If you’ve been on TikTok lately, you may have noticed a recent trend of people saying they are in their “reputation era.”
This is a reference to Taylor Swift’s 2017 album “reputation” that was all about coming back into the public eye with a vengeful and spiteful agenda. It’s about being “that bitch” – not giving a damn about what other people think about you, mocking your enemies and making sure you keep a list of those who have hurt you.
While all of these things are great, and quite frankly hilarious, I like to take an alternative route to the concept of escapism. I’m not in my “reputation era.” I’m in my “folklore era.”
Both of the Taylor Swift albums, “reputation” (2017) and “folklore” (2020), are about escaping the public eye. But while the reputation era was about going into the dark to plot your revenge, the folklore era was about stepping into the light to find your own peace within.
“Look What You Made Me Do,” the first song we ever heard from “reputation” in 2017, was Taylor’s comeback song after a nearly two year long hiatus about keeping a list of those who have wronged her.
“The Lakes,” which is the last song we heard from “folklore” in 2020, is about going away with the person you love to a place that makes your heart feel at peace. It’s not about revenge or being consumed by the world’s drama but about taking yourself back to the simpler parts of the world and sighing with relief.
The reputation era was about being forced into hiding, and the folklore era was about choosing to be private.
By saying that I am in my “folklore era,” I mean that I am remaining undisturbed, private and calm. I am not being consumed by drama or betrayal. I am only doing what makes me happy and heals me. I want to feel at peace.
This isn’t to say there is anything wrong with being a bit consumed by the drama. If you need to, get it out. Live your reputation era. It can be cathartic after you’ve been hurt.
But also consider the alternative option. Once you’re ready, take that sigh of relief and go to the metaphorical lakes – that one place that makes you feel at peace. Let go of the drama, and instead of being forced to run away, choose to walk away from what doesn’t serve you anymore.