Miss Americana came out on Netflix and in select theatres today (January 31), and the film goes through some of the defining moments of Swift’s career, ranging from her early years performing in Tennessee and getting her first record deal, to Kanye West storming the stage during the 2009 VMAs, the Kanye West phone call in 2016, her sexual assault case in 2017, and the release of her latest album Lover.

Through interviews, video clips, and news montages, Swift shares how these defining moments have affected her and opens up more about the inner struggles she’s faced since gaining fame. Swift remains relatable to the viewer, sharing the same fears and self-doubts that many young women face.

Here are 5 of the most powerful moments from the documentary!

1. Being a Good Girl

Swift starts off the documentary opening up about her need to always be good. Swift discusses how from a young age she was taught to find happiness in praise. 

“Those pats on the head were all I lived for,” she shared.

One of the effects Swift encountered from finding happiness in approval was a loss of self-worth. In the documentary, we see Swift receive the call about the 2019 Grammy nominations. When she learns that Reputation was not nominated for any of the general field categories, viewers can see the pain on her face and hear her voice break.

“I just need to make a better record,” she says. “I’m making a better record.”

2. Need to Prove Herself

The 2009 VMAs were a catalyst for Swift. 

“When you’re living for the approval of strangers, and that is where you derive all of your joy and fulfillment, one bad thing can cause everything to crumble.”

That “bad thing” was Kanye West infamously interrupting her Best Female Video acceptance speech. Swift discusses how, in that moment on stage, she thought the crowd was booing her. This moment is followed by a montage of news clips from after the awards showing various media outlets calling out West for his actions.

However, despite realizing that it was West and not her that they were booing, Swift used this moment as motivation to “prove she belonged.” This is followed by another news montage showing her success, with one news outlet even comparing her to The Beatles.

3. All Alone

Despite what Swift’s perceived success would make you believe, is making it to the top everything you would think it would be?

“I got to the top of the mountain, all alone. What now?” She said. “Shouldn’t I have someone that I could call right now?” 

Swift expresses her struggle with feeling alone and not finding everything she thought she would once she reached the top and coming to the realization that she was missing some pretty big parts of her life trying to meet the high expectations set for her as a “good girl”.

4. Finding Herself

Over the past few years, Swift struggled both in the public eye and internally. She opens up for the first time in the film about her struggle with eating disorders. She admits that she thought that feeling as though she would pass out on stage from a lack of eating was a good thing!

Though she has overcome that struggle, she admits that she relapses and returns to her old habits at times, and has to constantly remind herself to continue getting better. 

Swift briefly mentions the 2017 sexual assault trial before disucssing the moment she chose to speak out about politics. We see the people in the industry around her try to keep her silent by saying it would put her in danger and that she would lose fans and money. On the verge of tears, Swift fights for her beliefs and eventually shares them with the world.

“It’s time to take the masking tape off of my mouth, like, forever,” Swift said.

5. Songwriting Processes

Along with discussing her personal journey, Swift decided to include some clips of her songwriting process. While there were only a few, we get to see her writing "Getaway Car", "the Man", "Only the Young", and "ME!".

Each songwriting session she shares represents a defining moment in her career -- "Getaway Car" shows her sudden change in the Reputation era, "the Man" shows her frustrations with the way the world views her and talks about her, "Only the Young" shows her sudden decision to discuss her personal political views and expressing her frustration with the current situation and hope for the future, and "ME!" shows Swift finally finding happiness in herself and not in the approval of others.

Overall, the documentary shows Swift’s growth as a performer and as a person. We see her find her voice and find her place. “It was happiness without anyone else’s input.”

You can check out Miss Americana on Netflix or in select theatres.