She's Time magazine's person of the year. She's the most-played artist globally on Spotify. She's helmed the first tour to gross more than $1 billion and then the highest-grossing concert film of all time. And now, Taylor Swift has an entire era named after her. A state House resolution is recognizing 2023 as the Taylor Swift era in her home state of Pennsylvania, per the AP. While the resolution had its naysayers, it passed 103-100. Speaker Rep. Joanna McClinton, a Democrat from Philadelphia County, quipped, "Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate"—echoing the lyrics of Swift's track "Shake It Off." Most Republicans voted against the measure, as did a few Democrats.
Swift has "transcended the role of pop star," the resolution said. The resolution recognizes her accomplishments throughout the past year, saying she "shines as a role model of courage, self acceptance and self-determination, persisting in the face of personal and professional obstacles and challenges." Swift grew up near West Reading, in Berks County, about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Part of her childhood was spent growing up on a Christmas tree farm, "where every wish comes true," she sings in "Christmas Tree Farm."
Swift's impact as a woman, and on young women specifically, can't be understated, lawmakers said. The resolution recognized her "singular economic and cultural influence" as demonstrating "the power of female agency, feminine ideas, feminine art and a distinctly feminine narrative." It comes at a time where women have broken a number of glass ceilings in local politics, Democratic Rep. Jennifer O'Mara of Delaware County, said in a committee hearing for the resolution on Tuesday.
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