What it's like to be a man named Taylor Swift


When Taylor Adam Swift was born 30 years ago, the phenomenon that would be Taylor Alison Swift was little more than a glint in her parents' eyes. Unfortunately for the blond (and male) photographer from Seattle, however, the other Taylor Swift across the country eventually grew up to be a chart-topping pop star who hijacked his name during her meteoric rise to fame.
"After the [2009] MTV Video Music Awards — that's when she really started to get quite famous," Swift, the man, told Newsweek in 2014. "It became obvious for me in how it affected my day-to-day life. I still have a little box of fan letters."
Today, his photography website is buried in Google search, he's constantly inundated by fan mail, and being carded or buying a Starbucks coffee never ceases to draw a crowd. But he still manages to look on the bright side.
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"It's a great confidence booster," Swift told Fox29. "It's like endless amounts of, 'You're beautiful, you're so talented, you're a great role model, you have a beautiful voice,' and here I am just like, 'Oh, thank you!'"
There are a few other benefits, too: He's been treated to the occasional free drink, always has a built-in icebreaker, and has been welcomed into the trippy world of regular people who have famous names (a robust, often hilarious, and patient lot).
So, to all you other non-famous Taylor Swifts out there, heed the mindset of Taylor Swift, the man, and just shake it off.
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Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.
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