Astronaut Kellie Gerardi recently took a two-hour trip to space and carried with her an unlikely accessory: a Taylor Swift-inspired friendship bracelet. Speaking with USA Today about her mission, Gerardi mentioned that she was motivated by Swift’s incredible influence, especially on young girls. She also wanted to prove that liking “girly” things can also go hand in hand with excelling at science.
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“I was the 90th woman ever to go to space,” said Gerardi, “and so this is still quite new terrain. But that was also another point of why I didn’t want to tone it down.” She explained that she traded friendship bracelets with her friends this year, inspired by Swift and the Eras Tour, where fans bring handmade bracelets to trade with other fans, creating friendships that last at least as long as the show if not longer.
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Swift’s fans run the gamut, with people from all demographics enjoying her music. She brings in spectacular numbers to the Eras Tour, so much so that she regularly has to announce new dates to accommodate all of her fans. Love her or hate her, you can’t deny the power of Taylor Swift: her influence is felt like a ripple around the globe.
Gerardi also explained that she brought a bracelet to space with her 6-year-old daughter in mind. “I’ve always been really conscious of being a woman in STEM,” she said. “All of the things that I love that are the essence of some of the girlhood things that I celebrate are compatible with space, with science, with STEM, and I wanted [my daughter] to know these things aren’t mutually exclusive.”
As for the bracelet she took to space, Gerardi hopes she can give it to Swift some day. “You’re changing the world,” she said of Swift. “We’re in an era of women who are breaking barriers. She’s always been an inspiration.”
The glass ceiling is coming down, specifically around the music industry, and women are stepping into their power when it comes to their craft. As Natalie Maines of The Chicks once said, “We only have one rule and that is there are no rules, so stand up and sing as much as you want to.”
(Featured Image by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images and Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
