As I grew up and went through the girlhood phase, I experienced all these confusing feelings, insecurities, and physical, emotional, and social changes. Sometimes I felt like no one, and nothing could understand what I was going through. That’s when I discovered Taylor and Lana and felt embraced by their lyrics and music.
Not just their songs, but Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey created a safe environment for us women to feel comfortable being who we truly are. This happens because their music addresses various topics from a female perspective, such as relationships, appearance, comparison, insecurity, sexuality and feelings.
Taylor Swift fixing Lana Del Rey’s hair and then Lana checking if Taylor has lipstick on her teeth is literally the definition of girlhood pic.twitter.com/FnFPv2bpE1
The Eras Tour is an example of a safe space, where women felt comfortable and confident to show their femininity. It is an environment where they can express themselves freely by dressing up, painting their nails, making friendship bracelets, and using different types of makeup and hairstyles. It was a very important moment for the girls, as they did not feel judged by anyone for being so “girly”.
None of this would have been possible if Taylor hadn’t spoken about all these feminine feelings. Several of her lyrics explore this side and bring forth feelings that are difficult for us women to verbalize, so her writing becomes our voice and part of our expression.
Due to this, Taylor is currently considered one of the greatest songwriters and one of the artists who most engages with the feelings of her audience. We can see in songs like “The Archer,” “Mirrorball,” “Anti-hero,” “This Is Me Trying,” and many others how deep these feelings are and how beautifully she can demonstrate them to the world.
taylor swift is the definition of girlhood ❤️🩹 pic.twitter.com/Wth39Fapbs
“I really do write about girlhood a lot […] I’m very fascinated and always have been since I was in my mid-20s with this phase of becoming a young woman where you’re this very fragile and vulnerable age. I think 19 and 20 is such an interesting and profound experience for a young woman because it’s like you have one foot still in girlhood and yet society and the world is telling you that you’re an adult and there are so many opportunities for you to lose your girlhood and [have it] taken from you”, Taylor Swift in an interview for IndieWire.
Lana’s songs talk about desire, loss, relationships, self-discovery, and love. She often portrays these emotional narratives in an intense and complex way, incorporating vivid images and cultural references that evoke a sense of melancholy and romance in her listeners.
Lana conveys these feelings through her writing, and, just like Taylor, reaches the deepest emotions of us women. In this way, she manages to create a musical atmosphere that embraces our sentiments, vividly and authentically describing these feminine experiences.
This way, Lana not only reaches a wide range of women but also explores the deeper layers of our girlhood by representing another side of our femininity, exploring intense and often hidden feelings. Songs like “The Other Woman”, “This is What Makes Us Girls”, “Cinnamon Girl”, and many others are clear examples of this impact, diving into the essence of these feminine desires and offering a powerful expression of women’s experiences.
Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift started a chain that inspired countless artists to focus on writing their music and sharing their experiences through their lyrics. Nowadays, we see singers like Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, and many others benefiting greatly from this legacy, addressing topics that had never been explored before in songs by women.
Therefore, their work not only managed to impact our girlhood but also expanded to reach new artists who are ready to carry on this legacy and impact other women. We simply must express our gratitude to Lana and Taylor for creating this safe space where we can feel heard and represented.
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The article above was edited by Giovanna Rodrigues.
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