For teenagers, especially girls, our bedrooms are a sacred sanctuary. It’s a place we can gossip with our friends, have sleepovers, cry over the boys who’ve wronged us and, most of all, dance around listening to whatever 'cheesy' pop hits are currently in the top 40 charts. Sociologist Angela McRobbie calls this ‘bedroom culture’ — the theory argues that teenage girls experience pop culture and much of their core teen memories from the comfort of their bedrooms, as the outside world is deemed unsafe or perhaps doesn’t provide a judgement-free outlet for our complex emotions and feelings.
Taylor Swift society aims to be that outlet for not just young girls and women, but anyone simply looking for a space at uni that has the same coziness and comfort as their bedroom back at home, where they can be their most authentic selves. Our goal is to provide a safe, non-judgemental space for all; from the Taylor Swift enthusiasts who just enjoy the hits, to the die-hard fans who live and breathe all things Taylor Swift. A typical month in the Taylor Swift society calendar would include at least one themed club night (usually at Revolution or in Circuit) where we have Taylor and similar artists playing until the early hours, as well as ‘Typical Tuesday night’ study/craft sessions, as an ode to Taylor’s 2008 hit You Belong With Me.
During these sessions we provide snacks and drinks to our members, whilst we sit on tables in The Lodge, a private room within the Students’ Union. In the study sessions, members are free to do as they wish, whether that’s getting on with assignments or chatting with their friends and enjoying the selection of snacks we offer. Occasionally, we turn these sessions into craft nights — some of these past craft events have included friendship bracelet making, recreating Taylor’s Junior Jewels T-shirt (as spotted in the You Belong With Me music video), ceramic pot painting, and colouring in.
Our most popular events, though, are the listening parties we host when Taylor releases an album. So far this semester, we have hosted a Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) listening party, to celebrate the album’s release over summer and then a 1989 (Taylor’s Version) listening party, complete with inflatable seagulls! Both of these events were resounding successes, selling hundreds of tickets each, so they definitely aren’t something to be missed.
At the time of writing, we have ‘The Eras Tour Party’ at Ballie Ballerson coming up on November 13th, where we will be encouraging Taylor-themed fancy dress, as we have a sing and dance to the setlist for Taylor’s most recent recording-breaking tour. It’s our most ambitious event yet and we’ve already sold almost 150 tickets for this event, with the aim of selling at least 200 before the event. Our events are filled with all different, vibrant and non-judgemental people, who share a passion for music, so if this sounds like something you would love, consider coming to one of our upcoming clubnight events such as Swiftmas!
We will be hosting this night of festive fun on December 12th at Revolution — expect to see Santa hats, light-up batons, and festive photo props and of course Taylor playing all night long... We would be so enchanted to meet you at one of our future events!