Happy Taylor Swift Week to all who celebrate! Every so often, I get quirky questions about hobbies and whether they could put a security clearance at risk. Recently, someone asked if being a Taylor Swift superfan could cause issues.
The short answer: No. Simply enjoying Taylor Swift’s music—or even rearranging your life to catch her on tour—does not impact your eligibility for a clearance. Listening to music, attending concerts, or having a favorite artist is not a problem.
Where things get interesting is when fandom crosses into obsession. Like every aspect of the security clearance process, the real question is how your behavior impacts your judgment, finances, and susceptibility to outside influence. For example, if buying concert tickets plunges you into significant credit card debt, financial distress could become a concern. If you’re engaging in illegal activity, like pirating music on the dark web, that behavior—not your fandom—could raise red flags.
We’ve had similar questions before from people involved in niche hobbies, like Civil War reenactments, or even those asking about fetishes. The government isn’t in the business of policing your pastimes. What they care about is whether your lifestyle choices make you vulnerable to blackmail or compromise.
At the end of the day, whether you’re a Swifty, a reenactor, or someone with a more unusual passion, the clearance process is less about what you love and more about how you manage it. If your hobby doesn’t negatively affect your finances, relationships, or credibility, it’s not a clearance issue.
So no, being a Taylor Swift fan won’t cost you your clearance. Enjoy the music, sing along to the new album, and rock on with peace of mind.
