Mariska Hargitay is not only Taylor Swift’s dear pal, but also a hardcore fan of her music and “what she stands for.”

During her interview with People magazine, Hargitay heard Taylor’s song The Man and immediately went: “I love this song!”

“I love Taylor Swift so much. I love what she stands for. I love her music. It’s been an anthem for all ages. I think she is a magnificent creature on this planet and such an important cultural soul.” she gushed.

She then went into detail about what makes the song so meaningful: “We think that we have to — as women — apologize, be small, be this, be that. That’s why I love that song. ‘If I was a man, I’d be the man’ because they have traditionally been given permission to shine, to be strong, to enter the race, and we haven’t been,” she says. “And it’s like, ‘Sweetheart, guess what? I’m in the race and I could be winning! And guess what? I don’t feel bad!’”

The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit also reflected on how she feels on turning 60 soon. She explained: “I don’t apologize. I’m still trying, still making peace. I mean, listen, it’s not easy. I don’t walk around all confident every day or anything.”

She continued: “But for women not to apologize, to not to say the negative things that we are so programmed to do? We’re so programmed, and that’s coming off, and this weight is being lifted.”

Mariska Hargitay also left a message for fans about self acceptance: “And so I just want to remind and to bring everybody on this journey of owning what we are instead of hiding it or covering it when we’re so capable.”