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Swift's friends appear in Instagram photos with her and even join her onstage when she wins awards, but this group has been criticized for being exclusive, cliquey, and phony, which can be hurtful to Swift, the pop star told Vogue.
"I've had people say really hurtful things about me, and so I've kind of learned how to gauge it: 'This is, like, low-to-medium-level hurtful,'" she said.
In order to deal with the criticisms and rumors, it's best to just continue living life like normal, according to Swift.
"If they say you are pregnant, all you have to do is continue to not be pregnant and not have a baby," she explained. "If the rumor is that you have fake friendships, all you have to do is continue to be there for each other. And when we're all friends in fifteen years and raising our kids together, maybe somebody will look back and go, 'That was kind of ridiculous what we said about Taylor and her friends.'"
The same goes for handling the early obsession with her dating life, which she calls "my incredibly sexist Men-of-Taylor Swift slideshows," and the Kanye West saga.
The story that started seven years ago with West interrupting her MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech continued this year when West released his song "Famous," in which he takes credit for her career.
"I made that b---- famous," West raps, referring to Swift.
In February, Swift became the first woman to win the Grammy for album of the year twice and during her acceptance speech subtly responded to West's lyric.
"There will be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame," she said, "but if you just focus on the work and you don't let those people sidetrack you, some day when you get where you're going, you'll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you that got you there, and that will be the greatest feeling in the world."
She told Vogue, "I guess what I wanted to call attention to in my speech at the Grammys was how it's going to be difficult if you're a woman who wants to achieve something in her life - no matter what."