Taylor Swift, love her or not, is pretty cool. When I was growing up, Madonna might have been an equivalent performer; an incredibly famous singer-songwriter and image-chameleon. Each time you think you have them “pegged” to a particular song-style, or appearance, they change. They bring out one album that becomes familiar, and then, they bring out another album which feels like it’s gone off on a tangent, then another that seems like an about face to the two prior ones.
As artists, they keep reinventing themselves. They never get old… or at least their music doesn’t… no one has discovered the Elixir of Eternal Youth (yet).
Because I “get” Madonna more than Taylor Swift, (I was there, watching her shape-shift), here’s an image I found of her transforming herself over time:
[Image source: Pinterest account Coconutconfetti: Pin on Paper Dolls]
My favorite look was from “Nothing Really Matters” (2009) when she dressed-up as a pseudo-Japanese-geisha. The images would spark an epic debate about cultural-misappropriation these days (and rightly so), but back then I was just enamored by her straight hair and fabulous headpiece!
[Image source (with more photos of this era): Today in Madonna History]
Spin back to today. What I really like about Taylor Swift (from what I can tell from casual observation) is that she both recognizes and celebrates her changing personality by labelling them “Eras”. She’s been “Fearless” and “Enchanted” and “Wonderstruck” a “Tortured Poet” and “ME!” (based on her song titles and perfume range).
There’s something especially endearing that someone so young uses a term that typically refers to decades-long periods of time… eons even. For Taylor Swift, an Era can be as short as the span of a year in which an album was completed.
One of the other things I like about Taylor Swift is her ability to embrace her flaws – that’s not to say she leans into them, or resigns herself to them – only that she is aware of them, learns from them, and seems to move on… at least that’s what her lyrics suggest.
She doesn’t seem to sell “perfect”; her tribe loves her because she appears authentic, vulnerable, honest. Not every Era is going to be a success, and that’s OK… that’s what it is to be human… to keep going and keep growing…
When I look back over my life, I see a few “Eras” of my own.
When I was young I was a “good-girl” people-pleaser. In my late teens I went through a stage where I rebelled (as much as a people-pleaser can) and dressed in what I would call “goth-lite”. As a young professional in the workplace I tried to be “a creative” “go getter” (luckily, architects tend to have all-black wardrobes, so I was already set up!). As a wife and mother, I was a selfless “care-giver” (who added a bit more color to my cupboard (but not much)), and as a chronic migraine person I became an “invalid” (who lived in pajamas or oversized slouchy t-shirts).
In the same way that Madonna was Madonna was not-Madonna over the years… here are some random photos I found of me being me, being a different version of me, but still me, over the decades (starting with an image of me with what I refer to as “pug-puppy-face“!!):
More recently, as I started healing myself through mindfulness, I have shifted again, into a “self-healer”… perhaps even a “helper” as I blog about my journey to encourage others. In my podcast interview with Roi Shternin (here) I spoke of myself as shifting from thinking of myself as a “healthcare LOSER” to a “healthcare LEARNER” who was inspired by “healthcare LEADERS”.
Three potential Eras lined up in a row!
The point is – our lives aren’t static. Who we are today is not necessarily who we have to be tomorrow. We might feel like the product of our upbringing, and in many ways, we are – but we still have the potential to change, to learn, to grow, to alter our course, to alter who we are, to reinvent ourselves into something altogether new… even potentially someone unrecognizable!
So… what Era are you in today – and what Era do you aspire to be in next?
Equally importantly – what are you doing to make it happen – because I know you can!
Take care taking care, Linda xx
PS – Following on from my note about the Roi interview above, I’m excited to share that I was recently interviewed again – this time by Violet Li, Tai Chi Master, on how mindfulness helped me reduce my migraine pain. Our discussion was taped (you can watch it here) or read the associated article and share some blog love with Violet over on her site: Managing Migraine with Tai Chi – Violet Li Tai Chi
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