'Excruciatingly painful': Taylor Swift reflects on public shaming as she receives honorary doctorate

Taylor Swift speaks during a graduation ceremony for New York University at Yankee Stadium where she received an honorary doctorate in fine arts. Photo / AP

Taylor Swift "wore a cap and gown for the first time" during her commencement address at New York University's graduation ceremony.

The All Too Well hitmaker was also given an honorary doctorate of fine arts at the ceremony - joining the likes of Aretha Franklin and Billy Crystal - as she addressed the 2020, 2021, and 2022 graduating classes at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, the first in-person event of its kind at the university since the beginning of the Covid pandemic

The singer-songwriter, 32, marked the occasion on her Instagram, writing, "Wearing a cap and gown for the very first time - see you soon NYU" in the caption of a video showing her getting ready in her purple cap and gown and getting her picture taken by her father, Scott Swift.

Taylor Swift is awarded an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from New York University. Photo / Getty Images

While speaking to the crowd, Swift joked her cap and gown were "much more comfortable" than the looks she usually wore when performing to similar-sized audiences on similar stages.

She said: "Last time I was in a stadium this size, I was dancing in high heels and wearing a glittery leotard. This outfit is much more comfortable."

The Grammy winner also quipped that she was only there because one of her 2012 hit single 22. "I'm 90 per cent sure the reason I'm here is because I have a song called 22."

The I Bet You Think About Me singer urged the graduating class that they should "learn to live alongside cringe" as it is an "unavoidable" part of life, citing her fashion choices from a decade ago.

Taylor Swift waves to fellow graduates. Photo / AP

Swift continued: "You will look back on your life and cringe retrospectively. Cringe is unavoidable over the course of a lifetime. You can't avoid it so don't try to – for the entirety of 2012 I dressed like a 1950s housewife."

The Love Story hitmaker also spoke about the challenges of being a young woman in the music industry, such as "constantly being issued warnings" and how she felt she needed to be the "perfect young female role model" or else she would end up in "pop star jail".

Swift also mentioned getting "cancelled" - when Kanye West and his then-wife Kim Kardashian alleged that she was lying about consenting to lyrics on his 2016 track Famous - and how it gave her "excellent knowledge" of her wine rack.

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The singer added, "Being publicly humiliated over and over again at a young age was excruciatingly painful but it forced me to devalue the ridiculous notion of minute by minute, ever-fluctuating social relevance and likeability".