all heard “I miss you and I swear I’m gonna change” and every last one of us has given that big talker a second chance, only to find that change lasted for a day. So, in the new year, let’s all take Taylor’s advice; skip the “I hate you, we break up, you call me, I love you.” Even if we thought it was forever, we must save ourselves the grief and know that after one break up, we are never, ever, ever getting back together. Like, ever. Make 2013 the year of the clean break.
2. She knew he was trouble when he walked in. Don’t we all?! Those bad boys just have a way of making us take a chance, though. This year, we would do well to remember that, even if they fly us to places we’ve never been (or take us to a nice dinner and pay the bill without being asked), our gut is always right. Lying on the cold hard ground taking the blame is not a place to spend the coming year. We need to let trouble walk right back out the door it stormed through, commanding all that attention, so the joke isn’t on us.
3. You can totally begin again; in love and in life. Maybe you’ll realize you’re life isn’t totally over on a Wednesday in a cafe like Tay, but comprehension could really hit you anywhere: bar crawl with your besties, halfway through that pint of chocolate chip cookie dough or at the end of any Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie, most likely during the part where they realize they’ve always belonged together (sigh). The point is, no matter when and where, people seem to surprise us; it all somehow begins again, even when we thought it would break and burn and end. In other words, have a little faith in life and in love.
Now, even though Ms. Swift’s expertise does seem to lie in navigating the opposite sex, she’s granted us additional wisdom along the way in regards to just being a girl. Allow me to review…
4, Being happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time is a real thing. We all knew this, but it was nice for someone to finally say it or sing it out loud, therefore making it a known and accepted fact. Our twenties are crazy and we’re confused. Duh. It is a decade during which we experience some of the most joyous, incredible moments of our lives while dealing with the scariest, most confusing parts of that thing people keep calling adulthood. It’s all happening at the same time, but thanks to our girl, we can at least come clean and openly admit none of us have it perfectly figured out. It’s miserable and magical, but everything will be alright if we just keep dancing; like we’re twenty…something.
5. Being awkwardly innocent may actually pay off someday… in the form of adorable arm candy. Swift is sweet and charming, but admittedly a little awkward and dorky at heart – a combination that has proven fruitful in just 23 years time. We all remember the days of Taylor Squared. Prior to that, she was the better half to 1/3 of the Jonas Brothers. Since, she has kept the company of the ever-swooned after Jake Gyllenhaal, American royalty Conor Kennedy and the hottest thing to come out of UK since John Lennon, One Direction’s most mischievous and ogled over member, Harry Styles. In the end, I know she is looking for real love, but her quest has proven that even those of us who are awkwardly innocent can use our sweet charm to win big in the boy department. Our girl can’t complain about the view she’s had en route to true love, providing hope for us all.
6. RED. Lipstick, dresses, nails, microphones, album names; you name it and Taylor has made it red, obviously anointing it the color of success. Pantone claims the color of the year is Emerald, but T. Swift has her rose colored glasses on. Personally, I’m going with the girl who landed herself the No. 2 spot on the list of women who earned the most money this year, has billions of adoring fans all over the world and whose name has become synonymous with No. 1. Move over Pantone, green with envy we are not; it’s going to be a rosy year.
7. The only thing we really need in life, famous or not, is a best friend. Taylor runs with quite the crew, including long time BFF Selena Gomez, old-fashioned dress up buddy Dianna Agron and high-profile homie Jennifer Lawrence. We know she values a good, loyal, trusting friend because, through all the ups and downs in the boy department, her friends have stayed true. If best friends have helped Tay wade through 10 years of extreme fame and high profile romance with her sanity and grace, our faith in girlfriends is stronger than ever. This year, we’ll keep all our best ladies close and make 2013 the year of the girlfriend.
8. Classy twenty-somethings do still exist! There is no doubt she has been on just about everyone’s radar since the first note of Tim McGraw was played on the radio, blossoming into an all-encompassing, modern-day starlet. She has won numerous golden gramophones and just about every other honor Hollywood and the Academy of Country Music bestow. Despite her high profile and the constant, at times microscopic, attention to her life, she rarely puts a toe out of line. While I am sure she has as much party in her as the next twenty-something, she manages to have her cake and eat it too, enjoying her twenties without glamorizing generally bad behavior. She is truly a Hepburn in an otherwise Hilton world of sex tapes, nip-slips and rehab stints.
Despite having the weight of the young adult world on her shoulders with billions looking up to her, and just as many critics waiting with baited breath to uncover who her next boyfriend will be, Ms. Swift has remained as honest, gracious and classy as the day she set foot on the scene. Cheers to Taylor for reminding us all that a great deal of talent, an insane dream and an immense amount of hard work really can land you at the top; for being the proof in the pudding that, despite the message of many, classy twenty-somethings do still exist and they are working it!
9. Perhaps most important of all, Taylor has taught us that 13 is a very lucky number, indeed. There are those among us who are wary of this generally jinxed digit, but we bode well to buy into the theory that it brings just the opposite; after all, 13 is having it’s moment in the spotlight for the next eleven months. Homegirl seems to be raking in the good fortune so I say we take all we have learned from our dear, fellow twenty-something and embrace the luck the universe is obviously trying to send our way.
Ladies, the professor has spoken. In case you weren’t taking notes, allow me to recap. In the coming year, don’t dole out unnecessary second chances, steer clear of the bad boys and know you can always begin again; wear a great deal of red whenever possible, embrace your innocence, celebrate your girlfriends and always keep it classy. It will pay off. Above all remember, being a “young adult” means misery and magic often live within the same day but there is a good chance 2013 could prove to be a lucky one!
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