Over the last year,Taylor Swift has reinvented herself into a sexy pop star. Although she has strayed far in terms of looks from the down-home country girl she was when she first appeared on the music scene, Taylor is still a good girl at heart. The singer, who was recently named to Barbara Walters' list of the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2014, told Barbara that she tries hard to maintain a good image for her young fans. This was one of the reasons that Taylor claims to have refrained from drinking alcohol before her 21st birthday.
“I did wait until I was 21 to drink," the Shake It Off singer told Barbara, according to Us Weekly. "I was so paranoid about getting in trouble or setting the wrong example or sending the wrong message."
There's no denying that many of Taylor's most-hardcore fans are under the age of 18. She often appears in the pages of pre-teen magazines, is the subject of many a middle-school-age Tumblr account. In return, the singer seems to put great emphasis on reaching out to her youngest fans. She frequently visits young fans that are hospitalized and in July, Taylor even took the time to give a teenaged fan that reached out to her on Instagram some valuable love advice.
Taylor Swift has worked hard to maintain a good girl image. (WENN)
“I feel like you're the big sister I don't have,” the young fan wrote in her response to Taylor's advice.
Because of this, Taylor has tried to live her life in a way that her young fans can be proud of.
“If I do something reckless or thoughtless or careless, or I treat someone badly, that doesn't just affect me; it affects that person,” Taylor told Barbara. “Then, if that story gets out, or some 10-year-old sees that I did that in a news article… my actions do have ripples."
Of course, as a woman in her mid-20s, Taylor still likes to have fun.
"I mean, I do drink, I am 25," she said. “I was at a Knicks game and I had a beer and everybody was like, 'Ohhh!' I was like, 'Tsk.'"
While many singers who start in the industry at a young age end up rebelling—Miley Cyrus, we're looking at you—Taylor said she has never had a need to, because she likes being kept in check by the public.
"It's kind of a nice thing to keep you in check to live a good life," she said. "It's not like some gilded golden cage that people make it out to be. Living your life the 'right way' and trying to make 'good decisions' is not necessarily some horrible penalty."
Taylor's interview with Barbara airs on December 14 on ABC.
