“It does feel like a very easy friendship to form because [being a Swiftie] is more about the art than the artist in a lot of ways,” Myers says. “We all come from different backgrounds, but we all have sort of the same philosophy.”
The second factor of S4K’s success is the most important, and also the reason I find it unlikely for the movement to be replicated to the same degree. For many Swifties, Taylor Swift is not just a musician but a role model. And have you ever heard of a more methodical, more dedicated, more hardworking pop-star-slash-business-woman than Ms. Taylor Alison Swift?
“We see her always pushing those boundaries, always so dedicated and so efficient with how she does things,” Medrano explains. “She thinks things through so clearly and tries to make them fun at the same time. That’s the mindset, at least for me, that I’ve applied to Swifties 4 Kamala.”
Kim has another theory about the Swifties’ mobilizing capabilities: “I think a lot of us have eldest daughter energy for sure,” she says, referring to the pop psychology archetype of eldest daughters as driven, Type A, organizational freaks. “There’s different reasons everyone likes Taylor, but I think when you get to the hardcore fan base, it’s people who have experienced [what Swift sings about],” she adds, shouting out “The Man,” Swift’s take down of the patriarchy, specifically. “Taylor Swift is the eldest daughter for eldest daughters.”
April Glick Pulito, the organization’s politics director, is one of the S4K board members with the most political organizing experience. The 36-year-old is a mother to a toddler and a full-time communications coordinator for a progressive political organization. Since seeing Medrano’s tweet, she’s managed to carve out an extra 20 hours of her week to devote to Swifties 4 Kamala. She’s not at all surprised by S4K’s successes. “Swifties really know how to hit the marks,” she says. “They’re so organized and the community is so strong. There’s a really strong sense of internal trust, which has really lent to, all right, we move.”
With fewer than 33 days until the election, Swifties 4 Kamala—like the Harris campaign itself—is kicking into high gear. With their newsletter, Paint the Town Blue, they’ve continued to highlight downballot races in various districts across the US; in the coming weeks, they’ll focus on their phone banking and post card–writing efforts in swing states. And with the help of the S4K friendship bracelet committee, they will continue to make and distribute friendship bracelets, which include a QR code directing to the “Get Involved” page on their website.
In the end, Swifties 4 Kamala didn’t need Taylor Swift to make their mark. Though, as Glick Pulito notes, “She’s always welcome to show up at our party.” Maybe one day she will. For now, the group is focused on the relationships they have with one another, and the candidate they believe will help them thrive. Swift’s philosophy is simply the blueprint.
“I had Taylor as my role model,” says Medrano, “and I’m using that map she’s given me to make sure I can do cool things too.”
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