In 2019, Swift opened up about letting go of some members of her “squad” in a personal essay for Elle. “Something about ’We’re in our young twenties!’ hurls people together into groups that can feel like your chosen family,” she wrote. “And maybe they will be for the rest of your life. Or maybe they’ll just be your comrades for an important phase, but not forever. It’s sad but sometimes when you grow, you outgrow relationships. You may leave behind friendships along the way, but you’ll always keep the memories.”
In the essay Swift reflected on some of the insecurities that fed into her desire to publicize her large group of friends. “Never being popular as a kid was always an insecurity for me,” she said. “Even as an adult, I still have recurring flashbacks of sitting at lunch tables alone or hiding in a bathroom stall, or trying to make a new friend and being laughed at.”
She continued, “In my twenties I found myself surrounded by girls who wanted to be my friend. So I shouted it from the rooftops, posted pictures, and celebrated my newfound acceptance into a sisterhood, without realizing that other people might still feel the way I did when I felt so alone.”
Ultimately, Swift remains close only with the “the ones who stuck around” during tough times like her public feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. “I learned that I have friends and fans in my life who don’t care if I’m #canceled. They were there in the worst times and they’re here now.”
