I give Taylor Swift a lot of credit for really doing a completely strict and appropriate lockdown. She recorded, promoted and released an album in solitude, working with producers and sound mixers virtually, with everybody in their own little bubbles. She didn’t get itchy to go out clubbing this summer – she stayed locked down, mostly in Nashville. But she decided to “go out” for the Academy of Country Music Awards last night. This was her first appearance on the ACMs since 2015, which is around the same time she went “full pop” and abandoned the country twang. This is also her first public appearance since, I believe, January or February? She performed “Betty,” the second single from her latest album folklore.
People were making a big deal about how Taylor styled herself, but she did that for all of the folklore promo too, right? For the music video and the photos, I’m pretty sure she did her own hair and makeup and picked out her clothes. So it was last night – she styled herself in head-to-toe Stella McCartney, an unfortunate pair of trousers and a sparkly turtleneck. She did her own hair, which was… unfortunate. Again, it’s 2020 and I feel like this is the lost year and all of us have bad hair. Taylor absolutely looks like she’s cutting her own bangs and styling them all flattened down.
Here’s the performance of “Betty.” That’s the name of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ third child.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Taylor is one of the few singers who seems to lead a clean life. She is a true role model. She has stayed on top because she works hard and is actually talented. Good for her.
Her father bankrolling her career in the early days certainly helped.
On one hand, yes, her parents financed her career but if she didn’t produce marketable (and sometimes good) product, she wouldn’t be around still. On the other hand, you will find street musicians in Nashville, New York, New Orleans etc who are just as talented if not more whose daddies don’t have the resources to make them a thing. It cuts both ways.
I don’t get the snark. Taylor was discovered at a cafe, and her dad worked with that man to start a label. Taylor had a record deal earlier on with Sony but walked away because they were trying to control her songwriting. She would have been successful in her own right, tbh, even if her dad wasn’t a stakeholder in her label. And for someone who became wildly successful as a teenager in a conservative male industry (country music), I can’t help but think she deserves every ounce of it.
CC
That’s a revision of history. Swift was 1 of those many young talents that were primed for more and given a marketable origin story.
Loving the distinction between marketable and good. Ha!
I don’t really think she’s that talented. I get that she can write a song but her live vocals are so dodgy at times I’m shocked she’s managed to sustain a recording career.
I think she looks great. Like a normal person.
I love it. It’s so normal. It’s not like all these real housewives who have to get “glam” before going out to dinner. This woman is performing live and she’s like, my Naked palette is fine.
I agree! She looks like a normal person, and I’m all for it 🙂
I too love this less stylised version on T.S.
Especially when so many people still can’t leave their homes.
Come on, Kate was laughed at here in her long, red dress and she looked 100x better than Taylor does in this photo lol You can like Taylor, and that’s fine, but it’s ok to admit that she doesn’t look great here, both her outfit and hair are NOT flattering at all in any way.
I hate the curly bangs sooo much. They do her such a disservice. Please ditch the bangs altogether, Taylor, you look prettiest without them.
Today I was told by a male friend that I should lose 10 pounds because that would make my self esteem better because he noticed I don’t wear “attractive” clothes anymore and he thinks it’s because I gained weight.
And I literaly just wear clothes for me, which means that I don’t care if I my body looks attractive to anyone, plus, ironically, I lost weight, I just stopped wearing “attractive” clothes (which I didn’t even know I wore until recently).
So – TAYLOR CAN WEAR ANYTHING SHE WANTS, THERE ARE NO SUCH PANTS THAT ARE UNFORTUNATE.
Rude. And agreed! I think she looks cute.
Yeesh. You know what’s unattractive? Saying horrible and rude things to women who consider you a friend! I hope you tell him you’ll lose ____ lbs by ditching him!
I think there’s a difference between pants looking bad on someone and pants being “unfortunate” in terms of fashion. So not to critique her, but to critique her choice of fashion. Which might be frivolous, but I’m into clothes haha
Totally agree with you. I actually agree that the pants are unfortunate, but because the color doesn’t go with the turtleneck (which I love because SPARKLES) at all. I wish they were black at the least, and slimmer cut.
That is such a rude and inappropriate thing to say,especially to a woman you consider a “friend”. It’s also a bit creepy, like dude stop thinking so hard about your friend’s weight and clothes and what she should do with her body.
Honey you should let go of that “friend”. You deserve better.
That’s no friend.
I think someone is salty (and now passive-aggressive) about being friend-zoned.
He’s not your friend.
@everyone
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I managed to keep my cool during that conversation, but as soon as I left I crossed his name of my friend list, without even telling him.
And yes, he was friendzoned – recently, in fact, which I completely didn’t connect with this, so THANK YOU.
I’ll admit my knee jerk response was that her look was terrible, but then I thought about it and realized it’s totally fine. We have been conditioned to expect that glamour is a part of being a musical artist, and that everyone has to follow a certain aesthetic. COVID has really reset a lot of our expectations, and if the new thing is adopting a more comfortable style that is truer to ourselves, then I’m here for it.
Because she wrote this song from a teenage boy’s perspective I’m pretty sure she deliberately tried for a more androgynous appearance while avoiding cosplaying as a male.
YES. I am here for these post-Covid world changes. Where we can sit and listen to a woman’s words and creativity and not be like, “her butt looks big in those sequin hot pants.”
So well said Star!
And that’s the second song of hers I’ve heard in its entirety. Good job.
Is this a “second single” as in there will be a music video coming out or is it just a song that she sent to country radio? She sent “New Years Day” to country radio too but that didn’t make it a single. Just curious because this would make a cute music video.
As a fellow curly-headed woman, I am going to support Taylor’s curly bangs and natural texture. The issue is that she isn’t using a mousse or something to keep the frizz contained; back-lighting curls is doing her no favors either. I actually hoped this would be her hair style for the last album but I think her stylists won that battle way back then. So, I like the hair!
The pants are fine, the color is too close to her skin tone. If they were cranberry like her top you’d probably like them better. They fit her well
As another curly girl I support her hair as well. Curly hair has a mind of its own, some day my hair is fire, other days it is the absolute worst so I don’t judge other curly girls, we are all trying our best!
also, Mousse is life.
Yes! So many of “she has the worst hair” comments hurt me, like curly or wavy hair can’t be beautiful (see also any makeover movie where ugly is curly hair with glasses and pretty is straight hair with contact lenses), which is a sentiment I bought into for like 30 years and am only just getting over. I think her hair looks fine! The pants I do not understand as an accompaniment with the shirt, however.
I’ve got hair which depending on the day ranges from curly to wavy to flat. And any shorter strands definitely lean toward curly in just about any weather, so TS’s hair situation looked … familiar to me.
And TBH … absolutely fine.
It fit with the overall aesthetic with that outfit and with the artwork that went along with her latest album. The pants aren’t my favorite color, and in the top shot with the bottom cut off weren’t that flattering, but seeing the full length picture, I like them paired with the sparkly top as much as any Stella McCartney outfit I’ve seen. Plus I’m pretty sure they have pockets which is a huge win for me.
With this hair, she reminds me of the teacher from Little House on the Prairie, and I AM HERE FOR IT
2020, man.
2020 is the year that I am seeing Taylor Swift though eyes of non annoyance.
Yeah, well said. Oh 2020, look what you made us do? I SEE TS empowered other artists by insisting on better pay w Apple& came out w a #metoo. Now made-under & looks the best, actually cool & not cookie cutter bratz doll. Pay the glam squad & let them go home to their families. Refreshed looking at Taylor Swift looking refreshed. Oh 2020…
I so, SO appreciate that she styled herself, down to hair and makeup. That means she didn’t put anyone else in danger so she could look glamorous. It’s significant because the other women on last night’s show (from what I saw — I stopped after Taylor performed) looked all dolled-up and professionally done. She’s naturally beautiful and looked great with the minimal makeup/her own hairdo. Taylor is someone who genuinely seems to be still taking COVID seriously and I think that’s a great example to set. She handled this really well.
Betty is one of my favorite songs on folklore (that entire album is wonderful) and I LOVED this performance!
It is a great song. My second favourite after a The Last Great American Dynasty
I thought her hair looked awful, but I really don’t like her with bangs in general. But, like you said @Case, I appreciate that she did it herself and didn’t bring in someone else to do it. And I liked the turtleneck. I’m really not a Taylor fan, but I do think she has handled the lockdown really well and I even listened to folklore a few times and liked a lot of the songs more than I thought I would (agree with Smalltowngirl that Last Great American Dynasty is my favorite.)
it’s nice to see celebrities taking this seriously even now and makes me appreciate and respect those who still are.
Great point – I appreciate how seriously she’s taking this. She’s a good role model.
I find her annoying in some ways, but she’s smart and savvy and I think she’s getting the confidence to step outside her carefully curated image and be herself.
I would not have expected Betty to be the second single. I really thought The 1 would be the second, and maybe Betty or August released later, but definitely not second. How interesting.
Cardigan was the first single right? And Betty, Cardigan and August all go together so it makes sense that they are the first singles. The teenage love triangle.
I don’t think Betty is necessarily the next official single. I believe she sent Betty to country radio, Exile to alternative radio, etc. I think she likely just performed it because it’s a country-leaning song and the ACMs like having her back as much as possible, lol!
I really like the Cardigan-Betty-August trio, but I was hoping August would be the second single because I love it (I love the whole album, but I tend to like Taylor’s more pop-ish songs best, and August to me is pop). But I still like Betty a lot, and I would have paid cash money for her to sing the “explicit” version live, but I knew she wouldn’t. I guess I’ll just have to wait for the 2021 or 2022 folklore tour (I was robbed of Loverfest, will I ever hear Cruel Summer live??).
I like her top. But agree no bangs are better for her.
I think she’s gotten much better as a live performer, right?
I think this is in general her comfortable, natural style. I remember her singing during the Red era, it was much better than her 1989 era.
I was always surprised how bad she could sound live – for example, once she sang This is what you came for and it was flat out terrible.
So, experience, confidence, working on it – plus going back to her truest style – in combination you get this. A great performance.
I don’t love the bangs, but I do think she looks great with the curly hair and relaxed styling. And considering my last haircut was December 2019, I’m not in any position to judge other people’s hair choices 😂
Love the song. Love the stripped down acoustic performance. She looks totally fine. We’re seeing a move away from glamour to more simplicity in so many ways. I like it.
Speaking as someone who has paid little attention to TS over the years and who didn’t have anything but a vague opinion about her . . . I loved everything about this performance.
You can definitely tell she’s gotten voice lessons, and I mean that as a compliment — her live voice is so much better than when she was younger.
SO MUCH BETTER
Her voice is so warm!
Yes I noticed that too – she’s much better than she was before. Good for her for working on it and improving.
I feel like Taylor probably still has a contract with Stella McCartney that she needs to fulfill, but couldn’t because of Covid. The whole outfit isn’t especially flattering for her. It may have been the best of a lot of bad options. I’ve never been a Stella McCartney fan though. So, I might be biased. The only time she’s wowed me was H&M’s wedding on Meghan’s second dress. Although, I’ve always wondered if that was a happy accident. It was a relaxed fit and Meghan’s first dress was a tad big. The second dress may have been supposed to fit tighter, but Meghan lost some weight before the wedding and it made the dress fit in a better way.
Amal Clooney’s Stella McCartney outfit for her civil wedding ceremony was pretty cool. One of the few “Stella” ensembles I have really liked.
Catty comment for today – she has always had the worst hair, bangs in particular! I actually really like the turtleneck! 🤷♀️
The first thing i notice that she did her own makeup because i can see her eyebags. Congratulations to her because she take social distancing seriously by avoiding unnecessary contact with anyone.
For those who try to deem her succes, if she did not have her own talent she will not be here after ten years of succes. Keep it up taylor.
Her mom has cancer, so I’m guessing it is extra important to her.
She looks terrible lol.
Really? How so? She looks great and it’s an awesome thing to see people on a red carpet self styling after years and years of unattainable get ups.
She looks absolutely atrocious–only here would people say otherwise. Everything about this is painful to the eyes.
Perhaps this is physically not her best look, but I find it beautiful that during a pandemic she wasn’t fussy and styled herself to protect those around her as well as her own health. Common sense and compassion are very attractive qualities these days.
I think I’d like the outfit better if the pants were black
This is so refreshing. Just a real woman being excellent in own skin.
My daughter and Taylor have the same wave/curl to their hair so I love Taylor’s curls, even with bangs. I didn’t know what I was doing with my daughter’s hair since my hair is fine and stick straight so she used to choose to just get it cut short since that minimized how much hair there was to curl. She’s been growing it out for a little more than 2 years and learning how to use product or tools herself. I believe styling curls is good but I also love when my daughter’s curls just are, especially now that they are getting longer and longer. I don’t think Taylor looks bad, I feel like she looks like herself, and it’s a reflection of her growing her own voice and making her own choices.
Props to Taylor. The standards in Hollywood for females has been unattainable for decades. I hope this sets a new standard, that if a major pop star can perform on stage without a glam squad, that maybe girls out there will not feel such immense pressure to look “perfect” all the time. I’m here for a more natural look. I’d personally like to see this venture into a new territory of less Botox, less plastic surgery, less extreme dieting and overall decreased superficiality about beauty. One step at a time.
Love her top, don’t like the pants, love her lipstick and make-up, don’t love her hair. And I may be the only one who thnks the song Betty is blah. I find it is one of her least interesting songs ever.
I like all of the pieces of this look, just not together. I’d like a much darker red lip with this outfit and black pants maybe? Overall it’s fine, I’ve seen worse from legitimate stylists for sure. I do like her more subtle makeup look, I hope this catches on. I don’t mind glam looks, but it feels like overly glam makeup has become the norm for every single occasion. I also love the pants, but I do love a menswear cut on women.
I agree. I like the pieces, but not together.
I’m looking forward to her new recordings because her voice is just soooooo much better than it used to be (a little screechy, thin). Much more full-bodied and expressive.
She did her hair the same way it was in her video for Cardigan…..I guess she thinks it’s folksy, but it would have made more sense to wear a boho dress, then. Hate the pants and I do wish she put at least a LITTLE mascara on.
As a curly haired gal with curly bangs, i dig this look big time.
I thought Taylor’s performance was fantastic and she looked great. Her vocals just keep getting better and better. She’s obviously going for a certain understated look for this album, which comes off as wholesome and a little dreamy. I love Reputation Taylor the best, but I’ll take this one too.
I think her look would have been perfect with maroon/plum pants instead, maybe a little more slim fit but not needed comfort is awesome 😁 great performance. Agree on the backlighting but I still think she looks cute, but I’m biased bc I love Swifty.
I love the curly bangs, don’t love the outfit choice (if ever there was a time to show up in gigantic chunky knits or flannel, this album is it).
She names all their kids in the song..cute!!
Her voice sounds great, she looks awesome, go Taylor!
I love this outfit because to me it’s so covid…. glam up within reason with makeup- wear a fancy shirt- lookk glamous for FaceTime, zoom WebEx for your meetings and online get togethers but keep it super comfy and causal from waist down…
Her outfit summarizes my post lockdown fashion dilemma… it truly displayS (lol for my covid reality) what clothes is now… like a mullet (business in the front and party in back) but a tad different (business on top and superchill on da bottom!)
If you go back and watch her early live shows she has always been at her best when singing with an acoustic guitar in a more country mode with narrative inflections. This performance showcases her most durable skills not voice lessons. For whatever reason the more pop/ rock songs give her a harder time and she ends up sounding pitchy live. This was an amazing return to form. Love it.
Do you think she’s really singing?
Her vocals have really improved.
there have been a few comments on here on how her vocals have improved – so she’s made how many millions with a not so good voice? lol it’s incredible to even write that sentence. She obviously got into the business with her dad’s connections and she was a cute kid who had many, many opportunities that others did not have. I’m not saying she has zero talent, and she’s clearly a good business woman, but… Can you imagine how many other really talented singers out there are broke and have no chance to showcase their talent while watching Taylor’s vocals ‘improving’ over time?
I will love those bangs for life.
The only thing sillier than her hair is this incredibly juvenile song.