Taylor Swift Created Her Own Glam Look For The ACM Awards
Country music star Taylor Swift broke tradition and did her own hair, makeup and styling for Wednesday night’s appearance at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, People reported.
Tay has a long history with the awards. She won Entertainer of the Year at the age of 21, becoming the youngest person to take home the honor. Since then, she’s racked up another nine ACM prizes, according to Yahoo Life.
However, prior to Wednesday night, she hadn’t performed on the stage at the gala for the past seven years. What’s more, she had effectively ditched her country roots when she went all-pop for her album 1989. So when she was invited back to perform “betty,” from her surprise album folklore, fans expected her to bring it, both in her performance and her look.
She didn’t disappoint.
Her look was at once simple and elegant: khaki slacks, a purple sequin turtleneck, and strappy kitten heels. The outfit was designed by her close friend, British designer Stella McCartney. Her hair was done up to look curly and windblown, and her makeup was minimal.
Not only was the toned-down look a significant departure from the glamour that usually accompanies entertainment industry events, but she also eschewed the tradition of having professionals do the stars’ hair, makeup, and outfits. Instead, she did it all herself.
Tay didn’t say why she chose to go for a toned-down, do-it-yourself look for the awards ceremony. However, in a tweet Tuesday, she told fans that she missed them and posted a simple, black-and-white photo showing her hair in a similar ‘do to what she wore Wednesday.
Guys I don’t know anything but I know I miss youuuuu. So watch the @ACMawards for my performance of ‘Betty’ ? pic.twitter.com/20yUFLYG8B
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) September 16, 2020
Not unlike her look, her performance was similarly minimalist. Sitting on a bench with her guitar and accompanied only by a harmonica, she gave viewers a toned-down, simple version of what is likely the most talked-about song on her album. Video of the performance can be seen below.
In addition to bringing Tay back into the Nashville fold, folklore has also spurned conversations about what the songs are about — “betty” in particular. Some saw it as an LGBTQ metaphor, a fan theory that Swift herself rejected.
She did reveal that the name comes from the moniker given to the newborn daughter of celebrity couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. The lyrics are simply about the experiences of a lovelorn teen.
“Everybody makes mistakes, everybody really messes up sometimes and this is a song that I wrote from the perspective of a 17-year-old boy. I’ve always loved that in music you can kinda slip into different identities and you can sing from other people’s perspectives. So that’s what I did on this one,” she said, per People.
