Taylor Swift Says She Drinks In Interview, Is Her Good Girl Image Hurting Her Career?

Taylor Swift has grown up from the girl she once was when she first entered the music industry. In an effort to introduce fans to her grown-up image, Swift has a mature look that’s in line with every 25-year-old, but it’s important to note she hasn’t veered from who she is as a public figure. That said, she has revealed in an interview with Barbara Walters about drinking on occasion.

Swift, who’s been on the road promoting her album 1989, sat down for an interview with Barbara Walters as part of her 10 Most Fascinating special. Swift made the list, and revealed a few interesting tidbits.

Walters insinuated that she’s been a good girl, a singer who is popular but doesn’t have a bad image or promotes outlandish behavior.

“You have never been ‘the bad girl’… You don’t drink. You don’t smoke.”

Swift interjected, “I mean, I do drink, I am 25. So it’s not like, I mean… Yeah, I was at a Knicks game and I had a beer and everybody was like, ‘Ohhh!’ I was like, ‘Tsk.'”

That said, the “Shake It Off” singer admitted that she did wait before drinking legally.

“I did wait until I was 21 to drink. I was so paranoid about getting in trouble or setting the wrong example or sending the wrong message.”

This is pretty much in line with the kind of message the singer puts out there for her younger audience. Instead of saying she’s not a role model like other pop stars might, the singer explains to Walters that she’s aware her words can mean something to her impressionable fan base.

“I put every one of my actions through a filter before I do them because that’s the way my life is. That the reality… If I do something reckless or thoughtless or careless, or I treat someone badly, that doesn’t just affect me; it affects that person. Then, if that story gets out, or some 10-year-old sees that I did that in a news article… my actions do have ripples.”

Other outlets have latched on to this conscious decision of Taylor’s to analyze if this move has hurt or helped her career.

Forbes favored her stance, and said it was a clever move by Taylor and helped her break out from the pack.

“She distinguishes herself by not taking the road many female entertainers do when they’re trying to enter a mature market. Instead of changing her image, Swift changes the content of her music to reflect her maturity and how she’s evolved; she’s done it extremely well, especially for someone her age. It has made a huge difference in her staying power and in her success.”

Seeing as her new album sold $1.28 million in its first week alone, it’s safe to say that Swift’s game plan to be open and honest with her fans without succumbing to sensationalizing herself in a sexual way has helped her career, and makes her relatable to her fans.

[Image via Featureflash / Shutterstock.com]