Taylor Swift dancer asked Scottish shopkeeper 'permission' before wearing kilt amid fears of cultural appropriation
Taylor Swift dance feared cultural appropriation
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One of Taylor Swift's dancers feared he would be accused of cultural appropriation during their Scottish leg of the Eras tour, but insisted he was careful to be "respectful to Scottish history" when wearing a kilt.
Swift's latest tour consists of 152 shows across five continents. The tour commenced on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona, US, and is set to conclude on December 8, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada.
The megastar arrived in the UK last week and performed in Edinburgh across the three days of the weekend, before heading to Liverpool, Cardiff, London’s Wembley Stadium and Dublin.
During their time in Scotland, dancer Kameron Saunders admitted he had “always wanted an authentic kilt” but had been fearful of offending Scots by acquiring one to perform in for the three sell-out shows at Murrayfield.
The 31-year-old, assured fans that he had the all-clear and could wear his new outfit “with pride” after receiving a crash course in Scottish history, dress, accessories and “the thistle” from a kilt salesman.
He proudly posed in the red tartan kilt and waistcoat in Charlotte Square, posting the images to his Instagram account and penned: "When in Edinburgh! I’ve always wanted an authentic kilt but I wanted to be super respectful about the culture.
"So prior to purchasing I had an extensive conversation with the salesman who educated me so very wonderfully about kilts, accessories, Scottish history, Scottish last names, tartans, the thistle, etc. He assured me that I could wear this outfit with pride. So that’s what I’m doing!
"See you out there for our last show tonight, Edinburgh!"
Fans of Swift and her entourage flocked to the comment section to praise Saunders for his dedication to learning about the heritage, with one commenting: "As a scot, we LOVEEEEEEEE to see it. Hope you are loving it here."
A second added: "Oh you slayed speaking for all of Scotland when I say we very much approve."
Kameron assured Scottish fans he had done his research
"We stan a respectful king," another praised before a fourth said: "Killing it in the tartan! Is there anything you don’t look awesome in?."
"Are you wearing it true Scotsman style?" someone else asked as a sixth noted: "OMG A SCOTTISH KING. Thank you so much for everything, I had the privilege to attend night one and it was the time of my life." (sic)
Saunders' statement caught the eye of Shirley-Anne Somerville, a Scottish Government cabinet minister, who said she would never go to a cabinet meeting in Bute House again without thinking of him.
Swift recently thanked her fans who attended the three-night shows in Edinburgh on her Instagram page where she expressed: "Edinburgh!!! You truly blew me away this weekend.
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Taylor thanked her fans who attended her Scottish shows
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"Thank you for breaking the all-time attendance record for a stadium show in Scotland 3 times in a row and for all the ways you made us feel right at home.
"Love you, all 220,000 of you!!!"