This Video Gave Me the Unexpected Reminder I Needed to Love My Body

Every Body celebrates inclusivity and the representation of human beings in every shape and form.

Body-positivity can be a tricky thing. On the one hand, it’s amazing to recognize that all bodies are beautiful, but on the other, it can be hard to come to terms with our own bodies and our perceived flaws. As a woman in my mid-30s, I’ve had many ups and downs in terms of my health, my size, and how I feel about my body. Long gone are the days that I believed that getting to the smallest physical size meant that I looked my best, but it’s hard to be proud of where I’ve come when we’re still bombarded with images of the “ideal” woman (who is gorgeous, but totally not me).

Now that the youngest of my three kids is two, I’ve been able to take more time for myself and focus on my mind and body. With summer coming up, I’ve felt both excited about the warm weather and mortified at the state of my “imperfections.” It’s as if the season change suddenly reminded me that I’m not the size six I used to be. So when Brooklyn rapper Miss Eaves released the video for her song, “Thunder Thighs” yesterday, it was just the reminder I needed to love every inch of myself all year round.

With lyrics that include an ode to everyone’s favorite bod-flaunting summer garment, the sundress (“Thick thighs, sundress, I’m looking good”), Miss Eaves even opens the song talking about her “chub rub.” This ode to women’s bodies is genuine and catchy, with a love-yourself attitude that comes through in the video too.

Women of all ages and skin types are represented in “Thunder Thighs,” from the video’s pint-sized, sassy tween (Brianna, who Miss Eaves found through the video’s director) to the senior women rocking their leggings and crop tops. Every single woman in this video is inspiring me with her outfit and attitude, and it was exactly what I needed to see.

I know it seems ridiculous to say that one three-minute song was all it took, but it was. Last summer, still enjoying the first year (and beyond) of my baby’s life, I was proud of the body I had: It made my three perfect children and forever changed the way I see the world. But between then and now, with my baby in preschool and my eldest going into first grade, my self-image took a 180. For some reason, I’d developed the unrealistic expectation that my body would be smaller or more “presentable” this summer. But it was always presentable, and its physical size has no bearing on what it can do.

Just hearing the refrain, “Mom jeans all day, why you mad, tho?” made me realize that the body I’m in is perfect. The fact that I can ride my bike for 20 miles, swim in the lake, and eat half a tub of ice cream should each be celebrated. While I know that all bodies (including my own) are flawless, sometimes we can all forget that we’re great just the way we are. Listening to Miss Eaves’ “Thunder Thighs” was just the reminder I needed.

How are you celebrating your body this summer? Tell us @BritandCo!

From announcing her tenth album Midnights during an acceptance speech to breaking ticket-selling records to gearing up for her feature film directorial debut, Taylor Swift continues to surprise us. And that includes her Eras Tour, which kicked off in Glendale, Arizona on March 17, 2023.

At one of her Texas shows, she surprised the audience by swapping a song on the setlist for something she had never performed live. "You think you can just go online, you think you can just scroll and know the setlist, you think you can just come prepared," she said onstage. "Let it be said about the Eras Tour: we're tricksy."

In addition to her self-proclaimed "setlist hi-jinx," every night of the tour has seen at least two surprise songs. And some fans have seen even more since Taylor started doing mash-ups, a move which means the surprise song segment can have as many songs as she wants!

All in all, even if your favorite song didn't make the original setlist, you might still get to hear it (even if you're streaming the concert on TikTok). While we relisten to The Tortured Poets Department (and wait for Reputation (Taylor's Version)) here's everything she's played on the tour.

Chloe Williams/Brit + Co

One of Taylor's most recent mash-ups, “The Prophecy" & "This Love,” is one of her most emotional yet because of one very specific lyric change. Instead of singing "The Prophecy" as written, asking why she seems to be destined to be alone, she blended the lyrics with the ethereal, romantic "This Love" to proclaim how her new romance with the KC Chiefs' Travis Kelce has changed everything.

"These hands had to let it go free / and it changed the prophecy," she sang during the Eras Tour surprise songs. I'm so emotional!!!!

Taylor Swift Eras Tour Surprise Songs For Fall 2024

Haley Sprankle/B+C

  • Miami on October 18: “Tim McGraw” & ”Timeless” mash-up and “This Is Me Trying” & ”Daylight” mash-up
  • Miami on October 19: “Should’ve Said No” & ”I Did Something Bad” mash-up and “loml” & ”White Horse” mash-up
  • Miami on October 20: “Out of the Woods” & ”All You Had to Do Was Stay” mash-up and “Mirrorball” & ”Guilty as Sin?” mash-up
  • New Orleans on October 25: “Our Song” & ”Call It What You Want” mash-up and “The Black Dog” & ”Haunted” mash-up
  • New Orleans on October 26: “Espresso” & ”Is It Over Now?” & ”Please Please Please” mash-up with Sabrina Carpenter and “Hits Different” & ”Welcome to New York” mash-up
  • New Orleans on October 27: “Afterglow” & ”Dress” mash-up and “How You Get the Girl” & ”Clean” mash-up
  • Indianapolis on November 1: “The Albatross" & "Holy Ground” mash-up and “Cold As You" & "Exile” mash-up
  • Indianapolis on November 2: “The Prophecy" & "This Love” mash-up and “Maroon" & "Cowboy Like Me” mash-up
  • Indianapolis on November 3: "Cornelia Street" & "The Bolter" mash-up and "Death By A Thousand Cuts" & "The Great War" mash-up

Taylor Swift Eras Tour Surprise Songs For Spring 2024

Chloe Williams/Brit + Co

  • Tokyo, Japan on February 7: "Dear Reader" and "Holy Ground"
  • Tokyo, Japan on February 8: "Eyes Open" and "Electric Touch"
  • Tokyo, Japan on February 9: "Superman" and "The Outside"
  • Melbourne, Australia on February 16: "Red" and "You're Losing Me"
  • Melbourne, Australia on February 17: "Getaway Car" & "August" & "Other Side Of The Door" mash-up and "This Is Me Trying"
  • Melbourne, Australia on February 18: "Come Back, Be Here" & "Daylight" mash-up and "Teardrops On My Guitar"
  • Sydney, Australia on February 23: "How You Get The Girl" and "White Horse" & "Coney Island" mash-up with Sabrina Carpenter
  • Sydney, Australia on February 24: "Should've Said No" & "You're Not Sorry" mash-up and "New Year's Day" & "Peace" mash-up
  • Sydney, Australia on February 25: "Is It Over Now?" & "I Wish You Would" mash-up and "Haunted" & "Exile" mash-up
  • Sydney, Australia on February 26: "Would've, Could've, Should've" & "Ivy" mash-up and "Forever & Always" & "Maroon" mash-up
  • Singapore on March 2: "Mine" & "Starlight" mash-up and "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" & "Dress" mash-up
  • Singapore on March 3: "Long Story Short" & "The Story Of Us" mash-up and Clean" & "Evermore" mash-up
  • Singapore on March 4: "Foolish One" & "Tell Me Why" mash-up and "This Love" & "Call It What You Want" mash-up
  • Singapore on March 7: "Death By A Thousand Cuts" & "Babe" mash-up and "Fifteen" & "You're On Your Own, Kid" mash-up
  • Singapore on March 8: "Sparks Fly" & "Gold Rush" mash-up and "False God" & "Slut!" mash-up
  • Singapore on March 9: "Tim McGraw" & "Cowboy Like Me" mash-up and "Mirrorball" & "Epiphany" mash-up
  • Paris on May 9: "Paris" and "loml"
  • Paris on May 10: "Is It Over Now?" & "Out of the Woods" mash-up and "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"
  • Paris on May 11: "Hey Stephen" and "Maroon"
  • Paris on May 12: "The Alchemy" & "Treacherous" mash-up and "Begin Again" & "Paris" mash-up
  • Stockholm on May 17: "Peter" and “I Think He Knows" & "Gorgeous" mash-up
  • Stockholm on May 18: “Guilty as Sin” and “Say Don't Go" & "Welcome to New York" & "Clean” mash-up
  • Stockholm on May 19: “How Did It End?” and “Message in a Bottle" & "How You Get the Girl" & "New Romantics” mash-up
  • Lisbon on May 24: "Come Back...Be Here" & "The Way I Loved You" & "The Other Side of the Door" mash-up and "Fresh Out The Slammer" & "High Infidelity" mash-up
  • Lisbon on May 25: "The Tortured Poets Department" & "Now That We Don't Talk" mash-up and "You're On Your Own, Kid" & "Long Live" mash-up
  • Madrid on May 29: "Sparks Fly" & "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" mash-up and "I Look In People's Windows" & "Snow on the Beach" mash-up
  • Madrid on May 30 "Our Song" & "Jump Then Fall" mash-up and "King of my Heart"

Taylor Swift Eras Tour Surprise Songs For Summer 2024

Haley Sprankle/Brit + Co

  • Lyon on June 2: "The Prophecy" & "Long Story Short" mash-up and "Fifteen" & "You're On Your Own, Kid"
  • Lyon on June 3: "Glitch" & "Everything Has Changed" mash-up and "Chloe, Sam, Sophia or Marcus"
  • Edinburgh on June 7: "Would've, Could've, Should've" & "I Know Places" mash-up and ''Tis The Damn Season" & "Daylight" mash-up
  • Edinburgh June 8: "The Bolter" & "Getaway Car" mash-up and "All Of The Girls You Loved Before" & "Crazier" mash-up
  • Edinburgh on June 9: "It's Nice To Have A Friend" & "Dorothea" mash-up and "Haunted" & "Exile" mash-up
  • Liverpool on June 13: "I Can See You" & "Mine" mash-up and "Cornelia Street" & "Maroon" mash-up
  • Liverpool, on June 14: "This Is What You Came For" & "Gold Rush" mash-up and "The Great War" & "You're Losing Me" mash-up
  • Liverpool on June 15: "Carolina" & "No Body, No Crime" mash-up and "The Manuscript" & "Red" mash-up
  • Cardiff on June 18: "I Forgot That You Existed" & "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" mash-up and "I Hate It Here" & "the lakes" mash-up
  • London on June 21: "Hits Different" & "Death By A Thousand Cuts" mash-up and "The Black Dog" & "Come Back...Be Here" & "Maroon" mash-up
  • London on June 22: "thanK you aIMee" & "Mean" mash-up and "Castles Crumbling" with Hayley Williams
  • London on June 23: "us" with Gracie Abrams and "Out of the Woods" & "Is It Over Now?" & "Clean" mash-up
  • Dublin on June 28: "State of Grace" & "You're On Your Own, Kid" mash-up and "Sweet Nothing" & "Hoax" mash-up
  • Dublin on June 29: "The Albatross" & "Dancing With Our Hands Tied" mash-up and "This Love" & "Ours" mash-up
  • Dublin on June 30: "Clara Bow" & "The Lucky One" mash-up and "You're On Your Own, Kid"
  • Amsterdam on July 4: "Guilty As Sin?" & "Untouchable" mash-up and "The Archer" & "Question...?" mash-up
  • Amsterdam on July 5: "I'm Gonna Get You Back" & "Dress" mash-up and "You Are in Love" & "Cowboy Like Me" mash-up
  • Amsterdam on July 6: "Sweeter than Fiction" & "Holy Ground" mash-up and "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" & "So High School" & "Everything Has Changed" mash-up
  • Zurich on July 9: "Right Where You Left Me" & "All You Had To Do Was Stay" mash-up and "Last Kiss" & "Sad Beautiful Tragic" mash-up
  • Zurich on July 10: "Closure" & "A Perfectly Good Heart" mash-up and "Robin" & "Never Grow Up" mash-up
  • Milan on July 13: "The 1" & "Wonderland" mash-up and "I Almost Do" & "The Moment I Knew" mash-up
  • Milan on July 14: "Mr. Perfectly Fine" & "Red" mash-up and "Getaway Car" & "Out of the Woods" mash-up
  • Gelsenkirchen on July 17: “Superstar” & ”Invisible String” mash-up and “Slut!”& ”False God” mash-up
  • Gelsenkirchen on July 18: “Speak Now” & ”Hey Stephen” mash-up and “This Is Me Trying” & ”Labyrinth” mash-up
  • Gelsenkirchen on July 19: “Paper Rings” & ”Stay Stay Stay” mash-up and “It’s Time to Go” & ”Better Man” mash-up
  • Hamburg on July 23: “Teardrops on My Guitar” & ”The Last Time” mash-up and “We Were Happy” & ”Happiness” mash-up
  • Hamburg on July 24: “The Last Great American Dynasty” & ”Run” mash-up and “Nothing New” & ”Dear Reader” mash-up
  • Munich on July 27: “Fresh Out the Slammer” & ”You Are in Love” mash-up and “Ivy” & ”Call It What You Want” mash-up
  • Munich on July 28: “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” & ”imgonnagetyouback” mash-up and “loml” & ”Don’t You” mash-up
  • Warsaw on August 1: “Mirrorball” & ”Clara Bow” mash-up and “Suburban Legends” & ”New Year’s Day” mash-up
  • Warsaw on August 2: “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” & ”I Can See You” mash-up and “Red” & ”Maroon” mash-up
  • Warsaw on August 3: “Today Was a Fairytale” & ”I Think He Knows” mash-up and “The Black Dog” & ”Exile” mash-up
  • London on August 15: “Everything Has Changed” & ”End Game” & ”Thinking Out Loud” mash-up with Ed Sheeran and “King of My Heart” & ”The Alchemy” mash-up
  • London on August 16: “London Boy” and “Dear John” & ”Sad Beautiful Tragic” mash-up
  • London on August 17: “I Did Something Bad” and “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” & ”Coney Island” mash-up
  • London on August 19: “Long Live” & ”Change” mash-up and “The Archer” & ”You’re on Your Own Kid” mash-up

Taylor Swift Eras Tour Surprise Songs For 2023

Kristina Kung

Taylor Swift Eras Tour ticket with rainbow star confetti.

  • Glendale, AZ on March 17: "mirrorball" and "Tim McGraw"
  • Glendale, AZ on March 18: "State of Grace" and "this is me trying"
  • Las Vegas, NV on March 24: "Our Song" and "Snow on the Beach"
  • Las Vegas, NV on March 25: "cowboy like me" with Marcus Mumford and "White Horse"
  • Arlington, TX on March 31: "Sad Beautiful Tragic" and "Ours"
  • Arlington, TX on April 1: "Death By A Thousand Cuts" and "Clean"
  • Arlington, TX on April 2: "Jump Then Fall" and "The Lucky One"
  • Tampa, FL on April 13: "Speak Now" and "Treacherous"
  • Tampa, FL on April 14: "The Great War" with Aaron Dessner and "You're On Your Own, Kid"
  • Tampa, FL on April 15: "mad woman" with Aaron Dessner and "Mean"
  • Houston, TX on April 21: "Wonderland" and "You're Not Sorry"
  • Houston, TX on April 22: "A Place In This World" and "Today Was A Fairytale"
  • Houston, TX on April 23: "Begin Again" and "Cold As You"
  • Atlanta, GA on April 28: "The Other Side Of The Door" and "Coney Island"
  • Atlanta, GA on April 29: "High Infidelity" and "Gorgeous"
  • Atlanta, GA on April 30: "I Bet You Think About Me" and "How You Get The Girl"
  • Nashville, TN on May 5: "Sparks Fly" and "Teardrops On My Guitar"
  • Nashville, TN on May 6: "Out of the Woods" and "Fifteen"
  • Nashville, TN on May 7: "Would've Could've Should've" with Aaron Dessner and "Mine"
  • Philadelphia, PA on May 12: "gold rush" and 'Come Back... Be Here'
  • Philadelphia, PA on May 13: "Forever & Always" and "This Love"
  • Philadelphia, PA on May 14: "Hey Stephen" and "The Best Day"

Chloe Williams/Brit + Co

  • Foxborough, MA on May 19: "Should've Said No" and "Better Man"
  • Foxborough, MA on May 20: "Question...?" and "Invisible"
  • Foxborough, MA on May 21: "I Think He Knows" and "Red"
  • East Rutherford, NJ on May 26: "Getaway Car" with Jack Antanoff and "Maroon"
  • East Rutherford, NJ on May 27: "Holy Ground" and "False God"
  • East Rutherford, NJ on May 28: "Clean" and "Welcome to New York"
  • Chicago, IL on June 2: "I Wish You Would" and "the lakes"
  • Chicago, IL on June 3: "You All Over Me" with Maren Morris and "I Don't Wanna Live Forever"
  • Chicago, IL on June 4: "Hits Different" and "The Moment I Knew"
  • Detroit, MI on June 9: “Haunted” and “I Almost Do”
  • Detroit, MI on June 10: “All You Had to Do Was Stay” and “Breathe”
  • Pittsburgh, PA on June 16: “Mr. Perfectly Fine” and “The Last Time”
  • Pittsburgh, PA on June 17: “Seven” with Aaron Dessner and “The Story of Us”
  • Minneapolis, MN on June 23: “Paper Rings” and “If This Was a Movie”
  • Minneapolis, MN on June 24: “Dear John” and “Daylight”
  • Cincinnati, OH on June 30: “I’m Only Me When I’m With You” and “Evermore”
  • Cincinnati, OH on July 1: “Ivy” with Aaron Dessner, “I Miss You, I’m Sorry” with Gracie Abrams, and “Call It What You Want”
  • Kansas City, MO on July 7: “Never Grow Up” and “When Emma Falls in Love”
  • Kansas City, MO on July 8: “Last Kiss” and “Dorothea”
  • Denver, CO on July 14: “Picture to Burn” and “Timeless”
  • Denver, CO on July 15: “Starlight” and “Back to December”

Haley Sprankle/Brit + Co

  • Seattle, WA on July 22: “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” and “Everything Has Changed”
  • Seattle, WA on July 23: “Message in a Bottle” and “Tied Together With a Smile”
  • Santa Clara, CA on July 28: “Right Where You Left Me” and “Castles Crumbling”
  • Santa Clara, CA on July 29: “Stay Stay Stay” and “All of the Girls You Loved Before”
  • Los Angeles, CA on Aug. 3: "I Can See You" and "Maroon"
  • Los Angeles, CA on Aug. 4: "Our Song" and "You Are In Love"
  • Los Angeles, CA on Aug. 5: "Death by a Thousand Cuts" and "You're On Your Own, Kid"
  • Los Angeles, CA on Aug. 7: "Dress" and "Exile"
  • Los Angeles, CA on Aug. 8: "I Know Places" and "King Of My Heart"
  • Los Angeles, CA on Aug. 9: "New Romantics" and "New Year's Day"
  • Mexico City, Mexico on Aug. 24: "I Forgot That You Existed" and "Sweet Nothing"
  • Mexico City, Mexico on Aug. 25: "Tell Me Why" and "Snow On The Beach"
  • Mexico City, Mexico on Aug. 26: "Cornelia Street" and "You're On Your Own, Kid"
  • Mexico City, Mexico on Aug. 27: "Afterglow" and "Maroon"
  • Buenos Aires, Argentina on Nov. 9: "The Very First Night" and "Labyrinth"
  • Buenos Aires, Argentina on Nov. 11: "Is It Over Now?" & "Out Of The Woods" mash-up and "End Game"
  • Buenos Aires, Argentina on Nov. 12: "Better Than Revenge" and “Slut!”
  • Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on Nov. 17: "Stay Beautiful" and "Suburban Legends"
  • Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on Nov. 19: "Dancing With Our Hands Tied" and "Bigger Than The Whole Sky"
  • Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on Nov. 20: "Me!" and "So It Goes..."

Does anyone sing Taylor Swift's Eras Tour surprise songs with her?

Mike Coppola/Getty Images for iHeartRadio

Taylor Swift will occasionally bring out her opener to sing the surprise songs with her, like she did with Sabrina Carpenter in Sydney, Australia! After crazy weather preventer Sabrina from performing her set at the beginning of the concert, Taylor brought her out for a medley of "White Horse" from Fearless (Taylor's Version) and "Coney Island" from Evermore.

How does Taylor Swift choose surprise songs?

Chloe Williams/Brit + Co

It seems that Taylor Swift's surprise song choices are somewhat last minute and based on what she wants to play, but we're thinking that two of her songs from Houston are more than meets the eye — er, more than meets the ear?

Twitter users recently brought up Speak Now (Taylor's Version) when images of Taylor filming in Liverpool went viral. The other two people in the photos appear to be Joey King and Taylor Lautner, who both played a role in the original Speak Now: Joey King was featured in the "Mean" music video and Taylor Lautner is the subject of

And we're talking about Speak Now (Taylor's Version) again after the April 22 concert because of her surprise songs. After all, "A Place In This World" (which is featured in Joey King's Ramona and Beezus) and "Today Was A Fairytale" (which is a part of Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner's Valentine's Day) feels very intentional. Turns out, we were right because she brought Joey and Taylor onstage during the Speak Now (Taylor's Version) launch party to premiere the music video!

In addition to playing requests from her openers during the surprise song segment, Taylor seems to choose songs based on her celebrity attendees. The Summer I Turned Pretty's Jenny Han and Lola Tung attended the May 27 show, where Taylor played "False God," which was featured in season one.

And during her last performance in LA, Taylor Swift chose "New Romantics" from 1989 and "New Year's Day" from reputation. This is very telling because for one, "New Romantics" was the only song from 1989 that she hadn't sung yet, and it came right after the 1989 (Taylor's Version) announcement! And based on this frame from the "Karma" music video, we might be getting reputation TV after 1989 TV. So "New Year's Day" was the perfect follow-up!

November 19 and 20, at the end of Taylor Swift's time in Rio de Janeiro, she played two songs from Reputation: "Dancing With Our Hands Tied" and "So It Goes..." (both of which are two of my all-time favorite Taylor songs and are very under-appreciated). This leaves "I Did Something Bad" as the final Reputation surprise song, and Swifties are convinced we'll get the announcement before the end of November. Fans also pointed out both "Me!" and "So It Goes..." feature a 1,2,3 countdown in the lyrics — and there are only three shows left before Taylor takes another break. It's the perfect time for an announcement if you ask me!

What surprise song would you like to hear during Taylor Swift's Eras Tour? Let us know in the comments and follow us on Facebook for the latest pop culture updates.

This post has been updated.

Last year, some of us celebrated the holidays apart from our families for the first time. COVID has brought with it many changes, some of them arguably positive (like increased flexibility to work from home), some difficult (such as the realization of vastly different political and social views between family and friends), and some horrible (obviously, the health implications of a global pandemic). However, for some of us, celebrating the holidays without family members isn't exclusively due to COVID. In addition to so many of us living in different areas than our families of origin, some of us simply don't have close bonds with the people we grew up around. Sometimes, this can cause loneliness.

If you're not close with your family members, the holidays can be a difficult time. This is doubly true if you don't have a close circle of friends to call upon. But make no mistake, if this sounds like your situation, you're not alone — there are thousands of other people going through the same struggles you are. We sat down with Irad Eichler, founder of Circles, a website that connects people who are sharing similar struggles, like heartbreak, grief, or loneliness. Here are some of Eichler's tips for coping — and even thriving! — during the holiday season when you're not planning on spending it with your family, for one reason or another.

Don't Fall For "Perfect Families" On Social Media

Laura Chouette

The first VERY important step to having a joyous holiday season when you're going it alone is to stop believing the narrative that others' family situations are perfect, Eichler says.

"Remember people only post a moment in time, and only the moments when they look their happiest and best."

In addition to the fact that everything you see on social media is curated for the 'gram, it's also important to remember that by focusing on what others have and you lack, you risk failing to see the great things at play in your own life.

"These holiday periods can become a time of focusing on who and what we don't have, rather than who or what we do, and can cause a negative spiral into depressing and dreadful feelings of inadequacy," says Eichler.

Gratitude is the reason for the season, after all. So instead of only seeing the negative, try some gratitude journal prompts to help you focus on what's actually really wonderful about your life right now.

Make An Effort To Deepen New Connections

Joel Muniz

While it may seem like everyone has friends and family to spend time with during the holiday season, that doesn't mean no one is available for deepening a blossoming relationship or new friendship.

"Make a list of people you can or would like to connect with, and try to reach out to at least one of them," advises Eichler.

Reaching out doesn't have to mean a big plan or an hour-long conversation. Even a quick text letting a friendly coworker know you're thinking about them can go a long way toward deepening the relationship and moving it in the direction of closer friendship.

Don't have an acquaintance in mind? Then it's time to make new acquaintances. What's more in line with the Christmas spirit than attending a Meetup or event full of people eager to make new friends?

"Join groups with similar interests to yours, such as hiking, baking, or games. Push your boundaries and be brave - you might find new people who have much in common with you."

Give Back

Priscilla Du Preez

The holiday season is a great time to focus on giving back to your community, and coincidentally, acts of generosity and kindness are known to reduce loneliness and help people feel happier. One study found that knowing a few of your neighbors and doing small acts of kindness for them — such as cheering them up, listening to them, mowing their lawn, providing advice about local business recommendations and job opportunities, and chatting over the fence — was statistically correlated with feeling less lonely and having a lower risk of depression.

Helping out elderly neighbors can be a particularly gratifying way to give back.

"Notice older lonely people in your neighborhood or community who might have no family at all, and offer to help them," says Eichler. "These can become mutually meaningful connections, and help you 'adopt' a grandparent."

Connect With Others Online

Thought Catalog

Finally, use the Internet for its highest and best purpose: to connect people. Whether you're using Meetup to find in-person events, digital forums for having conversations about special interests, or programs like Circle for getting support from others in your situation, the opportunities to create new connections are practically endless.

"There are many interest groups that can be found digitally, where or any person can connect with others in the same life stage, going through the same challenges, or who would like to explore the same interests," Eichler states. "Meaningful connections can be formed easily in these circumstances. The Internet enables us to find and connect to people all over the world who fit this, and to whom we can become more easily attached, as we are able to find people with the exact interests that energize us."

If you're struggling with loneliness, you're not alone. Connect with our digital community of makers and creatives here at Brit+Co by following us on IG and signing up for our newsletter!

This post has been updated.

If you felt personally attacked by The Tortured Poets Department, there's a good chance you've survived at least one situationship. (Unfortunately there's also a good chance you've been through multiple.) Taylor Swift's newest album chronicles a past love that she calls "the loss of her life" — and many people think the ex in question is Matty Healy.

And while many singers and songwriters use their personal experiences to influence their music, the 1975 frontman recently told People that he's "just not interested" in using his relationships as inspiration.

  • Matty Healy is "not interested" in writing music about his relationships following Taylor Swift breakup.
  • He feels like releasing songs about "casual romantic liaisons" is "not interesting."
  • Taylor's "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" and "loml" are rumored to be about Matty.

"Last year I became a way more well-known public figure for loads of different reasons. The only reason that I was interested in is kind of like, what I was doing," Matty says. "I think that a lot of artists, they become very interested in their lore, or they become interested in the things that have happened outside of their art that people know about, and they want to address that."

While he says writing about the buzziest moments from their lives is "fair enough," Matty doesn't want to write songs about his relationships just because they're buzzy, stating that it's an "obvious" thing to draw inspiration from.

"I would kind of just be lying if I made a record about, I don’t know, all the stuff that was said about me or my casual romantic liaisons or whatever it may be that I’ve kind of become known for, just because I was famous," he says.

"I think like, the maintenance of the status quo is something that I always fight against," he continues. "So the idea of making a record about something that personally happened to me, that by the time I put it out is gonna be like two years old, I see people doing that as well, and it’s not interesting."

youtube.com

- YouTube

In addition to "loml," one song from The Tortured Poets Department that Swifties think is about Matty Healy is "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived."

"[These supposed Matty Healy-focused songs] started out being like 'f—k all of you, I love him, I’ll fix him, I don’t care what you say' to ending here basically saying 'alright yeah this guy sucks,'" one Reddit user says. "I think the order of these songs plays a huge role in this throughline of that relationship."

Despite the scathing lyrics, Matty's aunt Debbie Dedes told The Daily Mail she didn't think the songs (if they are about him) would affect him too much. “She writes about all her relationships, doesn't she? I don't think it will come as a shock to him at all,” she said. “He's very happy in his new relationship [with Gabbriette Bechtel] so I'm sure he will be focusing on that.”

And considering Taylor Swift is now dating the Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce (who's all-but-confirmed to be the focus of the romantic & nostalgic "So High School"), she's finally very happy, too.

Read up on The Taylor Swift Boyfriends You Love & The Ones You Didn't Know She Dated!

Zach Bryan and Brianna "Chickenfry" LaPaglia's explosive breakup is everywhere right now. From his seemingly one-sided social media posts to all the bombshell revelations she keeps dropping, it's clear this split is NOT amicable. Both parties are dropping tons of lore, info, and everything in between — including new music?! — right now, so it makes sense if you can't keep up. Luckily, I'm here to help break this breakup down for you! Here's everything you need to know about Zach Bryan and Brianna Chickenfry's relationship...or lack thereof.

Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

October 22, 2024 – Zach Bryan Announces His Breakup With Brianna Chickenfry

On October 22, 2024, after some recent speculation that Zach Bryan and Brianna Chickenfry split up, Zach took to his Instagram stories. The country star said, "Addressing something: Brianna and me have broken up with [each other] and I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart. She has loved me unconditionally for a very long time and for that I'll always thank her."

He continued, noting, "I have had an incredibly hard year personally and struggled through some pretty severe things. I thought it would be beneficial for both of us to go our different ways. I am not perfect and never will be. Please respect Brianna's privacy and space in this and if you have it in your heart, mine too."

To wrap it all up, he closed by apologizing to his fans. He said, "With everything I am and to anyone I let down, I am sorry. I try my best in everything. I failed people that love me and mostly myself."

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- YouTube

Brianna hopped on her own Instagram stories shortly there after. She posted, "Hey guys I'm feeling really blindsided right now. Gonna hop off social media for a while and attempt to heal privately, when I'm ready I'll be back and ready to talk. I love you guys so much thank you for all of your kind words. Remember you are so loved and everything's always gonna be okay 🫶"

The Brianna got on Youtube next, posting a raw, emotional video about the situation. Sitting on the floor of her bathroom, she opened up as much as she could in the moment about her breakup. She said, "I just woke up to Zach posting on his Instagram that we broke up and I had no idea that post was going up. He didn't text me, he didn't call me. I just woke up to a bunch of texts, like, 'Are you okay?'"

Brianna, with her teary eyes and red face, explained she's been crying for "five days straight." She said, "I'm at the point where it's like, how can you give someone everything and love them so unconditionally, like through stuff that you shouldn't because you just love them and you want them... like you see the good in them?"

The internet personality said that this is all "so embarrassing" and "really, really heartbreaking." She elaborated that the couple broke up on October 21, but wanted to process on her own and "didn't want it to be public."

Much like her Instagram story, she told her audience that she'll come back when she's ready.

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- YouTube

November 7, 2024 — Brianna Claims Zach's Emotionally Abusive, Wanted $12Mil NDA

Well, it appears this week, Brianna decided she's ready. On Barstool Sports' BFF's Pod November 7, 2024, Brianna gave an inside look at the breakup unlike any other. Not only did she claim Zach was abusive, but she also alleged that he offered her a $12 million NDA to "not talk about the relationship."

After saying it's been the hardest year of her life, she said. "I'm still scared right now because I'm scared of him. My brain's rewired and I'm scared to make him mad and last week, I didn't want to talk about it 'cause I was scared."

Brianna then described the alleged emotional abuse. She noted that everything was cyclical and that he would build her up only to break her back down again. "There was always another excuse as to why he was treating me so poorly and why I'm crying myself to sleep every night, why he's screaming at me," she said. "And then you wake up, it's the apology, it's the 'I'm going to be better like I need you in my life,' but if you've been through this — I don't expect people to understand emotional abuse if you haven't been through it. I hope you never have to go through it but if you've been there you know what I'm talking about."

Not only does Brianna allege she was offered an NDA, but she said that other women that came before her had to sign their own agreements. She declined the offer because she didn't want to "sign away [her] experiences and what [she] went through to protect someone that hurt [her]." She also wanted to share this experience for other women who've suffered something similar.

And when it comes to the logistics of losing out on the famous lifestyle and alleged $12 million? She said, "It was never about the money — I was with the dude because I loved the dude."

Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival

November 8, 2024 — Zach Quit Touring Amid Abuse Allegations

On November 8, 2024, Zach posted on Instagram — where he clearly loves to share all his big news — that not only is his new single "High Road" out today, but that he's also ending his tour early. Read his full statement here:

After not being home for a year and a half I drove out to my mothers gravestone in the dead of night a few days back on familiar Oklahoma roads and I came to realize just like in the past, that she never would call me again

Told her I quit touring because I got accepted to get my masters in Paris next year, I told her I was back in Oklahoma, told her about all my best friends in New York and all the nights we howled with the moon, told her about the immeasurable laughter my band and me have shared these last five years, all the calluses on my finger tips, every tear shed, told her about making it on The Rolling Stone and most importantly told her about porch swinging with my beautiful sister.
I wrote the chorus for this song a month or two back and finished it when I realized I was blessed with all these things.

I figured it was about time I released it.

Thank you guys for listening to ‘This Worlds a Giant’ last night and thank you to all the people who love me; who have truly carried the weight with me.

Seems that all these Quiet Dreams have gotten much too heavy but I’m home now and I’ll hold you through the pain.

High Road is out today and I appreciate all of you"

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