Don't Judge. Really.

I'm finding it harder and harder to ignore Taylor Swift. And I once thought it was going to be so easy.
The first time I heard "Teardrops on my Guitar", I dismissed it as just another pretty pop song. Admittedly, I found its chorus and rhythm catchy and pleasant, but I just wouldn't commit to liking it, especially since the singer was a blonde teenage girl who hadn't actually written a word she was singing, never picked up a guitar in her life, and whose vocals had no doubt been retouched by the studio.

Or so I thought.

The second time I encountered one of Swift's songs (I can't bring myself to call her "Taylor"; the form of colloquial address adopted by her rabid fans), I was intrigued by the lyrics, which seemed remarkably well-developed and unassuming, instead of a typical repetitive pop offering.

I know a lot of people will make the argument that Swift isn't pop; she's country. My answer is, no she's not. That's how she's advertised. That may even be the way she sees herself. But I put very little stock in what most people nowadays consider country, and what I consider pretentious pop, dressed up with a few banjo licks and a cowboy hat. I am a born and bred country purist, so when I talk about country music I am referring to southern denizens which very few people seem to bother themselves about. Modern country music is, essentially, an oxymoron. Thank you. Now that we've got that out of the way, back to Taylor Swift.

Gradually I have become more familiar with Taylor's music (all right. I give in. Taylor it is.) I don't know exactly what it is about her music that manages to penetrate my distinctly defined boundaries of what qualifies as "real: music, and my genetic prejudice against anything approaching mass appeal.

I have increasingly turned to her lyrics in search of an explanation and I've found the secret lurking there. I don't know why it took my so long. Taylor hits at some nerve running through the consciousness when she sings:

"Romeo, save me
they're trying to teach me how to feel"

and, elsewhere,

"All those other girls
Well, they're beautiful
But would they write a song for you?"

What's more, she penned those lines herself--as I now know--and they represent, in some literal way, the strange plight of being a teenage girl. Swift knows the sensation inside and out and she can describe it in her own terms.

There was a time when this wouldn't have made a difference to me. After all, I haven't always been a teenage girl. But now that I've become a part of that demographic, and experienced all the stereotypical turbulence, I find I have a new appreciation for someone who understands and can articulate that understanding in a way that is neither preachy nor passive.

So what took me so long to give in?

Maybe it's the fact that I often don't feel remotely sixteen most of the time. I have a hard time relating to my age group when most of them seem to be perennially involved in pursuits which I find frankly repugnant, which just lends itself to a feeling of isolation.

So hearing Taylor give voice to my sentiments is heartening, and makes me feel as if I really may be part of a greater community of teenagers. It gives me a point of common interest, a chance to let go of my own seriousness and stop feeling as if I span two very different worlds--that of the adult and the child--in a way that is interesting, but intrinsically awkward. Come to think of it, if I really want to become a legit Taylor fan, I might want to stop using words like "intrinsic" and start using more, like, abbrevvs, u no?

But what I like about Swift is that she embodies something that reaches far beyond any typical stereotypes. She's beautiful, yes, and blonde, and polished. But she's also a credible talent, not some innocent face affixed to a Disney Channel operation. She actually plays the guitar, and writes her own lyrics, which raises her lightyears in my estimation. I can appreciate her without becoming obsessed, and while still retaining my self respect. I can watch the music video of "Love Story" (for how many times, I've lost count) without feeling like I'm killing some part of myself. I've always been attracted to certain types of pop music, and Swift combines all the best aspects, with few of the letdowns.

I'm finally going to stop fighting it.