15 Things You Didn't Know About Taylor's Squad

Taylor Swift, Karlie Kloss, Selena Gomez, Blake Lively, Cara Delevingne, Martha Hunt, Lily Aldridge, Zendaya, Hailee Steinfeld, Jaime King, Serayah, Lena Dunham, Gigi Hadid, Lorde and the Haim sisters all have one thing in common - they are members of one of the most exclusive "squads" in the world.

This particular squad has been the envy of girls all around the world with every Instagram introducing serious FOMO (According to when we Googled what the hell that is: Anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.)

There is no denying Taylor is the ringleader - always placed centre in every photograph they take together and grinning the widest. Since 2013, she has been growing her posse to new strengths and late last year it felt as if the squad were everywhere. But what really goes on behind the hashtag #squadgoals? Here we dissect and divulge the truth behind the world's most glamorous girl group.

15 The Kanye West Feud Split The Squad

Never before has the squad been split, but some members had to make a choice last week and that was if they were Team Taylor or Team Kim after that now infamous Snapchat video was made public. British model and Suicide Squad actress Cara Delevingne has been close friends with Taylor for years, even celebrating July 4th together, but she is also BFF's with Kendall Jenner, Kim's younger sister, and her loyalty to the squad might now be questioned.

Selena Gomez made it clear she wanted to keep her stake in the squad after she leapt to Taylor's defense. She tweeted, "There are more important things to talk about… Why can't people use their voice for something that f**king matters?" In a separate tweet she added, "Truth is last thing we need right now is hate, in any form. This industry is so disappointing yet the most influential." She received a backlash of abuse as Kim's fans tweeted: '#SelenaGomezIsOverParty' and '#GoToSleepSelena'. We'll have to wait till the next award show to see who has stood by Taylor and will be allowed to accompany her on the red carpet.

14  They Have To Idolize Taylor Swift 

Taylor Swift made it very clear that she likes to be idolized during her '1989' word tour. She told fans at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey the rules to being in her squad, revealing: "There are two requirements. You have to like me, at least a little. And you have to want to spend time with me… "

Taylor also revealed to Vogue Australia that she "makes the first move" when it comes to friendships - basically the process of being her friend is more headhunting than anything else. She also added, "Friendship often comes from admiration and that feels like a natural way to be friends with someone because you've established you respect what the person does."

So if you want to be her friend: 1. You have to admire her. 2. You want to spend time with her. 3. You have to wait for her to approach you. 4. You have to respect how much of a global sensation she is. Just leaves us wondering what her friends get in return for all this adoration.

13 They Are Paranoid About Surveillance  

The squad doesn't want their secrets getting out into the world and many of them are quite paranoid about media leaks. Taylor previously told the British radio show Capital FM that she's always concerned about bugging, or secretly recording her. She explained, "That's one of my paranoias." Because of this, Taylor had her entire home fitted with top security costing $5 million and this is why the squad are usually at each other's homes.

Whether it's a pajama party in Gigi Hadid's apartment, or cooking in Karlie Kloss' kitchen - they prefer to host their own private parties than be out together in public. Sure they don't mind posing for the paps, or Instagram, but they certainly don't want anyone leaking any inner-squad gossip. Everyone who attends their events has to be carefully vetted so they can secure their privacy.

One of their most recent parties introduced inflatable swans to the world as the group posed on this summer's pool party most have. They sure know how to have fun - just always in the hope nobody will be secretly recording it.

12 They Kicked Kendall Jenner Out The Squad 

Kendall Jenner is familiar with bullies, during her first New York Fashion Week show she was badly bullied by other models that believed she didn't deserve to be there. Kendall was a member of the squad from the beginning but she was slowly ousted from the group - although she did remain close with Cara Delevingne and Gigi Hadid.

There were two theories why Kendall was made to leave the squad - either her fame was too big for the group (Kendall had just scored the most liked picture on Instagram with more than three million likes for a picture of her hair styled in lovehearts) or that her relationship with Harry Styles (former boyfriend of Taylor) was what landed her the boot. Either way, she certainly has distanced herself from most of the girls.

More recently when the Kimye vs Taylor Swift row was mentioned in headlines around the world, it was quite clear that Kendall had left the squad for good. Although she never spoke openly about the feud, she did like a series of tweets by fans slating Taylor, that was enough to let everyone know where she stood on the matter.

11 … And Demi Lovato 

Demi Lovato was unfollowed by the squad on Instagram after she committed the ultimate sin - posting a picture of her having fun with Hailey Baldwin. Hailey had become a sworn enemy of the squad since four years ago when she tweeted: "Taylor Swift and Harry Styles are the worst couple of 2012 it's official." Then she went full on anti-squad…

Many will know that Selena Gomez broke up with her first love Justin Bieber ages ago, but these girls are not willing to let it go. Model Hailey Baldwin was pictured kissing and cuddling Bieber at a New Year's Eve party and the squad waged war. Demi Lovato's picture with one of the squad's enemies saw her unfollowed on Instagram by Taylor, Selena, Gigi Hadid, Karlie and the Haim sisters.

Although this kind of behavior sounds very high school - for the squad it's common procedure when someone dares to go against them.

10 They Date The Same Guys  

One of the weirdest things about the squad is they are so close that they don't even care about dating the same guys. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Taylor confirmed that the 'girl code' doesn't apply to her friends and if they want to date each other's exes then thats okay. Apparently the reasoning behind it is that it will stop tension within the group.

Taylor previously dated Joe Jonas and her song Love Story is apparently about their relationship. Jonas then went on to date Karlie Kloss in 2008, Gigi Hadid last year and currently Selena Gomez. As the three are all close friends, many found the sharing of Joe Jonas quite odd. Taylor explained, "It's almost like the sisterhood has such a higher place on the list of priorities for us. It's so much more important than some guy that it didn't work out with." Surely as these girls are some of the most glamourous and gorgeous in the world that they don't have to share guys between them.

9 They Have A Lot Of "Showmances" 

The squad is familiar with the odd showmance. Gigi Hadid lead the way, hopping from Joe Jonas into the arms of former One Direction member, Zayn Malik. She first appeared in his music video for Pillowtalk and instantly there was a public backlash.

One fan tweeted: "You want the public to consume and believe your fake (relationship) but don't want to be judged for it? Doesn't work that way." Gigi quickly fired back: "Who are you to say what is fake? Your comment proves my point exactly. If you don't know you don't know." There was also speculation the couple were failing to keep up the act after Gigi was filmed on the red carpet at the Met Ball forcing Zayn to smile and kiss her for the cameras.

Taylor has also been accused of showmances to keep herself with Calvin Harris and her latest beau, British actor Tom Hiddleston. The rest of the squad are all probably following her lead when it comes to grabbing those headlines.

8 They Have To Take Fitness Seriously

The squad are real fitness freaks. Taylor, Karlie, Gigi and Selena are constantly pictured leaving the gym in their exercise outfits and they know how to rock a bikini. In the words of model Karlie Kloss: "Fashion and fitness are two of my great loves." However, their enviable figures have been scrutinized by other celebrities.

Amy Schumer called out Taylor's thigh gap and DJ/producer Diplo tweeted: "Someone should make a kickstarter to get Taylor swift a booty." Melanie McGrice, an accredited nutritionist, told Radar Online, "Taylor still appears to be within her healthy weight range, however she is right on the lower end of the scale now. I wouldn't want to see her losing anymore weight."

Further criticism came from registered dietician and nutritionist Dr. Susan Mitchell, she explained, "Many young women want to emulate celebrities and try to look like them even when their body shape is not meant to. Society sends a message that you are not cool unless you look a certain way: very thin." She added, "Many young women become so obsessed with their weight and looks that it ultimately leads to disordered eating of some type which can then affect their bodies and health for years to come."

7 They Have To Obey Taylor's Orders 

One of the main squad rules is: You have to follow Taylor's rules. The squad's Fourth of July party to celebrate Independence Day showed plenty of American patriotism in their matching red, white and blue outfits. Apparently Taylor bought the matching outfits for everyone and those who wished to attend had to wear one.

Actress Serayah McNeill revealed during an interview that the squad wait for Taylor to message their group and tell them the plans. She defended Taylor an interview with Pret-a-Reporter explaining, "It's totally personal. She'll text us and be like, 'Let's do this.' Group message - it's not a manager thing, it's just a text. It's never managers, it's never business, it's always fun.”

Lena Dunham summed it up when she revealed during an interview with Dazed magazine, "I feel that Taylor has really taken control and said, 'I'm going to get us all together in the same place, I'm gonna make it very clear that friendship is powerful, and women are magic, and if anybody thinks this is a witches' coven, they might be right. She's just made it her job in a very cool way."

6 They Compete To Be Taylor's BFF 

Taylor likes to keep the squad hot on her heels by allowing them to always compete for the top spot by her side (and a mention on her Instagram). Taylor appears to share BFF status between Karlie and Selena most of the time - but there is always Blake Lively waiting in the wings. Her oldest friend is Britany LaManna, who she met when they were just 10 days old, but Britany just isn't famous enough and is often switched to the outside position of group photos.

So how do big stars become close friends with Taylor? Just tweet her! Karlie learned this after Taylor appeared in an issue of Vogue saying she wanted to bake cookies with the model; Karlie tweeted: "Your place or mine?" and a friendship was born. Lena Dunham always won Taylor over on Twitter since she tweeted about how much the album Red helped her through difficult times. At the rate she's going, Taylor will eventually have a new BFF for each day of the year.

5 They Allow Taylor To Control The Media 

Calvin Harris revealed after his breakup with the leader of the squad that she "controlled all the media." He wasn't the first one to call her out on playing with the press, as her ex-ex-ex boyfriend Harry Styles also had the same complaint. It appears that Taylor's flare for manipulating the media has spilled over into her friendship groups too.

Online website Looper also revealed: "Any social media postings even mentioning Swift have to be pre-approved by the singer herself. It makes one wonder if she has any control over interviews her famous friends do as well, because it seems like all Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt, and the rest of the clique do is gush about just how wonderful Swift is. It's also worth mentioning that it was only after Swift got criticized for having a #squad of nearly all white women that she added Zendaya and Serayah to her group."

4  They Have Been Accused Of Bullying 

Girl Meets World star Rowan Blanchard has spoken openly about how the squad epitomize bullying. She told the Daily Mail, "The 'squads' we see in the media are very polarizing. Feminism and friendship are supposed to be inclusive, and most of these 'squads' are strictly exclusive."

Grizzly Bear band member Ed Droste also appeared to be accusing Taylor of bullying antics. He reposted an article that blasted Taylor for being a 'Mean Girl' and added: "People are finally catching on. She's been given a free pass for too long. Plus, first hand experience, I have a whole other story to tell, still feels unsafe though. She frightens me genuinely." After the release of the Bad Blood single, Katy Perry also added in a tweet: "Watch out for the Regina George in sheep's clothing."

With this many stars coming forward - perhaps the squads 'American Sweetheart' image is slowly becoming undone. Camille Paglia, writer for The Hollywood Reporter, didn't hold back with her thoughts, saying the squad reminded her of the "fascist blondes who ruled the social scene during my youth."

3 They Are All From Privileged Backgrounds 

Most of the squad members grew up in Los Angeles. Gigi Hadid's father, Mohamed Anwar Hadid, is a Jordanian-American real estate developer known for building luxurious hotels and mansions. Cara Delevinge grew up in Belgravia, London, one of the wealthiest districts in the world and her Godmother is actress Joan Collins.

Then earlier this year, writer Marlow Stern revealed to The Daily Beast: "Swift's father is a very wealthy senior vice president at Merrill Lynch-and the descendant of three generations of bank presidents-while her mother worked at a mutual fund and is the daughter of a rich oilman."

Many find the squad unattached from the real hardships in life. Miley Cyrus has saidthat she is completely against the idea of being in a squad as she prefers to keep it real. She told The New York Times, "I'm not trying to be in the squad. None of my friends are famous and not because of any other reason than I just like real people who are living real lives, because I'm inspired by them."

2 They Become More Famous Being In The Squad 

In 2015, the squad collectively earned $102.5 million between them. Their secret to success was simply being in the squad in the first place, as they have become the hottest ticket in town. Sharing snaps of each other on Instagram (and also the stage with Taylor throughout her world tour) has boosted all their personal profiles and also the pay they can command for jobs. The system works - the more they endorse each other, the more famous they all become as a group.

Karlie Kloss became one of the first official members of the squad, after meeting Taylor during a Victoria's Secret show in 2013 - ever since she has become a global powerhouse in the world of modelling. Then in a bid to appear more hipster, Taylor introduced the three Haim sisters to the squad. Throw in the rest of them and you've got the ultimate money-spinning celebrity group of friends. As they say - there is power in numbers.

1  They Might Be Over…

When it all kicked off between Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift; Selena Gomez and Martha Hunt tried to save their leader by chiming in on Twitter that people should talk about something "more important" like Black Lives Matter or the more recent terror attacks. They received a barrage of abuse in return, which soon silenced their opinion on the matter. Could the squad finally be losing their power over people?

Amy Odell, editor of Cosmopolitan online explained, "Beyoncé is no stranger to surrounding herself with powerful women, but does so off the red carpet and largely off social media. There is a difference between an artist who actually employs women to further her feminist message and one who seems to expect them to surround her as though bounce boards there simply to magnify her own limelight."

Whatever future the girls have together (or not) we'll be here watching and enjoying all the latest drama.