5 Surprising Lessons in Taylor Swift ‘Shake it Off’ Video

While you and your children may love to sing and dance to Taylor Swift songs, you probably never considered that kids younger than dating age might learn something from the lyrics. But that just might be the case when you listen to and watch her latest release, Shake it Off.

After showcasing several talented artists displaying their particular brand of dance, the end of the Taylor Swift Shake it Off video features a group of seemingly everyday people busting out their own unique moves. Swift and the video’s director, Mark Romanek, reportedly opted to highlight other artists to illustrate that you don’t have to put others down when building yourself up. Everybody has different talents, and showcasing talent can be a collaboration.

If your child is a fan of Taylor Swift, perhaps you can use this new video to discuss the following lessons within the song lyrics:

1. We can’t force people to think and feel the way that we do. Swift’s lyrics insist that the “players gonna play” and the “haters gonna hate.” We can’t always change the way that other people think and feel, but we can be mindful of ourselves. Which brings us to the next lesson …
2. How we react matters. Rather than becoming angry and retaliating with hurtful words, Swift encourages us to simply shake off negativity. It is ok for people to disagree and as long as they are not hurting us, or others, we can choose to focus on our passions and move forward rather than being brought down.
3. Individuality is valuable. By spotlighting several styles of dance, Swift illustrates that there are several different talents out there, different ways to be good at things, and different avenues to learning and developing these skills. Basically, individuality is awesome!
4. It’s ok, and encouraged, to take a break and be silly. Dancing isn’t Swift’s top talent. But she rocks out in her own quirky way that makes her attitude even more admirable, and without distracting from the professional dancers’ performances. Do you have a signature dance move that you bust out when you need a break from the daily grind?
5. You don’t have to put others down to lift yourself up. This is an important message for anyone and everyone. Swift surely has a new hit on her hands and rather than bashing other artists, she brings some along for the ride. She collaborates with some awesome talent that makes her video difficult to look away from.

Do you find value in the Taylor Swift Shake it Off video? What talent or skills are you or your children cultivating?

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