Is Taylor Swift singing about 'eldest daughter syndrome?' Women claim pop star's songs highlight the eight symptoms of being the firstborn

Many of Taylor Swifts lyrics are being touted as 'oldest daughter anthems' because the tunes speak to the intense pressures women have faced as being the firstborn.

While not a real diagnosable condition, the 'eldest daughter syndrome' has become a major theme on social media after a therapist shared symptoms of the 'disorder' that includes being a people pleaser and struggling with anxiety. 

Licensed family and marriage therapist Kati Morton described the syndrome as being the pressures and responsibilities placed on the firstborn daughter of a family.

Many TikTok users believe the 'symptoms' can be heard in Swift's songs like 'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart' in the album The Tortured Poets Department and Midnight's 'You're Losing Me.'

While the pop star has never confirmed she suffers with the 'disorder,' she is the oldest sibling -  her brother Austin is two years younger.

Many of Taylor Swifts songs are being touted as 'oldest daughter anthems' because the tunes speak to the intense pressures women have faced as being the first born

In 'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,' Taylor sings: 'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my sh*t. They said, 'Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it' and I did'

In 'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,' Taylor sings: 'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my sh*t. They said, 'Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it' and I did.'

And lyrics of 'You're Losing Me' include: 'I gave you all my best me's, my endless empathy. And all I did was bleed as I tried to be the bravest soldier.'

Firstborn daughters might experience 'being responsible for more domestic labor and being held to a higher standard than their siblings,' Morton told Health. 

The symptoms highlighted by Morton included: feeling an intense sense of responsibility for others, having an inclination toward overachieving, struggles with anxiety, people-pleasing, and placing boundaries, feelings of guilt, having a difficult time with adult relationships and having feelings of resentment toward your siblings and parents.

Laurie Kramer, a professor of applied psychology at Northeastern University, has also joined the conversation, noting that when she hears 'eldest daughter syndrome,' she thinks about 'families where we have just been unintentionally putting burdens on particular individuals.'

'This happens across the world, but we haven't really been paying attention to the cost of that.,' continued Kramer.

'When a sibling provides a lot of caregiving to other siblings or parents, it comes at a cost.'

Kramer said research shows that firstborn/older girls are often asked to take on a caretaking role with their younger siblings, sometimes as young as five years old. 

While Swift has never confirmed she suffers with the 'syndrome,' she is the oldest sibling - her brother Austin is two years younger

A study published in the Canadian Journal of Family and Youth noted that while young sibling carers have higher levels of resourcefulness than their peers, they tend to prioritize needs of others over their own.

One interviewee, age 15, in the study shared:  'I'd rather stay home and spend time with her cause she's not able to do those things and create those bonds and friendships with those people so sometimes we're kind of the only people who she has.'

Kramer echoed the findings in saying that older daughters are socialized to take on more responsibilities and learn to be more conscientious of others' needs.

The added responsibility, according to the professor, may also spur rescindment among the female sibling.

But those feelings are not just toward the parents, but also other siblings who were not thrust into the role.  

READ MORE: Children bullied by their brothers or sisters are more likely to suffer mental health problems as teenagers 

Bullying was defined as hurting a sibling on purpose emotionally or physically, such as fighting and name calling. 

'For many eldest daughters, this ends up shaping their personality and relationships outside the family,' Kramer explained.

While 'eldest daughter syndrome' is currently making waves, the oldest son of a family is not sparred from taking on more responsibility either.

But theirs comes with providing more financial support than emotional or mental, Kramer said, noting the son's contributions tend to  get more recognition while housework and caregiving tend to be more overlooked..

'For example, when there's a family business, those sorts of things have traditionally been handed down to eldest sons,' Kramer said. 

'Eldest daughters in some families are expected to be the ones to bring people together, to be that emotional source of support and … we don't tend to explicitly value a lot of what they're doing. It's invisible.'

But this type of dynamic between an older sister and her siblings and parents is not a given. 

Kramer said other factors play a role in establishing a family dynamic. These include the age gap between siblings, how well the siblings get along with each other and how they treat each other, and whether there's a family member with a medical condition that requires them to receive more attention.

'It's really important that we not look at this as a horoscope,' Kramer said.

'Families are really, really different and sometimes parents are very well aware of the impact of assigning roles like that to their children. … What's deeper is really looking at the roles of individuals and siblings within the family and understanding we can't just assign a role to someone based simply on birth order.'