“When I get sad or humiliated or angry or mad, I feel that people are trying to lean in. You never did that.”
Those were the words Taylor Swift told her director Lana Wilson on stage minutes after the premiere of her documentary, “Miss Americana” opening night at the Sundance Festival in front of a packed standing-room crowd at Eccles Theater in Park City, with hundreds of loyal fans waiting for a chance to see her. Before entering the premiere, she spent roughly 20 minutes signing autographs and taking selfies with her loving fans.
She explained, she felt much more comfortable with the cameras on her, even when she was most vulnerable.
Now 30, the onetime pop princess that used to hide behind her shy, girlish persona, Swift’s finally fighting back and has the moxie to succeed! Here are our five biggest takeaways from her documentary — this is not including the fact she hasn’t tried a burrito until just two years ago.
1. She spent her formative years desperately seeking approval.
Swift; “I needed to be thought of as good and do the right thing.” She strived for those pats on the head.
2. The awkward Kanye moment caused “psychological trauma.”
The experience, Swift explains as a “catalyst for psychological problems that were not at all beneficial” has scarred her for life. (Poor Taylor!)
3. She’s struggled with body dysmorphia.
After years of starving herself to the point of dizziness, Swift realizes the perfect standard of beauty “is f—-ing impossible,” and “it’s better to look fat than sick.”
4. Her Grammy snub led to Lover.
When Swift got snubbed for a Grammy for best pop performance her response followed, “This is good, this is fine. I need to make a better record.” Cut to her at a piano working out the chord progression for her pop ditty “Me!”
5. She entered the political fray because of her #MeToo experience
The need to satisfy the Kanye disaster, the Grammy snag, Twitter backlash that led to her 2016 hiatus, these were the building blocks Swift used to transition into an outspoken feminist political voice.
Good for you Taylor! What doesn’t kill us helps us grow even stronger..
Miss Americana is out now on Netflix. Special thanks to our content partners at The Unico Exclusive. Images by INSC Media and Photography, and may not be used without permission. All rights reserved.