UNCW is home to over 300 clubs and organizations, but one club is making a shimmery mark on students who are fans of one of the biggest pop stars of the century. The Swift Society is UNCW’s home to swifties and fans of Taylor Swift alike. The club started off as a unique opportunity for students to bond over a shared interest and has come to foster a community of friendship. Like millions of swifties coming together on the internet, the Swift Society is now home to a group of Swift fans from UNCW.
Current President, Kayla Brethauer, originally joined the Swift Society as a way to meet new people but soon realized how impactful the club has been on the members. “Our big goal is we want our members to connect with a group of people who have something in common with you,” said Brethauer.
The Swift Society was founded by Madison Odom who originally got the idea for the club after seeing social media posts from other schools. “I saw a video on TikTok of a club that was Swift related and it looked so much fun and all the girls looked like they were having such a good time,” said Odom. Since starting the club two years ago, Odom has become close with the current officers. “We’re all really close – going to New York with all of them last year for our officer retreat was so crazy,” she said. In New York the officers visited Radio City and Broadway.
Every officer of the Swift Society will tell you that this club is a great way to make friends. Odom said, “Last year, everyone was friends, and even if you weren’t super close, best friends, you loved the people who were here.” Treasurer Samantha Baldwin says the best thing about being a member of the club was meeting their best friend: “I met my best friend through this club, Maddie. She’s my other half and I met her because of [this], and that’s been the best part.”
During a meeting on Sept. 6, the group did an arts and crafts project. The goal was to make collages from each of Swift’s “eras,” or albums, and compile them together to create a banner that would be hung as decoration throughout the semester. The members were divided into groups, each picking one of Swift’s 12 current albums to work on. Member Brooke Lesniewski said, “I like how we get to meet other people that have the same interests as each other. I love crafts, anything with Swift and crafting.”
The club is not just for full-fledged swifties. Members who may consider themselves more casual fans are always welcome as well. One first time attendee, Floriam Schwart, does not consider himself a swiftie, but was attending the meeting to learn more for his girlfriend. “I’m an international student from Germany and I’m today here for my girlfriend, who is a Swift fan. So, I’m here for educational purposes,” Schwart said.
The Swift Society has two faculty advisors, one of which is Dr. Elizabeth Wellman of the Department of Theater. An executive board member overheard Wellman discussing the work she had published on Swift, which then led to a conversation about the club. Wellman recalled, “I write about Swift as a scholar. They mentioned that they had this student organization. I said, that’s so cool, and then they emailed me and said, ‘Would you like to be our advisor?’ and I was like ‘yeah of course.’” Wellman has shared that she plans to teach a class on Swift next semester. “I’m teaching a class on Swift next semester that’s on the history of showgirls. That’s actually my area of specialization, burlesque and chorus girl. So, it just happens to be an overlap,” she said.
Wellman noticed the range of attendees at the Swift Society was not exclusive to one stereotype. Amongst the 20 or so members that evening, a diverse group was gathered to share their love for Swift, or to learn more. “It’s really cool to see such a huge range of members, and it’s not surprising because that’s sort of a Swift thing,” Wellman said. Wellman has been a fan of Swift’s music since 2006 when “Teardrops on My Guitar” first released, and enjoys seeing how people still connect to Swift’s music. “As a faculty member, I think it’s just so exciting to see people who are able to connect over art. I’m grateful that there are places on campus where students are able to gather, to spread positivity and to honor a woman who is open about her feelings and emotions.”
The Swift Society is a safe place for anyone to come, sit and make friends. Baldwin reminds members that this is a safe space for anyone who is interested to join, “We are a safe space, whereas many people are seeing that a lot of campus isn’t a space right now to discuss random things without the fear of being screamed at or judged. We don’t judge here.” The Swift Society welcomes all fans of Swift and hopes to see you at their next meeting. “We just, you know, we’re a group of listeners at the core,” Baldwin concluded.
The club hosts biweekly meetings that are announced via the club’s Instagram. With Swift’s twelfth studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl” set to be released on Oct 3, the club has scheduled a listening party at Tap Tea Bar on release day. To RSVP, view the event on WaveLink: “Celebrate the release of Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” at Tap Tea Bar on Oct. 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. with the UNCW Swift Society! Try a specialty showgirl-themed boba tea, connect with other Swifties in the community and share your thoughts on this newest era!”
President Brethauer also hopes to host a viewing party for the film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” as well as work with local shops to host events. With an exciting semester unfolding, UNCW Swift Society hopes that new members will be excited to join. “I’d just like to see more people become involved. I want this club to be for everyone,” Brethauer said.
To get connected with the Swift Society, visit WaveLink or the Swift Society Instagram.
