Why are accomplished older women taking the stage with Taylor Swift?

Taylor Swift puts on a good show.

One of the highlights of her performances is when she brings out her special guest stars.

They hug Taylor. They wave to the crowd. They dance a little. Then they leave, presumably to adjourn behind a velvet rope somewhere.

Most of the guest stars are familiar. They are members of Swift’s eponymous Girl Squad, who regularly appear on her Instagram page.

But occasionally, the surprise guest is quite literally a surprise.

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Sometimes you’ve got to wonder why these particular guests choose to be there at all.

In San Jose last week, during her song “Style” (which tends to be the point in the show where her celebrity pals join her on stage), Swift announced: “Please welcome to the stage legendary singer songwriter Joan Baez and Academy Award winner Julia Roberts”

Cue the hugging and the waving. Both Roberts and Baez were wearing Swift tshirts and jeans. Roberts awkwardly shimmied down the runway, pointing towards the crowd. Carrying a flower, 74 year old folk singer Baez seemed more at ease than Roberts. They mugged for a little while Swift sang. At the end of the song they shuffled off stage.

Last month in New Jersey, supermodel and entrepreneur Heidi Klum got the same treatment. The month before that it was Emmy award winning actress Mariska Hargitay, 51, in Philadelphia (yes, I know about the name of Swift’s cat).

It makes sense why Taylor Swift would want these women to join her on stage. As Swift wrote on her Instagram after the Roberts/Baez show, “Tonight Joan Baez and Julia Roberts danced it out to ‘Style’. These two women are my heroes.” That’s great for a young woman to have that opportunity – she clearly gets a kick out of it. Good for her. And there’s probably some cache in getting older stars to do what she asks. That’s a very powerful thing. Again, that’s great for her.

The question that remains though is: What are these other women getting out of it?

Roberts and Baez? Klum? Hargitay? These women are icons in their field. They are accomplished and have performed (and been awarded) at the highest level. Why rock up to a 25 year old’s show, put on a t-shirt with her face on it and shuffle around?

Yes, maybe they like her music. That’s possible. But that doesn’t explain the whole catwalk palaver.

Maybe they do it because their kids like Swift – but then wouldn’t a backstage visit meet that need. And wouldn’t they want to bring their kids with them?

Sure, sometimes generations get together for a musical collaboration: Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett; George Michael and Elton John; Paul McCartney and Rihanna; J-Lo and Iggy Azalea.

But here? Swift’s older special guest stars are not even singing. They’re just appearing, waving and shuffling down a catwalk while Swift sings.

It could be the case of their agents telling Roberts, Baez et al to associate themselves with a younger brand to expand their appeal – but really, why bother? The concert attendees probably don’t care (do they even know who Baez is?) They’ve paid upwards of $200 to get a piece of that Swift magic (and maybe some of her enviable Girl Squad). "Who’s that?" Who cares.

Sure, we’ve seen older stars try to associate themselves with a younger brand before. Remember when Madonna snogged Britney Spears at the MTV music awards? But it’s historically been derided as a desperate act of a fading star, as something vampiric or creepy. Like somehow the older star is basking in the younger star’s youthful glow (and stealing a little bit for themselves).

But here no one seems to think that Julia Roberts or Joan Baez are trying to hitch their wagon to Taylor Swift’s steam train (they definitely aren't trying to pash her). Neither Roberts nor Baez nor Klum need the publicity. In fact, they don’t seem to be getting anything out of this exchange at all.

So the question remains: why do they do it?

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