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"There are tons of reasons Taylor Swift and Lorde are worth looking up to: They're talented, they're stylish, and they're just genuinely cool. But their awesomeness extends way beyond the stage or the red carpet\u2014while you've been busy jamming to their music, these two stars have become the new faces of feminism, empowering girls pretty much every time they step outside.\n\nAt first glance, Taylor and Lorde are as opposite as their musical styles. The New Zealand teen is the quiet girl in the corner with big hair full of suburban secrets. The country-princess-turned-pop-queen, on the other hand, is the life of the party with her Southern charm and relatable love life. They even seem to be on opposite sides of the feminism fence: Lorde declares herself one proudly. \"It's just a part of being a girl in 2013,\" she's stated. Taylor doesn't feel the need to label it. \"I don't really think about things as guys versus girls. I never have,\" she's said. Yet play one of their songs, and you can't help but feel like Taylor and Lorde are sending messages through their music. Ahead, their three biggest takeaways.\n\nStand out and stand up for yourself.\n\n Though Lorde and Taylor might be topping the charts, their songs aren't centered around fitting in with the crowd, but rather about being your own woman. Taylor is selling out arenas today, but back in sixth grade, she couldn't get anyone to hang out with her. Although \"Mean\" was initially written about a nasty music critic, it's become an anti-bullying anthem for a reason. Taylor isn't just confronting her bully, but she's also standing up for herself: \"Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me/And all you're ever gonna be is mean.\" Even Taylor has critics, but, just like her, we can all transcend them.\n\n\n\nNot fitting in isn't always so dramatic, though. In \"White Teeth Teens,\" Lorde sings about the too-cool group she's supposed to befriend. \"I'll let you in on something big/I am not a white teeth teen/I tried to join but never did.\" She doesn't just feel like an outsider, but she's confident enough to admit she is one. If album sales are any indication, being you pays off a lot more than trying to join in.\n\n\n\nIt's 100% OK to want things\u2014and claim them.\n\n If you don't fit into the kingdom then invent your own and be the queen. From the opening bars of \"Royals,\" Lorde isn't afraid to admit she wants something more than what's around her. \"We crave a different kind of buzz/Let me be your ruler,\" she sings. It isn't a glamorous place to rule, but it's hers, as she sings in \"Team.\" \"We live in cities you'll never see on screen/Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things.\"\n\n\n\nWhether it's your unique voice or sense of style, Lorde wants you to own it just as much as she does. \"The way I dress and carry myself, a lot of people find it intimidating. I think my whole career can be boiled down to the one word I always say in meetings: strength,\" she said.\n\nGirl code is a real thing that exists!\n\n It's no wonder Taylor and Lorde are friends\u2014they stand up for other women just as much as themselves. When a flirty guy with a girlfriend won't leave her alone in \"Girl at Home,\" Taylor sticks to the-sisters-before-misters code. \"I don't even know her/But I feel a responsibility/To do what's upstanding and right/It's kinda like a code.\"\n\n\n\nThis code isn't just a catchy lyric; it's the new feminism. Feminism isn't about the label. If we listen to Taylor and Lorde, it's about doing things that empower yourself and other women. Whether that means hanging out with the people you want to or writing a song that expresses your true feelings, you have to be authentically you. If it ever feels lonely, remember: Lorde and Taylor are on your team."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.teenvogue.com/story/taylor-swift-lorde-feminism>