A British Taylor Swift lookalike only discovered she had an uncanny resemblance to the pop superstar after a case of mistaken identity led to her being mobbed by adoring fans.
Student Laura Cadman, 20, from Newcastle had been a fan of Taylor Swift for 10 years and when she attended the singer’s concert during her 1989 World Tour in 2015, she was bombarded by other fans, also known as ‘Swifties’.
One fan even approached her for a picture, but then heard Laura speak.
‘She said she hated me because she thought I was Taylor then heard me talk and realised I wasn’t her,’ she recalled
‘She said that I shouldn’t do that because it was tricking people, but this confused me because everyone at the concert was dressed up as Tay – it’s what people do at her concerts.
Student Laura Cadman, 20, from Newcastle only discovered she had an uncanny resemblance to Taylor Swift after being mobbed by adoring fans
The student has a blonde choppy bob like Taylor and favours the same signature red lipstick and black eyeliner
Laura (left) has been a fan of Taylor Swift for 10 years. But when she went to a concert in Manchester a fellow Swiftie said she ‘hated’ the student for tricking people into believing she was the singer (right)
‘At the 1989 concert in Manchester, so many people approached me and asked for pictures. I took pictures with a bunch of people and they were so cute.
‘It was lovely meeting and chatting to people about Taylor because I actually went to the concert alone and I felt really connected to all of the Swifties at the concert.’
Instagram snaps show Laura wearing Taylor Swift’s signature red lip pout, sporting a choppy blonde haircut and revealing a similar love of cats.
But she’s had to prove that she is not in fact the singer, by taking a picture holding up her British passport to her face.
Laura (left) said she doesn’t deliberately copy Taylor but admits they do share a similar sense of style. Taylor on stage at a concert in Dublin, Ireland in June 2015 (right)
The student posted a snap to Instagram with her British passport to prove that she’s not the singing superstar
People first started noticing Laura’s resemblance to Taylor when she was a teenager
Further images show her sharing a similar fashion sense with Taylor as she is pictured wearing a black crop-top and blue glittery skirt akin to the singer’s outfit during her Rock In Rio Festival show in Las Vegas in 2015.
Despite being a big fan of the singer, Laura insists she hasn’t deliberately copied her look.
She explained: ‘I am naturally blonde, reasonably tall and reasonably slim. The rest of my “Taylor Swift look” just consists of classic red lipstick and eyeliner, which I personally think is the most flattering makeup on me.
‘If I’m feeling unconfident on that day, I’ll always refer to one of her classic looks or if I’m particularly stuck for a special event, I love looking at her red carpet looks.
Laura sees her resemblance to Taylor as a positive because it always gets the conversation flowing when she meets new people
Laura takes it as a compliment that people think she resembles Taylor, but said she thinks she looks younger than the singer
The downside of the resemblance is that people often stare and take photos of Laura without her permission when she’s out and about
‘Her style is very timeless and because we have a similar look, I know that whatever suits her will most likely suit me.
‘I think she’s really beautiful; it’s a huge compliment. I think we resemble each other a bit. But she’s obviously quite a lot older than me so I definitely think I look a lot younger.
‘I’ve been to her concerts and always keep up with the latest news. I’m a big fan and can’t wait for her next album. I really hope I can meet her someday and tell her how much her music has helped me.’
Laura dreams of one day meeting the singer so she can tell her how her music has helped her
One of the downsides of looking like Taylor is negative comments on Instagram, but Laura has learned to ignore them
Throughout Laura’s adolescent life she has been faced with comments about looking like Taylor
‘In high school a few people mentioned it in passing but I didn’t really see it,’ she said.
‘At prom lots of people said that I looked like Taylor in my pictures. I picked my dress because it kind of resembled her blue dress from her Our Song music video.
‘Then after that I just got comments more often. I guess it’s because I was looking more grown up.
‘They often do a double-take and say “woah, I thought you were Taylor”. I get a mixture of reactions; I’ve also had people take photos of me without my permission, which is unnerving.
Laura also chairs a feminist society group and volunteers for the sex education organisation Sexpression
Her resemblance to the ‘Shake It Off’ chart-topper has also helped Laura connect with other women
‘My mum gets bored of cashiers pointing it out because it happens all the time. She says she wants people to see me for me and appreciate that I’m pretty because I’m me, not because I look like Taylor.
‘I often have people looking at me or talking about me which isn’t the best and I also get quite a lot of mean comments on my Instagram profile, which was hard to deal with at first but now I don’t care as much.’
As well as studying at university, Laura also chairs a feminist society group and volunteers for the sex education organisation Sexpression that teaches young people about consent and healthy relationships.
The superfan posing beside the Union flag-print dress the singer wore to kick off the Victoria’s Secret show in New York in 2013
Taylor Swift’s signature red lip pout is also Laura’s favourite make-up look
The student admits that her mother gets fed up with people commenting on her resemblance to Taylor and wants them to recognise her as pretty in her own right
Her resemblance to the ‘Shake It Off’ chart-topper has also helped her connect with other women and further herself in business.
‘It’s definitely the ultimate icebreaker,’ she said. ‘People usually mention it initially and it always gets the conversation going.
‘It’s also given me the opportunity to work with a few businesses and has allowed me to use my small platform to talk about things that I am passionate about.
‘I am very much my authentic self, but even if I purposely tried to look like her – who cares? It doesn’t hurt anyone.
‘Judging someone and formulating an opinion about them based on their physical experience isn’t constructive.’
Like her pop idol, Laura is also a big fan of cats and has been pictured cuddling up to felines just like the singer