Taylor Swift praises 'gem' of a friend Beyoncé in a powerful display of female friendship
Swift was named Time's 2023 Person of the Year and used it to lift up other women.

Tyalor Swift was recently names TIME's Person of the Year
On December 6, 2023, Taylor Swift was named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year, not only for her achievements as an entertainer, but as a changemaker.
In an exclusive interview with TIME, Swift spoke on a range of topics, including overcoming challenges in her career, navigating being “raised up and down the flagpole of public opinion” and key relationships that made her who she is today—one being her friendship with Beyoncé.For years the media has made the two chart-topping artists out to be “frenemies” at best, a well-known catalyst moment being during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards show when Ye, formerly Kanye West, interrupted a then 19-year-old Swift during her acceptance speech for Best Female Video to go on a tirade about how Beyoncé should have won.
However, both women would go on to challenge this narrative of rivalry with their support of one another, be it at other awards shows, networking events, online or making guest appearances at each other’s record-shattering concert film premieres.
And in her interview with TIME, Swift couldn’t help but gush over her fellow music icon.
“She’s the most precious gem of a person — warm and open and funny," she told TIME. “And she’s such a great disrupter of music-industry norms. She taught every artist how to flip the table and challenge archaic business practices.”
Swift then argued that any supposed rivalry between her and Beyoncé was merely a thinly veiled marketing ploy:
“There were so many stadium tours this summer, but the only ones that were compared were me and Beyoncé. Clearly, it’s very lucrative for the media and stan culture to pit two women against each other, even when those two artists in question refuse to participate in that discussion.”
But that needs to change.
"I've never felt like there was a need for female artists to be in competition. There's room for everyone to shine,” she said.It’s such a simple statement, but a powerful one—one that epitomizes a real turning point for how female friendships are portrayed in the media. More and more (think back to Jamie Lee Curtis hyping up Michelle Yeoh for her Golden Globe win earlier this year) we are seeing female peers swap out jealousy for being supportive of one another and celebrating each other's successes. In a world that still often divides women, this kind of solidarity feels pivotal.
.@taylorswift13 on stan culture and the internet-originated rivalry w/ Beyoncé.
— BEYONCÉ LEGION (@BeyLegion) December 6, 2023
“There were so many stadium tours this summer, but the only ones that were compared were me and Beyoncé. Clearly, it’s very lucrative for the media and stan culture to pit two women against each… pic.twitter.com/76AhRFMiys
Swift continues to use her massive platform as a force for good—avocating for women and girls, challenging negative stereotypes and encouraging positivity. And especially this year, her work has inspired coming together in pure joy. It was for these reasons that TIMES’ Sam Jacobs said the magazine awarded her with the honor. Here’s to that well deserved recognition continued her message for generations to come.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.