Taylor J. Swift works in the field of lobbying in the US Congress. Having the same name as the singer ‘Fortnight’ has made many changes in his life.
It took Taylor J. Swift years to accept her full name.
The article is based on an interview between Business Insider and Taylor J. Swift (30 years old, Washington, USA), Director of Government Capacity at POPVOX Foundation.
I first heard about singer Taylor Swift when I was 15 years old. At that time, I thought it was no big deal. She’s just a singer with 1-2 hits, this won’t affect me. But I was very wrong. As time passed, I started to feel annoyed.
Back then, I was just a kid trying to live my life. After moving to Ohio to live with my father, I enrolled at a new school. A few bullies in high school and a music teacher regularly made fun of my full name.
Going to college, I had the opportunity to make a new beginning. I knew I had two choices: either change my name, or accept having the same name as a famous female singer. Honestly, it took me a long time to make a decision. But in the end, I chose to keep the name Taylor J. Swift, instead of choosing another name.
The fact that my parents named me Taylor J. Swift is not a coincidence, there is a reason. Therefore, I decided not to run away, but instead to accept and develop myself in the path that I feel is right.
He learned to take advantage of his special name when working in politics.
Up to now, although my name appears in every social interaction, including in my political career, I happily accept it and consider it a positive thing. I became fond of my name, and I think it helped me more at work.
As someone who works in the field of lobbying in the US Congress, owning the name Taylor Swift makes it easier for people to remember me. Meanwhile, my job will involve meeting many people, from interns and employees to voters and lawmakers. Having something that helps me stand out is essential.
During an event to welcome interns to the National Assembly, when my name appeared on the big screen in front of about 350 people, some burst into giggles but quickly quieted down. But I encouraged everyone to keep going.
Taylor J. Swift was teased when she was in school because she had the same name as singer and billionaire Taylor Swift.
“Yes, my name is Taylor Swift. Feel free to make jokes, I’ll ‘shake it off’,” I remember saying. Shake It Off is also the name of a famous song by singer Taylor Swift. After that, the atmosphere suddenly changed. become more comfortable, people begin to stretch their facial muscles and relax their bodies.
At work, I also often use song lyrics to make conversations more interesting. For example, I use the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s song Out of the Woods to talk to people: “I know this project is hard but ‘we’re not out of the woods yet’ be difficult)”.
Political work can be very stressful. If joking about my name makes someone laugh or remember me, I’ll do it.
Of course, at first, people were skeptical about me. They don’t know who I am, and how can they trust someone named Taylor Swift. This makes me work really hard to get people to take me seriously.
However, when giving interviews to the press and media, I often ask them to quote my full name as Taylor J. Swift so that no one confuses me with a pop singer. I also write my full name on my business card or when applying for a job. This way, they won’t wonder why Taylor Swift is speaking about modernization and the oversight role of Congress.
