The picture Taylor Swift shared this weekend, backstage at the Eras tour in London with Prince William and two of his children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, plus her boyfriend Travis Kelce, will go down in selfie history. Not since 2014’s infamous Oscars selfie has one simple shot felt so star-studded and iconic. At the time of writing, the photo had 9.3 million likes on Swift’s Instagram page, while the behind the scenes version shared on the Prince and Princess of Wales’s feed had racked over 2.9 million. Wow.
But Swift, 34, has a long history of taking a great selfie. Sure, it helps that she’s genetically blessed with great bone structure and a cute glint in her eye, but over the years she’s perfected the art of making all her selfies sparkle, seemingly without too much help from filters. So, what can we learn from Swift’s strong selfie game?
Tip: Grow a long arm (or find a friend with one)
Swift has admitted in the past that being tall (she stands at a statuesque 5’11’) hasn’t always felt like a blessing, telling Girl’s Life back in 2008, “I didn’t like being tall when I would walk up to a group of girls, and they were all a head shorter than me.”
But, over the years, she’s confidently grown into her height, and those lengthy limbs certainly have their advantages when it comes to taking a good group selfie. Every friendship group (or celeb squad) needs the token long-armed buddy to do the honors, and Swift is always happy to, even joking to fans that you don’t need a selfie stick when she’s around.
Of course, being the holder of the camera comes with its perks — namely, that you get dibs on deleting any shots that don’t get your seal of approval. So, if you fear your arms have stopped growing, making sure you have a gangly friend with your best selfie interests at heart is advised. Bonus points if it’s Taylor Swift.
Tip: Rock a red lip
Red Lip (Taylor’s Version). If you worry about always looking a little washed-out in your selfies, a quick pop of red lipstick will liven you up and take attention away from any parts of your face that could appear a little more sleep-deprived. Unlike many stars, Swift has never been afraid to share shots of her looking fresh-faced and natural — but she’s also famously a fan of a red lip, saying in 2014, “I never really get too far from red lipstick, do I? I guess I just think my face looks worse without it.”
Her go-to these days is Pat McGrath’s LiquiLIST Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick in Elson 4, but she’s also worn Mac’s iconic Ruby Woo in the past. But, whether you’re taking a selfie for an Instagram post, a dating profile or just to show your mom that you have been getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of water, any red lipstick will do the job.
Tip: Bring in the props
When you hang out with Ed Sheeran as often as Swift has over the years, those selfies can get a little samey after a while. If you and a friend have the same problem and fear your Instagram followers are SO over seeing you making the same old faces together again, it’s time to mix things up and bring in the props, whether it’s a fun mug, a quirky hat or a musical instrument. It also means that when you idly scroll back through your camera roll, you have a hope in hell of differentiating between all those different occasions.
Tip: Be as silly as you like
Swift is versatile; we know from her many years of photoshoots and music videos that she can do moody and smoldering, she can do cute and flirty, she can do pretty much anything required of her. And obviously in the recording studio she can do country, pure pop, folk, and electro-dance, too. But when it comes to taking selfies, especially with her fans, she mostly just loves to goof around. Having your picture taken with a star as big as Swift can be nerve-wracking, but she always puts Swifties (and indeed fellow celebrities) at ease by blowing a kiss or pulling a silly face. It’s a great way of making sure everyone she meets goes away with happy memories of that time they met Taylor Swift and no Swiftie is left disappointed. Even if you’re not an international pop star, it’s always nice to make people feel good, right?
Tip: Don’t be afraid to get a little “MySpace”
As a younger millennial, Taylor Swift probably shouldn’t have been on MySpace, but at times her selfie game suggests she’s at least familiar with the favored profile pic styles; think, extreme angles and a lot of emphasis on cheekbones and bangs. Back then (MySpace peaked in 2006, the same year Swift released her first album!) most selfies were taken on digital cameras, rather than smartphones, and filters did not exist, but that grainy, slightly retro, quintessentially MySpace aesthetic definitely plays to Swift’s strengths (yes, cheekbones and bangs!).
Tip: If in doubt… grab your pet
As the world’s most famous cat lady, of course Swift sometimes likes to bring her bushy-tailed brood into the frame. After all, what pet owner can resist sharing their adorable fur babies with the world? If your Cavapoo isn’t on Instagram, do they even exist? And there are no more, um, purrfect selfie accessories than Swift’s three cats, Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button. No pet of your own? Aww, sorry. A silly puppy ears filter (or a borrowed critter) might have to do.
