5 Things All Single 20-Somethings Can Learn From Taylor Swift in the November Issue of InStyle

Sure, we can’t all be blessed with singing and songwriting talent bundled into a willowy, model-like 5’9” frame, but there are things every young woman can do to be more like Taylor Swift, InStyle’s cover girl for its November issue, available on newsstands and for digital download now. Consider how we’ve never seen her stumble out of a bar drunk at 3 a.m.; how she’s never had a dreaded wardrobe malfunction; and, well, how everyone just seems to really like her (as evidenced by her gaggle of famous girlfriends). Who wouldn’t want to be like that?

For November’s cover story, writer Maureen Orth spent some time with the 24-year-old pop star in her five-bedroom Tribeca loft. They talked about her new album, 1989, how she stays so grounded, and why Swift is really happy right now without a man in her life. Here, get a sneak peek at secrets Orth gleaned about Swift’s impeccable put-togetherness, and to read the full interview, pick up the November issue of InStyle, on newsstands now.

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1. Stop worrying about what people think. Titling her new album 1989, the year she was born, is “based on me learning to care less about what people think of me,” Swift says (though she concedes that’s hard to do in your 20s). Still, “once you think about it, aren’t the people who are living their lives without worrying about other people’s opinions having more fun than those judging them?”

2. Surround yourself with true friends. Swift tells us that she and her pals often gather at her Manhattan pad to have impromptu dance parties or play games of pool—this, she says, is her social life these days. “We see each other whenever we can, and we text all the time,” Swift says of besties like Jaime King, Selena Gomez, Odeya Rush, and Hailee Steinfeld. “It’s a lot easier to be a really great, close friend when that is the only personal relationship you have.”

3. Don’t party too hard. While you might not have to worry about the paparazzi hounding you, you may have a bad boss or outer-circle mean girl just waiting for you to mess up. “I have friends who will say to me, ‘The press is hating on me for partying,’ and I’m like, ‘Then why don’t you stop partying?’” she says. “If you honestly want them to have nothing to write about, give them nothing to write about.”

4. Call your mom. “Calling my mom is something that kind of calms me down when I’m stressing out, because she knows I stress out more than anyone else,” Swift says.

5. Be picky when it comes to your significant other. Because, let’s be honest, this person better be worth the sacrifice of life’s other riches (see: No. 2). “I am so good alone,” Swift says. “It’s not sad; it’s not tragic.” Cheers to that!

To read Orth’s feature on Swift, including her thoughts on marriage, kids, and her love of baking, pick up the November issue of InStyle, available on newsstands and for digital download now.

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