Every couple weeks (without a new album of hers out, its getting less and less frequent), someone comes up to me and goes "Hey! You look like Taylor Swift!"
These occurrences fall into one of two categories: strangers and friends/acquaintances.
The ones from strangers are funny and I generally take them in stride and just use them as anecdote fodder. Check-out people at Target, random pre-teen girls at Starbucks, lots of moms, waiters--all feel the need to tell me that I look like Taylor Swift. The best ones are the people who look at me and go, "You look familiar..." but can't place it. Or better yet, the people who ask me if I am Taylor Swift. Doesn't happen that often, but its so, so funny when it does. Yes, Taylor Swift lives in a suburb in Atlanta and nannies in her free time.
The worst is people who ask me, "Has anyone ever told you you look like Taylor Swift?", as if they've just had this really unique epiphany about my appearance. I read this article by a journalist who resembles Harry Potter, or I guess technically Daniel Radcliffe, and resonated with it at pretty much every point, (read it here: http://www.observer.com/2011/07/regarding-harry), one of the main ones being the general public's lack of creativity with this observation. Or even more tiring, their utter unawareness of their lack of creativity. If someone ever came up to me and quoted song lyrics, I would think that was hilarious.
The ones from friends/acquaintances, however, are not funny. I literally give people extra points mentally if they never bring it up. Its a small list, and its always groan-inducing when someone I've met a few times is so close to being good enough friends with me I would assume we'd talked about it already
and then they go and say it. C'mon man.
So, why do I object so strongly to being told I look like T-Swift or even being associated with her?
Here is my exhaustive, comprehensive, and conclusive opinion on the subject. For anyone whose ever been subjected to my pouting after trying to pay me a compliment, most likely, here's why:
[1.] I don't look like Taylor Swift.
Hear me out. Do I fall into the same type category as Taylor Swift? Absolutely. We are both 5'10 and have similar hair. And, granted, there was one time I saw a picture and went, "Whoa, I totally don't remember being here--" and then realizing that it was actually a picture of her. But it was this picture:
Taken from far away. Could've happened to anyone.
Back to my point. We look similar, from some aspects. But our face structures are completely different. And generally I would say one's face is one's most distinguishing aspect. Also, no one ever told me I looked liked her when I used to straighten the heck out of my hair, so more accurately people should say that my hair looks like her hair, not me generally.
[2.] I don't really like being associated with her.
Originally I liked Taylor Swift. When her first album came out and she was the new face out of Nashville, I loved her music. It was relatable, original country-pop and it wasn't overplayed. However, the third album is an entirely different story. Its one thing to be singing about boys who done you wrong and mean girls at your high school from the perspective of an up-and-coming artist, its another to act the victim when you're one of the most successful artists in the world. Using your number one album to chronicle every terrible awful thing anyone else has ever done to you is petty. And she knows it, otherwise the song "Better Than Revenge" wouldn't exist. Also, I'm unconvinced that she deserves the immense amount of fame she has. There are better technical and more acclaimed singers out there who should be winning those best album/best artist Grammys. And in her interviews she always seems kind of neurotic to me.
Originally I liked Taylor Swift. When her first album came out and she was the new face out of Nashville, I loved her music. It was relatable, original country-pop and it wasn't overplayed. However, the third album is an entirely different story. Its one thing to be singing about boys who done you wrong and mean girls at your high school from the perspective of an up-and-coming artist, its another to act the victim when you're one of the most successful artists in the world. Using your number one album to chronicle every terrible awful thing anyone else has ever done to you is petty. And she knows it, otherwise the song "Better Than Revenge" wouldn't exist. Also, I'm unconvinced that she deserves the immense amount of fame she has. There are better technical and more acclaimed singers out there who should be winning those best album/best artist Grammys. And in her interviews she always seems kind of neurotic to me.
Caveat: Once I decide I dislike something, or really someone, everything they do is viewed through that perspective. If someone else had given the same interview I probably wouldn't even have noticed. I realize I'm probably being a little harsh.
[3.] Reason three is less legitimate (reason four is better, bear with me). Like most teenage girls, I relate to her song lyrics. (A friend of mine once said, "you cannot have an emotion that Taylor Swift hasn't written about," which is relatively true, especially on relationship issues). So of course when I was experiencing those emotions when Speak Now dropped, I listened to those corresponding songs. So "Sparks Fly" and "Enchanted" remind me of a guy that I really liked. And then when things fell apart with him, I maybe overdosed a little bit on "Story of Us", "Haunted", etc. So Taylor Swift now reminds me of that part of last year, which isn't something I particularly like to be reminded of. However...that's really not her fault.
Back to the legitimate reasons why I don't like being told I look like Taylor Swift:
[4.] I really, really resent being "the girl who looks like Taylor Swift".
This, more than anything else, is the core of why the whole thing bothers me. Its like my identity has been reduced to looking like someone famous. People I've never met refer to me as the GWLLTS. Friends describe me to other people as the GWLLTS because its that, over my name, major, activities, who I'm friends with, that sparks recognition. At one point last year, I had a crush on someone and was talking to friend about it and she said, "Oh, he definitely likes you." When I asked how she knew, she said, "Because he has like a huge thing for Taylor Swift."
This, more than anything else, is the core of why the whole thing bothers me. Its like my identity has been reduced to looking like someone famous. People I've never met refer to me as the GWLLTS. Friends describe me to other people as the GWLLTS because its that, over my name, major, activities, who I'm friends with, that sparks recognition. At one point last year, I had a crush on someone and was talking to friend about it and she said, "Oh, he definitely likes you." When I asked how she knew, she said, "Because he has like a huge thing for Taylor Swift."
Um.
Well, thanks Taylor. Apparently you and my resemblance to you is the only thing getting me guys. Glad to know that my personality's irrelevant.
And yes, I realize that people are usually trying to compliment me. But it would be a lot more thoughtful to actually compliment me, because its not even calling me pretty, its just telling me I look like someone who is pretty. It reduces my identity to my appearance--and not even my appearance, but its similarity to someone else's.
And this has actually become a fear. That when guys I don't know introduce themselves that they just want to meet the Taylor Swift lookalike. And why I start getting nervous when I notice the posters and calendars in the room, the listening to Fearless on Spotify, the fact that I'm in their phone as "Taylor Swift".... (true story. that's really happened.).
I haven't done the best job handling the whole situation. I definitely complicate the issue by sometimes going along with it. Mostly because when you meet someone and they say, "Hey, you're the girl who looks like Taylor Swift!", as annoying as it is, I don't really want to launch into my diatribe of Lauren's Fourteen Long-Winded Reasons Why You Shouldn't Have Said That. This was especially true during freshmen orientation. People could have called me whatever they wanted, I was just happy they remembered me. Also, I sometimes do things like change my profile picture to her during Celebrity Doppelganger Week on Facebook or dress up like her on Halloween. That really doesn't help.
I should probably be more gracious about the whole thing. But what I'm really trying to avoid is going from "The Girl Who Looks Like Taylor Swift" to "The Girl Who Thinks She Looks Like Taylor Swift". I figured vehemently fighting against the comparison would be the best way to avoid the second nickname. Or printing this out and distributing it as leaflets.
The other complicated thing is that if you are good friends with me, it doesn't bother me. I know that sounds really weird after like four pages of whining about the issue, but if we're buds, I know its a joke. With acquaintances, I'm never completely sure. So don't feel like I'm going to punch you in the face if you make a Kanye joke or slip a little TSwift nickname in somewhere. I'll probably laugh. I would just prefer something more original, thats all.
I think that about says it all.
I think that about says it all.
Anyone else besides the Harry Potter guy have celebrity lookalike issues?
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