Drew a map on your bedroom ceiling: fandoms, nostalgic girlhood and digital bedroom cultures in the Swiftie-sphere

Abstract

This paper explores the role of escapism in Taylor Swift’s music and her fandom, referred to as ‘Swiftie’ culture or ‘Swifties’. Swift has always been known for her personal lyrics set to catchy melodies, and in recent years, she has leaned further into leaving ‘Easter eggs’ for her fans to piece together through her lyrics, music videos and social media presence. Drawing upon Jenkins’ (2006) work on ‘prosuming’ and McRobbie and Garber’s (1975) ‘bedroom cultures’, I explore the storytelling in Swift’s craft, and argue that online engagement with her work enables a productive fandom built upon nostalgic escapism. This paper interrogates the role of the Swiftie fandom in cultivating digital bedroom cultures; utilising a feminist discourse analysis of Swiftie Reddit and YouTube, I suggest that Swift’s evolving view of girlhood, as well as her use of metaphor and colour, has built an alternative world of nostalgia that predominantly exists online. As such, fans are offered a community to escape into the mythology of Swift in a way that speaks to and celebrates ‘girlish’ emotions, cultivating digital spaces that emulate the ‘real life’ bedroom.