"Never grow-up": a life course approach to aging Taylor Swift fans

Swifties are one of the most devoted fan bases in the world, and according to Statista (2023) 45 per cent of Swift's US fans are millennials, 21 per cent are Gen X and 25 per cent are Boomers. Through a life course approach, the paper explores how senior swifties self-represent and are represented. We explore senior swifties self-narravitization and their narratives of later life fandom. This research resorts, as a primary data collection method, to a thematic categorical analysis of video content collected from audiences present at Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour”, at various locations, and to content analysis of media representations, and online communities of senior swifties. We will highlight how aging in and with fandom challenges stereotypes, allow for new forms of affect and agency, and the emergence of new role models for later life. This diverse fan base also allows for intergenerational dialogue.