If you do not recognize the person in the picture right below this paragraph, then you are severely out of the musical loop, because a Taylor Swift fad has swept through the nation over the last four years.  Teens and tweens, boys and girls, and even moms all seem to love (or hate) Taylor Swift's pop country style and bouncy love songs.  But the question that I am going to answer today is whether or not Taylor Swift's music is appropriate for a growing Christian to put into her heart and mind. 

Quick Bio-
Taylor Swift grew up singing at as many festivals and fairs that would accept her.  At the age of eleven, she went to Nashville and left a demo CD at every record label in the city.  When she turned fourteen, she became the youngest songwriter to be employed by the SONY/ATV Tree Publishing House, and at fifteen, she was finally signed to Big Machine Records.  Taylor's first single, "Tim McGraw," was an immediate success, and her debut album spent eight consecutive weeks on the top of the country music charts.  Her second album, "Fearless" is the top digitally purchased country album in history.  She recently won four CMA awards, and she is currently working on her third album. 

From Taylor's first, self-titled album, "Our Song" is a cheery song about a young couple who are looking for "their song," before they realize that they can find it through the simple things in their relationship. "Mary's Song (Oh My, My, My)" is a reflective, touching story about a couple who met as children and married later on in life.  "Should've Said No" is a popular song about Tayor's experience with a boy who cheated on her with another girl, and the struggle it took for her to finally end the relationship.  "A Place In This World" and "Tied Together With A Smile" are both inspirational songs that focus on changing and growing, rather than crushing on boys.   

Taylor's first album has no inappropriate topics or themes.  The first version of "Teardrops on My Guitar" contains the "d" word once, but Taylor came out with another edition of the song without the curse word.  In the same album, "Cold As You" also contains the same word once, without an edited version as far as I know.  I give you the go ahead to listen freely to this album, although I would recommend that you take "Cold As You" off of your playlist because of the curse word.   

In Taylor's second album, most of her songs are still targeted on high school-aged girls.  Her single "Fifteen" talks about Taylor's personal experience of going into high school for the very first time.  The song encourages young girls to hold back on giving themselves away to "love" too soon. 

"In your life you'll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team.  I didn't know it at fifteen... 'Cause when you're fifteen and someone tells you they love you, you're gonna believe them, and when you're fifteen, don't forget to look before you fall... I didn't know who I was supposed to be at fifteen."

"Love Story," "Hey Stephen," and "You Belong With Me" are all casual love songs, while "White Horse" and "Breathe" are songs written after (or right before) difficult break ups.  "Forever & Always" was a song written after a hurtful ending to Taylor's brief relationship with Joe Jonas.  Taylor wrote "The Best Day" as an autobiographical thank you for her mom.  I could not find any curse words or sexual themes in this album.  

In her Christmas album, the song "Christmas Must Be Something More" reflects a potential Christian message within Taylor's lyrics.

"You'd see that today holds something special, something holy, not superficial.  So here's to the Birthday Boy who saved our lives.  It's something we all try to ignore, and put a wreath up on your door.  So here's something you should know that is for sure: Christmas must be something more."

I would place most of Taylor Swift's songs are placed in the Neutral Song category.  They are not inappropriate- they're fun- and they do easily fit into what most teenage girls are feeling at each point in their lives.  However, most of Taylor's songs aren't going to be incredibly life-changing, which isn't something necessary when you are casually listening to music. 

Taylor Swift does seem to strive to stay a positive role model for young girls.  In her music videos, while there is the occasional moment when she wears a shirt a little too low, or shorts a little too high, she generally doesn't dress in the skimpy clothes that classify most young, female artists.  And Taylor does appear to realize that youngsters are watching her, and she reflects this with her lifestyle.

"In high school my values were all based upon not letting my parents down. And now that this has happened, it's more like not letting my parents down, not letting that cute 6-year-old that I met yesterday down, not letting her mom down, not letting the 20,000 people I just played a show for down. So that's what helps me to make better decisions."

When it comes to whether or not you should listen to Taylor Swift, you need to decide that for yourself.  Taylor's music isn't corrupting and dirty, but if you tend to long for a romantic relationship more than anything on earth right now, then Taylor's sweet love songs may not be the best subject for you to fill your mind with, as they might increase your desire even more.  Basically, if you can handle listening to love songs and keep your thoughts where they are supposed to be, and if you can remember that even though listening to Taylor Swift isn't bad, you should also fill your mind with music that solely praises Jesus, then I am going to give you the thumbs up. 

I would give Taylor Swift a PG-11 rating, meaning that I probably wouldn't recommend a child listening to Taylor Swift before they reach middle school, because what elementary-aged child needs to be listening to love songs?  For everybody else, I give you the go ahead. 

Do you have any opinions, arguments, or information about this artist?  Comment below.

Stay tuned for tomorrow to read my review on a featured Christian artist.   
    
 

You might not think about searching for "modest" jewelry, but chunky jewelry can help you in your search to dress modestly.  The good thing about chunky jewelry is that it covers up your arms, throat, and places where your shirt may dip too low, so it's a nice thing to wear when you are unsure about how much your shirt may not be covering.  Giant earrings are also going to be in style.  They don't do a whole lot to assist you in modesty, but they are always fun to have as an accessory. 

On the unfortunate side, one bare shoulder is also "in"... and wearing large necklaces that cover a lot of skin isn't going to be enough to make the one-sleeved shirt modest.  See what I mean? 


Colorful and tribal-styled jewelry is also what is going to be in style during the summer months.  If you end up going on a mission trip, then the fun, native jewelry that you can buy in the markets will be stylish back at home: also making a great gift for your friends and family. 

Colorful jewelry can also give you a chance to express yourself in creative, modest ways. 

Check out some of these examples of chunky, stylish bracelets and necklaces.