Taylor Swift chats feminism, being single and famous friends

Taylor Swift talks exclusively to British Cosmopolitan about feminism, single girl freedom and famous friends, as she takes over 23 covers worldwide.

She publicly applauded Emma Watson's game changing speech on feminism to the United Nations last month, is a proud feminist and makes supporting women her mission. Now, Taylor Swift reveals feminism is also the topic of choice when she's with her friends. Speaking exclusively to British Cosmopolitan she states:

"My girlfriends and I talk a lot about feminism and the inequality between the way men and women are talked about. The kind of things we say are, 'Why is it mischievous, fun and sexy if a guy has a string of lovers that he's cast aside; loved and left? Yet if a woman dates three or four people in an eight-year period she is a serial dater and it gives some 12-year-old the idea to call her a 'slut' on the internet?' It's not the same for boys, it just isn't and that's a fact."

Her shoot for British Cosmopolitan is being used across 23 international editions of the brand including France, Italy, Spain, South Africa and Korea.

She has said she was bullied at school for not being 'cool or pretty enough', now she credits the adoration of her female peers partly to "that mental adjustment that happens when you grow up and figure out who you are", but also to one of her other friends, feminist icon and the creator of Girls Lena Dunham:

"Her perspective has truly shaped me in the past couple of years. She is just so enthusiastic about life, about other women. She is like a hug in the form of a person."

It's these friends and new acquaintances who have helped her settle into her new life in New York:

"Moving to New York is the best thing I've ever done. I never thought I'd be able to survive that city. It's so big and bright. Then I woke up one day about a year ago and it was all I could think about. I needed a new challenge and there's no bigger challenge than uprooting your life, finding new places to hang out, new friendship circles…"

However, these new challenges don't extend to romance as she admits she's given up dating:

"People will say, let me set you up with someone, and I'm just sitting there saying, 'That's not what I'm doing. I'm not lonely; I'm not looking.'… They just don't get it. I've learnt that just because someone is cute and wants to date you, that's not a reason to sacrifice your independence and allow everyone to say whatever they want about you. I'm not doing that anymore."

She confesses it would take someone truly special to sweep her off her feet:

"It'd take someone really special for me to undergo the circumstances I have to go through to experience a date. I don't know how I would ever have another person in my world trying to have a relationship with me, or a family. The best answer I can come up with now is 'go at it alone. Life can be romantic without having a romance. I'm very attracted to how happy I am now."

Taylor also talked about loving Christmas:

"We open presents on Christmas Eve. My brother is the worst present wrapper – one year he just wrapped gifts in trash bags… Mine are perfectly creased and every single present has a special ribbon."

The December 2014 issue of British Cosmopolitan is on sale 4th November.

Her new album, 1989, is out now.

For further exclusive content, please go to www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/taylor