Who among us has not opened a student loan bill, looked in a mirror, woken up from a night of partying, or just walked down the street and wished, "Couldn't I just be 17 again?" Who among us would not explode with rage if someone said, "Can you just act like you're 17 again?" Well, apparently, that is what some Taylor Swift fans are asking the singer, albeit in a subtle forum.
Kelly Conaboy at The Hairpin first pointed out this phenomenon last week. In the comments section of many of Swift's older songs on YouTube, you'll find threads saying things like this:
"i remember when this came out :-( I miss her country days," wrote one commenter underneath the video for "Love Story."
"I generally hate country music, but I prefer Taylor Swift singing country to her newer pop stuff. This sounds more authentic and not autotuned," wrote another under "Tim McGraw."
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To which we say, fair enough. Her musical style has evolved, and not everyone's taste has changed along with hers. Who knows? Maybe in a few years she'll decide to go retro and release a pure country album.
But then there are some like this comment on the "Tim McGraw" video: "Does anyone else find Taylor prettier back then more than now?"
Swift was 17 when "Tim McGraw" came out in 2006. It is not reasonable to expect a 26-year-old to look like she did at 17 (even if actresses do so for a living on the CW), nor a 17-year-old to remain frozen in time.
This fan understands, writing underneath the video for "Back to December," "Fake Swifties miss the old Taylor, real Swifties know she never left."
It's also reasonable for some to regret the fact that Swift is no longer merely a talented musician racking up Country Music Awards, but rather something of a controversial headline magnet, more famous for what she says offstage than on.
On a related note, does anyone else miss the old Kanye West?