Taylor Swift lookalike gets stopped for selfies wherever she goes

By Amy Reast via SWNS

A Taylor Swift lookalike gets stopped for selfies wherever she goes - and now gets paid to appear as the pop star at parties and events.

Kelley Thrasher, 40, has been told she looks like Taylor Swift for more than a decade - thanks to her blonde hair, fringe and fondness of a bright red lipstick.

People would rush up to her in the street and ask for selfies and autographs, thinking she was the real deal.

She brushed off the comments about their similarities for years - but finally decided in June to accept invitations to appear at parties, to see what would happen.

After the first booking, more requests came flooding in - for children's parties, corporate events and karaoke shows.

While she still works as a full-time nanny, and does her Taylor Swift appearances as a side hustle, she said it's proven so lucrative so far that she might consider going full-time one day.

Kelley, from Shawnee, Kansas, said: "I get stopped a lot because there's always the chance Taylor could actually be in Kansas, as Travis Kelce plays here.

"I've never been one to take selfies but if people come up to me in the street, I just have to get over it and do it.

"I only started a few weeks ago but I've already done four gigs and I'm booked out until mid-September.

"The money is good - I make more in two hours than I did in a week when I worked as a teacher.

"The first party I walked into, all the guests went silent with open mouths - everyone was so excited.

"I love Taylor Swift and her music but I wouldn't call myself a hardcore fan. I find it flattering when people say I look like her though!"

Kelley would always be stopped for photos because of her similarity to Taylor, and would even be asked for autographs after people found out she was just a lookalike.

She once got "swarmed" walking into a Super Bowl party.

And earlier this year she said she bumped into Bruno Mars at a restaurant - and he told her to "monopolize that s**t!" when he found out she wasn't making money off her looks.

Kelley originally thought her schedule working full-time as a teacher would be too heavy for a lookalike side hustle.

But when she switched career to become a nanny, she had more flexibility to take on new work.

She finally decided to take the advice of friends and work at kids' parties, and was put in touch with an agency who set her up with her first appearance.

She recalled walking into a room full of young girls who were "so excited" to meet her.

Kelley said: "One of the reasons I didn't want to do it at first was because I didn't want to trick people - especially kids.

"But I spoke to someone who runs parties and they said the kids don't even care - they love Taylor and will be in awe regardless.

"And they were - they came up to me and they called me 'adorable'."

She doesn't spend a lot on costumes - saying she snaps up Taylor-esque outfits on Shein.

Kelley said she has been sporting a red lip since she was in university before Taylor was known for the look.

She reckons her own style is "a little edgier than Taylor's" although reckons Taylor is developing a more edgy look anyway.

Kelley's $350-an-hour side gig has also led to a series of social media collaborations which are in the works - although she can't share details yet.

She added: "A lot of people are mean on TikTok about both me and her, and the hardest thing is trying to ignore those comments.

"They say I need to lose weight to look like her or that I'm twice her age - I'm only about five years older than her!

"But in the words of Taylor Swift, I just have to "shake it off.'"