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Only halfway up the escalator to Destiny USA’s third floor, people could already hear music from the lobby of Regal Cinemas Friday night.

The crowd in its lobby, filled with feather-trimmed hats and sequin dresses, was diligently working on thick stacks of friendship bracelets to make and trade. A single name could be heard from nearly every patron. There was no need to say the last name of who they came to see — everyone knew who she was — and when you’re a Swiftie, it doesn’t matter that you’re talking about the top artist in the world, you’re on a first-name basis.

That’s the power of Taylor Swift. Nearly 20 years into her career, she is on track to have the highest-grossing stadium tour of all time. The film recording of her Los Angeles concert, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” grossed nearly $100 million during its opening weekend. Over the weekend, a crowd of strangers from central New York came together to cheer, scream and sing their way through the nearly-three-hour concert.

Mae Kelly and Olivia Wiechmina, both local high schoolers, came to Destiny USA as Swift superfans. The duo couldn’t afford tickets to see the Eras Tour live, so they made plans to attend the movie’s opening night. As of Friday night, they had already bought tickets to screenings on Saturday and Sunday.

As social media dominates the already challenging high school experience, Kelly said she constantly feels pressure to fit in out of fear of her peers judging her. She said it was Swift who showed her she didn’t have to do that anymore.

“Taylor (Swift) has redefined what it means to be a girl,” Kelly said. “There’s no shame with Swifties.”

Wiechmina agreed and said she tried to show that with her outfit. She wore a one-shoulder dress coated in gold sequins with matching heels and Swift’s signature lipstick to deliver her best interpretation of the “Fearless” album era. She completed the look with a cheeky joke about Swift’s rumored boyfriend: her younger brother’s Chiefs jacket she borrowed for the night.

Wiechmina admitted she doesn’t always feel confident dressing up in sparkles and heels. However, seeing the Swifites embrace their favorite album and dress the part gave her confidence to do the same.

“I love wearing sparkly dresses. I love dressing up,” Wiechmina said. “But sometimes it’s like girls are supposed to shrink and not draw attention to themselves. But that’s not what ‘Fearless’ is about.”

Meghan Hendricks | Senior Staff Photographer

Fans wrote “13,” Taylor Swift’s famous lucky number, on their bodies for the show. Fans hoped to represent how Swift has impacted their lives and their self-confidence.

Instead of “Fearless,” Crissy Fisher opted to pay homage to Swift’s newest album, “Midnights,” with her outfit. Wearing a hand-embroidered black corset top bedazzled with multi-colored rhinestones, Fisher embodied the “Bejeweled” music video.

As a self-described “older Swiftie,” Fisher is a Swift fan because the artist has inspired her in her adult life as she raises her two daughters. Watching Swift at 33-years-old, arguably the most successful she’s ever been, transformed Fisher’s view on aging and typical ageist rhetoric.

“The whole point of ‘Bejeweled’ is never dulling your shine to make someone else comfortable,” Fisher said. “It resonates with me in my own life as a mom of girls because I never want them to feel like they have to do that.”

Fisher’s daughters, armed with their own friendship bracelets to trade with fellow fans, attended the concert with her. As they danced in the concession line, bracelets with affirmations like “smart” and “strong” were visible all around the lobby.

Jackie Lasek opted to wear her positive affirmation on a white and baby-blue t-shirt, an homage to her favorite Swift album and era, “1989.” The lyrics to Swift’s, “You Are in Love” wrapped around her torso in cursive scrawl serving as a reminder that helps Lasek when she’s insecure.

“I’ve been obsessed with Taylor Swift since I was little. Every day I blasted the ‘Fearless’ CD in the car on the way to school with my sister,” Lasek said. “People think the love songs are corny but I really think they’ve taught me about relationships and what I want for myself.”

Cindy Zhang | Digital Design Director

Like Wiechmina, Kelly and Fisher, the Swifties give Lasek confidence when she couldn’t do it for herself. As she stood proud in her lavender cowboy hat, she said she never felt the embarrassed urge to take it off.

“Being a Swiftie gave me that,” Lasek said.

Chantel Winhantel felt like that confidence was missing in her own life. She never was a Swift fan until the Eras Tour started popping up on her Instagram and TikTok feeds. The fandom enraptured her and inspired her to start listening to Swift. She hasn’t looked back since.

Winhantel dove into Swiftie culture head first. She was in her “Reputation” era for opening night, donning a newspaper-printed blazer, a red bodysuit and tights. At home, she had outfits for “Red” and “Fearless” ready for when she returned to see the film again.

Stephanie Baker, who went to see the film with Winhantel, has been a diehard Swiftie since the beginning.

“I’ve been a fan since her country days. I heard her when she opened for the Rascal Flatts at the New York State Fair,” Baker said. “Did I go for the Flatts? No. I went for Taylor Swift.”

The two friends met on a Facebook group for Swifties in New York state. The two quickly bonded and worked together to get presale codes and tickets for the Eras Tour. When their plan ultimately failed, they planned to make the concert come to them at Regal, complete with bracelets, costumes and singing their hearts out. On Friday, they did just that.

However, Baker said the energy from the film wouldn’t die when she walked out of the theater. To her, being a Swiftie is a philosophy and a way of life.

“I think being a Swiftie means you’re a feminist. And she’s showing women everywhere the power of femininity,” Baker said. “And that’s never been more important than in this day and age and Taylor is the queen of it. We’re all trying to learn from her to keep building women up.”

Published on October 16, 2023 at 10:50 pm