Late Bloomer

I think that is a phrase that applies to me quite well.
It seems that in many aspects of life I have always been slightly behind most of the rest of society.
This was never really a problem, just more of a quirk.
Of late, however, it was started to become more of a nuisance.
One of the biggest areas in which I am lagging slightly behind my peers is in music obsession and celebrity idolization.
I went to an elementary school where popular music was not exactly encouraged, so when I left that school and was introduced to pop music for the first time, it was like I was ravenous for it.
And because of this those phases that most go through around 14 or 15 where they idolize one singer with all of their being happened to me when I was 17 years old. That is when I found Taylor Swift and became a massive fan of hers. Luckily I think I am coming to the end of that phase, which is a good thing for me. I will always be a fan of hers, of course, but I think that I can now be content to be more of a background fan than the forefront-type one I have been until now.
There is another element of this that has snuck up on me a bit, though.
And that is the part where people tend to develop crushes on musicians. I think this is something that mostly tends to happen to girls who are too young to have experienced a real relationship, and they sort of throw all of their hopes and dreams into some dreamy guy on a poster.
Because I didn't get to do this when I was 12, it seems that my brain has decided that I am going to do it now.
Except for I am in rather a different situation from most, because, being that I am 20 years old, I have experienced love and real relationships. And yet here I am getting butterflies in my stomach every time I hear a certain singer's voice come floating through the radio. It is insane and crazy but yet I am enjoying it.
I feel like, as I'm growing older, I am continuously searching for things that make me feel young and innocent and wide-eyed again, and this is certainly helping.
So, for now, I am content in my girlish crush.
Who says I can't be 12 again?

Wishes

You know how whenever it's your birthday or it's 11:11 and people tell you to wish for something, there'll be times in your life when you wish for the same thing every single time?
Well that has been my life for the past five years.
Every time there has the opportunity for a wish, it has always been the same.
And today that wish actually came true.
I am in shock and awe and honestly don't know what to do with myself.
I have been crying and shaking all day. But in a good way :)

I could not be happier or more excited.
My wish is finally coming true.

Taylor, I will be so enchanted to meet you.

<3

No Brian, that's not it at all.

Hello everyone,

So in case you haven't been following, each night on her Speak Now Tour Taylor has been writing lyrics from other artists on her arm. Each night it's been a different lyric, each expressing a different mood or feeling, and each from an artist we've come to know she listens to and admires.
Brian Mansfield wrote an article for USA Today talking about the lyrics from each night and her possible motivations for choosing them. You can find that here: USA Today

Essentially what they do in the article is point out that Taylor admires the artists she chose or has mentioned the songs before, and cites that as the reason for choosing the lyrics each night.

But no, Brian, that's not it. That's not it at all.

Obviously Brian Mansfield has never been a teenage girl.

There is something of an unspoken rule among teenage girls concerning song lyrics that are posted in a public place such as Facebook, Twitter, or, if you are an international superstar, your arm.
And that rule is as follows: The reason that said girl is posting said lyrics in such a public place is because she's trying to tell you something. It's because there's something she's feeling she wants you to know about, but can't find the words to say it herself.

And of course it makes perfect sense that any girl would choose lyrics from songs and/or artists that she enjoys and admires. Those are the songs that are the most familiar to her, the ones that are the easiest to draw on.
Yes, Taylor did choose those lyrics because she likes and knows those singers. But that's not really why there are song lyrics on her arm every night.
There are song lyrics on her arm every night because she has feelings that she wants her fans, who are the closest thing she has to Facebook friends, to know about and share with her.

Taylor has always been about connecting to her fans and trying to write songs that relate her to them, and vice versa. But Taylor can't be writing and recording songs every day to share with her fans how she's feeling. So she's found another way, one that girls around the world can relate to and understand.

By writing song lyrics on her arm every night Taylor is giving us yet another way to connect with her, another way to feel like we are part of her life. These lyrics are not just nods to artists she admires. They're little windows into her life right now. She even told fans at a T-Party at one of her Florida shows that the lyrics she chose for her three shows in Florida were her "emo breakup phase".

Taylor may be an international superstar with millions of fans, but that doesn't mean she's not still a girl who likes to send cryptic messages through song lyrics. We know she's mastered that art quite well.

It may be hard for other people to see, but as a nineteen year old girl myself I can see it clearly:
Taylor, really, is just another girl.

PS What's your favorite lyric Taylor has chosen so far? Leave me a comment :)

Entry for the Ellen Show

Hello everyone,
This seemed like an appropriate post.
This is the essay I wrote for the Ellen show to try and get picked to meet Taylor.

Hi Ellen! I am so nervous writing this letter. I'm afraid that whatever I write, I won't be able to communicate to you just how much I love Taylor and how much she means to me. But I guess I should start by telling you how I watch your show every day and I love you so much. I really do. So whenever Taylor is on your show it's like a perfect storm of things that make me happy. I've seen you bring people on to the show before who were huge Taylor fans and I've always wanted to be one of them, but I never thought I was good enough or interesting enough. The truth is, I'm just a normal college girl from Pennsylvania. I haven't done anything particularly amazing or inspiring with my life so far. But one thing that has been true since I was 16 years old is that I have loved and admired Taylor Swift. She's always been such an amazing role model for me, and I feel like we've grown up together. I admire her grace, her poise, her fearlessness, and her ability to find good in everything. When I got to college and in the first few weeks and didn't know anyone, Taylor and her music were always there for me. It was like having a friend right there even when I was alone. Taylor has always been someone I've looked up to, admired, and respected. Meeting her is a dream I can't even begin to imagine. I've dreamt about a lot of things in my life, but since I was 16, meeting her has always been my biggest one. It's a lot to hope for but I think/hope/pray that maybe, just maybe, this time it's my turn. 

:)


If any of you feel so inclined I would love it if you could tweet Ellen and tell her about me!
My twitter is @mayaella15 and hers is @TheEllenShow