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Taylor Swift’s influence on millions is undeniable, but few have described it as vividly as podcaster Alex Cooper, who recently opened up about how the pop icon’s music shaped her understanding of love, heartbreak, and relationships during her formative years.
Swift’s music defined Alex Cooper’s teenage years
During a candid appearance on Owen Thiele’s podcast, Alex Cooper reflected on how Taylor Swift’s early music, particularly her sophomore album Fearless, played a transformative role in her teenage and early adult life. Cooper shared that Swift’s songs were not just anthems of her youth — they were emotional blueprints for navigating crushes, rejection, and romantic fantasies.
Holding up a Fearless album poster during the conversation, Cooper admitted that Taylor Swift’s lyrics mirrored her own youthful experiences.
“Those songs changed my life. Like, Fearless was my era of girlhood where I was really starting to like boys—” she recalled with a laugh.
The romantic illusions Swift’s lyrics inspired
Cooper went on to describe how deeply she internalized Swift’s narratives about love and heartbreak. She explained that, at one point, she even began to romanticize unrequited love because Taylor Swift’s music made it feel meaningful.
“He doesn’t love me. But I almost romanticized guys hating me at one point — like I thought it was cool that they were turning me down because then I had Taylor to listen to,” she confessed.
Her co-host Owen Thiele humorously interjected that Cooper was essentially “in love with Taylor” during that period — a claim she didn’t deny.
The pop star who sparked a “sexual awakening”
Cooper further revealed that Swift’s influence went beyond emotional understanding. She credited the Love Story singer as being pivotal in her personal development, even calling Swift the architect of her “sexual awakening for women.”
For Cooper, Swift wasn’t just a musician — she was an emblem of self-expression, vulnerability, and empowerment. Through heartbreak anthems and romantic ballads, Swift gave voice to emotions Cooper couldn’t yet articulate, helping shape her sense of self and her views on love and attraction.
Taylor Swift’s enduring cultural power
While Swift continues to dominate headlines with her record-breaking albums and sold-out tours, her cultural influence clearly extends far beyond music. For fans like Alex Cooper, Taylor Swift’s work has been a defining soundtrack to their emotional evolution — one that still resonates years later.
As Cooper’s story highlights, Swift’s artistry doesn’t just reflect her own life — it reflects the shared coming-of-age experiences of an entire generation.
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