People: "They didn't think I was cool or pretty enough, so they stopped talking to me." Another reason she was singled out? "The kids at school thought it was weird that I liked country [music]," she says. "They'd make fun of me." But all that changed in ninth grade when she moved from her hometown in Pennsylvania to Nashville and scored a record deal. A year into her career, Swift returned to perform in the place where earlier she'd been mocked – and saw the girls who made her feel so badly about herself. "They showed up, wearing my T-shirts and asking me to sign their CDs," says Swift. "It was bittersweet, because it made me realize that they didn't remember being mean to me and that I needed to forget about it, too." Besides, she says, "Really, if I hadn't come home from school miserable every day, maybe I wouldn't have been so motivated to write songs. I should probably thank them!" (Taylor Swift Suffered Bullying in School)
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress. On September 21, 2007, Swift helped launch a campaign to protect children from online predators.[134] She has teamed up with Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen to combat internet sex crimes.[134] The year-long campaign, in partnership with the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, will distribute Internet safety information and materials to parents and students across the state. In early 2008, Swift donated the pink Chevy pick-up truck given to her by her record label to the children’s charity, the Victory Junction Gang; in June, 2008, Swift donated all the proceeds from her merchandise sales at the 2008 Country Music Festival to Red Cross, the Nashville Area Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and the National American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Swift donated $100,000 to the Red Cross in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to help the victims of the Iowa flood of 2008. Swift has teamed up with Sound Matters to make listeners aware of listening "responsibly". Swift supports @15, a teen-led social change platform underwritten by Best Buy to give teens opportunities to direct the company's philanthropy through the newly-created @15 Fund. Swift's song, "Fifteen", is featured in this campaign. Swift lent her support to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal by joining the lineup at Sydney's Sound Relief concert, reportedly making the biggest contribution of any artist playing at Sound Relief to the Australian Red Cross. Swift donated her prom dress, which raised $1,200 for charity, to DonateMyDress.org. On November 20, 2009 after a live performance on BBC's Children in Need night Swift announced to Sir Terry Wogan she would donate £13,000 of her own money to the cause. On December 13, Swift's own birthday, she donated $250,000 to various schools around the country which she had either attended or been involved with. Swift has donated a pair of her shoes, a gently-worn pair of black Betsey Johnson heels with her autograph on the sole, to the Wish Upon a Hero Foundation's Hero in Heels fundraiser for auction to raise money to benefit women with cancer. In response to the May 2010 Tennessee floods, Swift donated $500,000 during a flood relief telethon hosted by WSMV, a Nashville television station (Wikipedia).
RELATED READING:
Official Web-site: Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's 'Mean' Video Encourages Bully Victims
Taylor Swift takes on bullies, critics & d-bags in her new video, “Mean”
Is Taylor Swift’s New Anti-Bullying Video Simply “Gay-washing” For Pink Dollars? (Video)
Official Web-site: Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's 'Mean' Video Encourages Bully Victims
Taylor Swift takes on bullies, critics & d-bags in her new video, “Mean”
Is Taylor Swift’s New Anti-Bullying Video Simply “Gay-washing” For Pink Dollars? (Video)