If you are a major Swiftie like me and have been on any social media platform lately, you may have come across the rumors that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn have ended their relationship—TRAGIC. If you haven’t come across this news I will give you a moment to mourn…So, now that you have taken a minute or 20 to digest this information, you may be thinking: “What does this mean? Is there a new break up album coming?”
To that question, I present a series of other questions. First, so what if she does? Ms. Swift is a legend, queen, goddess if you will. That means she can do whatever she wants to. Write a breakup album, scream, cry, drop hints about it on tour, or say nothing at all. We’re all human, we all experience hard things, and everyone is aloud to express their emotions with whatever outlet they choose. If she writes an album, INSTANT BANGER.
Second, why would a breakup influence a change in her recent music-writing style? Obviously, Taylor Swift is well known for her love songs and not-so-love songs. However, in her more recent albums like folklore, evermore, and Midnights, Taylor Swift has deviated from the territory of writing about her lovers. She has chosen to include lyrics with stories that allude to her own life. This is especially shown in the song “mirrorball” on folklore.
“Mirrorball” is a song about a vulnerable person, a people pleaser that can put on faces in order to get along best with their surroundings. Just like a disco ball atop a dance floor, a “mirrorball” person has many pieces in order to fit into whatever scenario and group of people they are presented with. This makes the “mirrorball” person lost in identity, emotionally taxed by entertaining and putting on a show. Taylor Swift is describing a persona that she puts on to amaze the public, bearing pressure to appear through rain and shine.
The song marks a shift in the genre of music and lyrics that Taylor Swift has geared towards. AND WE ARE HERE FOR IT. So why would a breakup dictate a deviation from that style? But even more than that, why would that be such a bad thing? For years, artists have written songs about the trials and tribulations of how love sometimes just doesn’t work out. These songs are a healthy expression. They’re relatable; they’re the kind of songs that you want to scream with the windows down at night. So why, when a woman is writing about something vulnerable, do people decide that they must tear her down?
The idea that women who are writing about breakups are being petty or doing something wrong is an issue that is deeply rooted in misogyny. It’s 2023, I mean COME ON. Haven’t we learned by now that women can and should be expressing ourselves in any way we so choose? Bottom line, we love Taylor Swift and whatever is going on with her and Joe Alwyn, we support her because that’s what girls’ girls do.