Taylor Swift: reporter becomes a ‘swiftie’ for a day and discovers that fans protect her from the press

I have to confess that Taylor Swift was never part of my playlist. In fact, I know some hits like ‘Change’ and ‘Shake it Off’ — when I say “I know” it’s in the sense of knowing that it exists; At most, I’ll hum it if it comes on the radio. That’s why I was a stranger in the nest this Thursday (17th), at the door of the Hotel Fasano, in Ipanema.

That was where she was staying but I missed the moment the singer entered the hotel. Do you know why? Only later did I find out that there is an agreement between fans not to collaborate with the press in situations like this. The level of idolatry is so great that they help her outwit the journalists, those annoying people. So, mischievously, Swifties more linked to the cause, so to speak, spread the word that she would stay at the Copacabana Palace.

My saga began around 12pm and I spent, for nothing, two hours at the Copa. There were other journalists, also attracted by the supposed news spread on the networks, that she would stay there. I tried to pretend to be a Taylor fan to try to understand what was going on in their heads, and I started to suspect that something was wrong when I realized that there were only a half dozen hot cats waiting for them in Copacabana.

Fasano was the other option, he had also installed safety bars. But at 1:30 pm I received photos showing that it was still empty in front of the hotel. There was a stronger rumor that she would stay at the Copacabana Palace, so I decided to stay there.

Around 2:30 pm, a Swiftie with whom I had started a chat came to tell me, already leaving hurriedly: “She’s in Fasano, friend. We’re going there.” I asked for an Uber and sent that movie phrase: “Correeee!”. Copacabana and Ipanema are neighboring neighborhoods, and the hotels are about three kilometers away from each other. I arrived in less than five minutes, and at that time, just before 3pm, around a hundred swifties were already spread out along Avenida Vieira Souto, in front of the hotel.

Under an inclement 42-degree sun, people didn’t even seek shade. It was important to stay at a good angle to click the sovereign goddess with the cell phone if she appeared in the window. I joined a group of swifties as soon as I arrived, and soon one of them asked me: ‘Did you bring a friendship bracelet to exchange?’.

Exchanging beaded bracelets with the names of Taylor’s songs and albums is a custom among Swifties, who would thus establish a bond of friendship, a connection between them. The fact that I didn’t have one of them was a serious flaw in the construction of my persona. I felt like I lost a bit of legitimacy by not using it or having one to exchange, but life goes on.

The subjects in the circles that formed ranged from paying ten installments on the card to pay certain debts related to the show to the lies they had to tell at work to get there. Talking about Taylor’s new boyfriend, American football player Travis Kelce, seems to give her fans special satisfaction.

“Finally she’s with someone who isn’t a trash,” said one of them, adjusting her bracelets as she spoke. “She’s in love,” comments another. Taylor, someone remembers, has dated Jake Gyllenhaal, Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner and Zac Efron, among others. The impression I have is that the singer’s fans “like” this relationship — as do her relatives, according to an expert present there. ‘It’s the only relationship that the family immediately approved’, she commented, full of herself, a swiftie.

The chat continues, some sing the blonde’s hits when, suddenly, no more than suddenly, the hotel gate opens. Oh! Two black cars head towards the street. “It’s her!”, warns a girl, the only one with the courage to go near the car, with tinted windows. Behind me, a girl of about 20 is crying. I run after the car with another swiftie (yes, I was already considering myself one), say goodbye, shout “Taylor! Taylor!”. I try to get your attention. In vain.

As soon as possible, the driver accelerated and left everyone behind, taking the Vieira Souto lane towards Copacabana. Taylor didn’t interact, he ignored the swifties who were waiting for him, drenched in sweat on the hottest day of the year in Rio de Janeiro. But so what? Almost everyone’s plan at the hotel was to be back the next day, happy and content. Fan life is like that.