Growing up, ‘girlhood’ wasn’t in my vocabulary. Instead, I watched from the outside; wishing I could be a part of it, but never quite knowing the secret code to be let in. In case you’ve been disconnected, Taylor Swift has been in town. And the girlhood and community that I’ve seen arise because of it... My God, it’s done something so deeply to the little Chloé that still mourns a girlhood she missed. The one time I had friendship necklaces with a group of girls, they all threw them away in front of me and told me “It’s a joke, we would never be friends with you.” This weekend, I finally got my friendship bracelets; 100,000’s of people experienced what it means to belong, too. I saw little girls trading bracelets with security guards, dads belting Taylor lyrics while dancing with their daughters. Little girls screaming lyrics about feminism, and being strong, and being brave, and men screaming out lyrics about being kind, and being soft. I saw strangers holding hands, ample sunflower lanyards and headphones. I saw the definition of what it means to belong, the definition of girlhood. Community and belonging is fundamental; and Taylor Swift has created something that myself, and so many other neurodivergent folk never got to experience... Allowing us older folk to experience a community we never had, and ensuring little girls never have to go without. I don’t care if you’ve never cared for her music, if you don’t know a thing about her, if you’re still feeding into the misogynistic propaganda the media are feeding about her; It’s you. Hi. You’re the problem it’s you. The epitome of girlhood is strength, boldness, kindness. Taylor Swift not only epitomises this herself, but creates the space for others to feel it too. Before this year, I wouldn’t have called myself a fan, but after seeing the positive impact she’s had... including on me, she’s now one of my favourite people on earth. If liking Taylor Swift is being ‘just like other girls’, then I am JUST like other girl. I LOVE other girls. There is nothing I want to be more than like other girls. And God, I wish I had have grown up with Taylor Swift. @Taylor Nation @Taylor Swift
Im media trained i swear (I’m constantly asked how I look so confident and professional in my red carpet photos and media interviews, so here’s a lil look at the in between moments bc it made me giggle and is a lil reminder that when your faves are looking hot, poised and perfect, theyve got ‘in betweens’ too)
-Autism and grief- Grief is my biggest, hardest, worst emotion. The idea of loss; whether it be as small as not getting tickets for a concert I’ve been hanging for, or as large as losing my nanny, is enough to put my body into a state of complete stand still. It’s all consuming, all encompassing, it’s physically painful- I’ve been crushed by a horse and kicked in the head and had internal bleeding in three vital organs and the pain of all is nothing compared to the physical pain grief caused me; ‘learning to live with it’ simply isn’t an option; particularly when that grief is the loss of a loved one. In December, I lost my bunny, Posie. She was my little lifeline through a stressful time, I loved her with my entire soul, and she moved on from this life in an incredibly abrupt, traumatic way. I was stuck. In what was that same week, four feral kittens were born and hidden under a shed at our upcoming wedding venue; to be found by us on our wedding day. Theres a lot of conversation about animal loss, about a waiting period, about ‘not wanting to replace’. Loss is something I can never, never get over; when a pet passes (which, comes with the territory of being an animal rescuer), there’s never, never a chance of filling that hole left by them; but, accepting it’s emptiness feels the same as drowning. These kittens, particularly little Woolbrook (named after our wedding venue) have patched the hole Posie left with tape and scrap fabric and fur balls; and when I’m missing her just a bit too much, I look to them and I feel so, so close to her. Woolbrook has so many of her exact quirky mannerisms (and mannerisms of my late cat Bikkie, who I still mourn on the daily), Freja is her exact colouring. Because Posies time here had finished, we had the capacity to rescue more; and maybe souls don’t interchange to different bodies, but their purposes sure do. I am oh so sure that because He knew it was Posies time, God sent me the most obnoxious, cuddly, Posie-like kittens in her place. And the grief doesn’t change, but the patches get a little bit stronger.
It was gold coin donation day at Hartley High so I dressed as a polly pocket 💛 (thank you for all the love on the show so far it makes my heart go eeeeee)