Berks County woman named Time’s 2023 Person of the Year
Taylor Swift was named Time’s Person of the Year for 2023 after being up against Barbie, Vladimir Putin, and others for the honor.
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A woman from West Reading whose parents owned a Christmas tree farm has been named Time’s Person of the Year and no one is surprised.
The magazine announced Wednesday morning that Taylor Swift is the outlet’s 96th Person of the Year and its first entertainer to receive the honor. (In 2005, Bono from U2 was part of a group of “Good Samaritans” to earn the title.)
The announcement comes after a massive year for Swift, starting with her sold-out Eras Tour and capping off with a high-profile new relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Swift was selected from nine finalists, who included Barbie, Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Hollywood actors and writers who went on strike, and King Charles III.
Time’s editor-in-chief, Sam Jacobs, announced: “Taylor Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light.”
“No one else on the planet today can move so many people so well,” he added. “Achieving this feat is something we often chalk up to the alignments of planets and fates, but giving too much credit to the stars ignores her skill and her power. Swift is the rare person who is both the writer and hero of her own story.”
In the magazine’s lofty profile on Swift — spanning several thousand words — Time’s Sam Lansky acknowledges the artist’s presence and success over the years while giving fans a peek behind the curtain of her trajectory and personal life.
“I don’t give Taylor advice about being famous,” Stevie Nicks told Lansky. “She doesn’t need it.”
“Beatlemania and Thriller have nothing on these shows,” Phoebe Bridgers said about the Eras Tour.
And, of course, Time spoke with the winner herself and photographed her in at least four new looks for the digital piece (the physical magazine hasn’t dropped yet). Her cat, Benjamin Button, also makes an appearance.
“This is the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt and the most creatively fulfilled and free I’ve ever been,” Swift told Time. “Ultimately, we can convolute it all we want, or try to overcomplicate it, but there’s only one question ... Are you not entertained?”