Taylor Swift, by most standards, is a very accomplished and successful young woman. Starting at the age of 14, Swift broke into the country music industry with her very first album. Four albums later, Taylor has just released her new album 1989 on Monday, October 27th. She is the only female artist to ever have two albums sell over a million copies within the first week of sales. She is a seven time GRAMMY-winner, and was the youngest recipient ever to receive the GRAMMY award for best album of the year. Not only is she a very successful artist who writes all of her own songs, she also is extremely charitable as well as a genuinely nice classy individual. A country star now turned pop, 1989 is her very first album after officially breaking from the country genre. As a celebrity, singer/song writer, and actress, Swift has accomplished more by the age of 24 than most people might hope to accomplish in a short-lifetime.

As a devout TSwift fan since she first came out with her very first album, following Taylor through her music as first a country artist and through the transition to pop music, I will say that I was slightly anxious to see what the new Taylor would bring to the table music wise. Like any devoted fan, I preordered my 1989 CD months in advance, and waited with angst for the e-mail which would deliver the news that my coveted CD had finally arrived. After rushing to Redifer to snatch up my package between classes, I was both nervous and ecstatic to see what the new 13 tracks had in store for me. I can say, that I was very pleasantly surprised by the new catchy and edgy Taylor Swift songs, and I have been listening to the album on constant repeat for the past couple of weeks, and I suspect that the trend will continue for a good two weeks.

Why is it that Taylor has become so popular? Most people either love her music because it is so relateable, or they dislike it for the very same reason. Maybe all her songs are mostly about boys, but I think that is why she has gained such a strong fan base, because there is literally a Taylor Swift anthem for every single step or falling out of a relationship. My readers may disagree with me on this one, which is fine because everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I think Taylor Swift is absolutely fabulous.

The beauty standards for women have gone from one extreme to the other throughout history, and the fluxuation continues to occur. In the 1500’s and classic victorian era, it was preferable to be pale in complexion and on the plumper side, because this flaunted the fact that you were a wealthier woman who did not have to work for a living, and thus from not working in the sun, you would desire a paler complexion. During the Victorian Era, the standards changed to women who were fair looking, but had tiny waistlines. Corsets became popular, and I bet the term “beauty is pain” was most likely derived during this time period, because some women would even end up breaking ribs while striving for a thinner waistline.

When the roaring 20’s came around, less clothes, less hair, boyish body figure, and more makeup became the fashion fad with the coming of the flappers. During the 1930’s and 40’s which have now been labeled Hollywood’s Golden Age, women began to watch what they ate in order to achieve a thin, streamline body type. It was during this Golden Age, that women began to opt for colored foundation rather than a foundation that would make them paler, the “Golden Age” really became a golden tan.

By the 1950’s the whole housewife craze was back in, and though women aimed to be luringly curvaceous like Marilyn Monroe and other actresses to attract a man, women were supposed to be up kept and never look sloppy, and not showing much skin. The 1960’s hit, and thus began the trend for stick thin skinny like famous model Twiggy. The 1970’s reinforced the stick thin trend of the 1960’s, and it was in the 70’s that this fashion trend hit the hardest. Women strove to be skinny. The 70’s also brought the tan beach body look, and bronzers became commonplace. The 1980’s stressed fitness with the whole aerobics craze that some of use look back at our mother’s pictures and wonder what they were thinking. And by fitness, this meant skinny, but toned, however without being considered muscular.

The 1990’s were summarized by even less clothes and tan thin bodies. The 2000’s until present day represent and even more drastic scale of the 90’s, with the coveted and overall impossible strive for a thin but fit body. Although we have more leeway currently concerning what an acceptable body for a woman is, there is still the preferable thin streamline body type that most women would prefer to obtain.

A new shift that might be seen in more prevalence as the years continue, is the transition back into a curvier standard. Pop artists like Nikki Minaj, Megan Trainor, and even Beyonce all are amply allotted women in the areas of breasts and booty. One of Trainor’s lyrics even ventures to say that “Boys like a little more booty to hold at night,” contradicting the necessity for a “beauty skinny yet busty photoshopped model” body like popular magazines like People or Seventeen would suggest. And so in that sense, media is fighting media on what should be the beauty standard, because ladies have begun to realize that the beauty expectations have become utterly ridiculous and impossible to achieve.