Taylor Swift and the ‘Swiftie Dad’ phenomenon sweeping Australia
They’re dressing up in matching costumes and spending hours refreshing Ticketek. Meet the Aussie dads swept up in the Swiftie phenomenon.
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Global superstar Taylor Swift is not just changing the face of pop culture — she’s helping dads bond with their daughters during the notoriously difficult teenage years.
From scoring concert tickets to being dragged along to the megastar’s stadium shows, fathers are playing a huge part and the heartwarming rise in daddy-daughter time is one of the hallmarks of the Taylor Swift effect.
The Swiftie dad phenomenon even made its way into one of the world-famous million-dollar Super Bowl ads, aired in the US during the NFL final.
Skincare brand Cetaphil had viewers in tears with its poignant depiction of a previously aloof teenager reconnecting with her father, whose arm is adorned with Swift’s signature friendship bracelets, as they sit down to watch the Super Bowl.
Through Swift, dads are connecting with their daughters and getting involved in their lives like never before in a way that will have positive effects on relationships for years to come, leading Australian parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson said.
Dr Coulson said children feel like they belong most when they have parents who are involved in their lives, with positive father-daughter relationships being essential for young girls.
“When kids feel connected, when they feel seen, heard and valued, they have better outcomes,” the author and host of the Happy Families podcast said.
He said it’s “tremendously validating” when parents talk positively about their children’s music preferences.
“It teaches them that their opinions and values matter. And it helps kids to get a really nice sense of who they are and where they are in the world, and it’s just it’s a nice feeling when somebody likes what you like.”
In a noble bid to stay connected with his teenage daughter, Melbourne father Steven Richardson has traded in his Matchbox 20 ticket to go see Swift.
His 13-year-old daughter, Abigail, is “obsessed” with the Lover singer, and quickly decided she wanted to go to the Eras Tour with her father rather than bring a friend.
The decision shocked mother Kellie Richardson, who said the pair have a “beautiful and special” bond which has only been strengthened by the pop sensation.
“Steven and Abby sat in the lounge room together and watched the (Eras Tour) concert on TV, it’s really sweet,” Kellie said.
“We bought her a record player and all Taylor’s records, and she plays them flat out and he listens to it all.”
Kellie said when Swift plays on the radio, he turns it right up without any complaints.
Even when Abigail planned his outfit down to the very last face gem, Steven was happy to go along with it.
“My eldest son is 19, and every time we go, ‘Come on, we’ll take the boat out, let’s go …’, it’s ‘Nah, I gotta meet up with friends’, you know?” Mr Richardson said.
“Before you know it they don’t wanna spend time with you.
“I probably wouldn’t have gone out of my way to go (to Swift’s concert) … but when your kid is so passionate about something, you just do whatever it takes to get them happy and have that time with your kids.”
Father of two Ben Hensley shared the same sentiment after his wife secured tickets to one of the Sydney shows.
“My daughter is 13 this year, so how many more years have you got to go to things together?” Mr Hensley said.
“Next time an international artist such as Taylor is back in Australia, she could be 18 or 20 … the last thing she’ll wanna do is go to a concert with her dad, I would imagine,” he said.
“I’ll take it while I can.”
The South Brisbane father will be wearing a themed shirt and friendship bracelet – which he hasn’t taken off since Christmas – to the concert as a token of support for his daughter, with the event bringing his wife, Kelly, and two children, Majella (12) and Morgan (10) all closer together.
“It’s something to look forward to as a family,” he said.
Dr Coulson said the Swift-driven boom in father-daughter bonding differed from previous pop star crazes such as One Direction for one key reason – Taylor’s femininity.
“I think dads are going to look at boys and see them as a potential threat (to their daughter),” he said.
For parents struggling with negativity directed at them for not securing the golden ticket, Quirky Kid child psychologist Dr Kimberley O’Brien said the key was to talk children through the process and normalise feelings of despair.
“Ask them to unpack those feelings a bit more: ‘Are there other scenarios which make you feel frustrated or powerless?’,” she said.
Giving them the chance to choose what they do on the day of the concert is another great way to help children cope, Dr O’Brien said.
“It’s an opportunity to help children to learn how to empathise and ask ‘If you were in my shoes, what would you have done?’” she said.
“Take them through the process of what happened using the facts …‘This is how long I waited’, ‘This is the outcome’.
“It’s nice if you have some evidence … show them screenshots of where you were in the queue.”
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