In a music venue off East Houston Street, over 300 fans in a mix of sequin tops, red-rimmed sunglasses, cowgirl boots and Kansas City Chiefs “87” jerseys packed into The Rock Box.
A young girl wearing a white bow placed her arms on the barrier separating the crowd from the stage and looked up as eight fans — each dressed to match the theme of various Taylor Swift albums — led the tone of the crowd; dancing, singing, and gesturing the mic to the audience, they seemed to know each word to every song. Actually, pretty much everyone in the venue knew all the words.
For some songs, the crowd yelled the lyrics. Glow-in-the-dark bracelets illuminated from arms stacked with beaded friendship bracelets, as they chanted in unison. For slower songs, they swayed or turned to people nearby, stranger or not, and sang to one another. No one stood alone.
The event is only one of many hosted by the 210 Swifties, a local group where friendships form amidst the members’ shared love for Taylor Swift’s music and message.
The group started off with five members. But since May 2023 its social media accounts have exploded. The Instagram account amassed 200 followers in just two months and now boasts nearly 900 followers; currently, the organization’s private Facebook group has over 1,100 members.
Mary Nava, a 23-year-old Texas A&M University-San Antonio student, launched the 210 Swifties after learning of a meetup for Taylor Swift fans was hosted in Houston. She was a new fan at the time, but she says she felt like San Antonio deserved a place where Swifties could gather and connect with one another too.
“Post [joining] 210 Swifties, ‘community’ is so much more dynamic and lively of a word to me. It definitely evokes more emotion than before, thinking about all these people who have shared pieces of their life and this love for the same thing,” Instagram admin Amber Rodriguez said.
The group hosts numerous events a month including Taylor Swift-themed dance parties, karaoke, coffee meetups, fitness classes and yoga.
On Facebook, members share photos, personal accomplishments and news related to Swift.
Rodriguez is referred to as a “veteran Swiftie” having been a fan since 2007.
“My mom actually introduced me to her first album…The first song I ever heard was called ‘Invisible’ and I was 8 at the time. That song really struck a chord with me” Rodriguez said. “I just remember being this little kid who really wanted connection and friendship.”
Rodriguez says Swift’s story of finding her art, a place she belongs, and building a career and livelihood around that was inspiring to her growing up.
The group attracts fans of all ages and hosts regular events everywhere from bars to coffee shops.
“I really like the dance parties because I’m a shy person..so at the dance parties, I can just be myself,” Nava said. “I like the coffee meetups too because we get to know the members a bit more. It feels more personal in a way.”
Rodriguez says a lot of times the conversations start with Taylor Swift, but ends up being a chance to share their own experiences.
“It always shifts into people sharing life updates. People share their highs with us, they share their lows, and then they are celebrated or comforted by everyone in the room,” Rodriguez said.
The coffee meetups always have a start and end time, but the group never ends up following them. They have spent upwards of four hours at shops because the members enjoy each other’s company and are seeking connection.
As a San Antonio native, Rodriguez says she doesn’t know if the group would thrive in other cities.
For 35-year-old mother of two Lisa Anchondo, San Antonio didn’t feel like home until she became a part of the 210 Swifties.
After 14 years of living in Killeen, a military city 40 miles north of Austin, Anchondo moved to San Antonio when she took a job as the general manager for Anchor Bar, a wing restaurant on the city’s north side. Last fall, she organized a Taylor Swift-themed watch party for the NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
“It was 60 of us Swifties just standing up and screaming. We had our whole area and sound; no judgment or anything,” Anchondo said.
The 210 Swifties already have a room reserved for them for Kansas City Chiefs viewing parties at Anchor Bar this coming season to see Swift’s boyfriend, tight end Travis Kelce.
“Any fandom or anything that you’re a fan of that you get into, people are going to make fun of you. People are going to poke at you. It shouldn’t bother you, but it does” Anchondo said. “With Taylor Swift, I feel like we just don’t care…It’s always such a safe environment at any meetup we do, whether it be a bar, a late night thing, hanging out. The people are just there for you.”
On July 27, Anchondo’s son celebrated his 10th birthday. However, because her son had just started at a new school, there wasn’t anyone to invite.
“Some of the Swifties came with their kids to my party today and another one who I met here, she made me a bracelet that has his name and the colors of his favorite album on it for his birthday,” Anchondo said. “You feel comfortable here. You find good people here.”
Anchondo has been a fan of Swift since 2010, partly because she is relatable, stands up for what is right, a positive female role model and a talented lyricist.
What is it about Taylor Swift anyway?
Dr. Elizabeth Scala, a professor at University of Texas at Austin who teaches a course on the literary significance of Taylor Swift’s songwriting, says Swift is breaking the mold of conventional stardom, while also using literary devices in her lyrics that mirror some of the most renowned writers in history such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe.
“Life tends to be a mess. And only when you reflect on it, write it down, film it or sing it, do you give it an artistic shape that you process it…giving it a form that other people can use, think with and think through,” Scala said, adding that she’s using the singer’s discography for this course because students will think hard about it.
The modern Taylor Swift phenomenon reflects both an example of how celebrity culture has evolved due to social media and ways in which the arts and humanities field has been underestimated in terms of the impact it has on society.
Her concerts generate millions of dollars for local economies. Swift’s three-night sold-out show last year led to Houston’s highest hotel revenue week of 2023.
Scala says Swift is doing something different than other performers right now. Her growing popularity shows that women can demand a strong market.
Most recently, Swift’s performance in Munich, Germany amassed not only 74,000 fans inside the stadium, but an estimated 50,000 thousand unticketed fans gathered on a hilltop outside the venue to hear her performance. A post on X showed the amount of fans present at the tour stop.
“I think that’s a huge point about her cultural influence and what she has to say about women as producers and women as consumers in contemporary culture that a lot of people are not getting,” Scala said. “They hear it, but they’re not really getting it.”
