Shake It Off

So Taylor dropped a new video/song yesterday called, “Shake it off.” Usually I am not one to keep up with pop artist, or have anything to do with top- forty radio.  I grew up on the classic rock songs from Journey, ACDC, Queen, etc, so I tend to stick to that.  I have always felt modern music has influenced kids to go a negative route and tend to be about being rich, drinking, and more or less, about being perfect.

But when someone posted Taylor Swift’s new song yesterday on Facebook, I decided to watch it. Not only is it catchy, I was really surprised to hear the message that Taylor is trying to convey. First off, the title says everything that I have been talking about in my blog post. “Shake it off” meaning letting things go that has a negative effect on your self-esteem. Some of the lyrics says, “ Haters are going to hate, Players are going to play, and Heart Breakers are going to break. She is saying that no matter what we do in our life, there are going to be people that are going to try to bring us down. Either it will be someone that doesn’t like you, or guys who just want to be around for all the wrong reasons. We all will, or have come in contact with these individuals in our lifetime. But what we need to do is “Shake it Off.”  We can’t let these people dictate our life and how we feel about ourselves. Standing up and taking control over our feelings is the best way to get rid of those “haters.”

Also having fun and not caring what people think is also a huge motif in the video. Taylor is doing different, kinda bad, dances to show that you don’t need to be perfect. Having fun and loving what you do is the most important thing in life. We shouldn’t care what people think of us. Going out, being yourself, and having fun is an important empowering tool in improving self-esteem.

I think that we need more music like this in our society. We have become a nation that become obsessed with the perfect self-image, and having to be perfect at all times. And of course most music promotes this idea. So my goal for myself, and for all of you, is to SHAKE IT OFF. Don’t listen to what people tell you. Be yourself, have fun, and you will have a successful life.