Last week, I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw a post about how Taylor Swift was at a Kansas City Chiefs football game, and I thought to myself, well, that’s cool.
Then another post popped up, saying that Swift was at the Chiefs game supporting her alleged new boyfriend, Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Chiefs. Again, I thought, well, that’s cool.
As I scrolled, another hundred or so posts of Swift cheering in the press box, posing for pictures, and simply enjoying the game appeared. So I decided I was done with Instagram and moved to Twitter (excuse me, X.)
That’s when I saw “Taylor Swift” and “Taylor Swift boyfriend” trending, which stayed that way for days. Don’t even get me started on the TikToks I saw. I got the weird hunch that maybe, just maybe, Swift and Kelce are dating.
But then I realized that the two never actually confirmed this. So, I was wondering why this garnered so much speculation. Why is there so much attention on two people I never really thought about until they took over my social media feeds?
It’s not like the social media buzz has died down (or will anytime soon), as this pairing has been at the forefront of the entertainment and sports industries for nearly two weeks.
Kelce has seen a personal benefit to all this buzz as the sportswear and fan merchandise company Fanatics reported that sales of Kelce’s jersey increased by 400%, making his jersey part of the top five highest-sold jerseys that week.
Now that everyone and their mom have been discussing this relationship, I have to ask, who cares?
The most glaring part of this story is that the two have not outwardly confirmed that they are dating. Swift has said nothing, while Kelce has merely teased the idea to the media. So, what is the point of the public speculation?
The answer is that Swift’s fans are guilty of wanting to know every detail of her love life, even if it becomes invasive. Every time Swift is reported to be with someone or, conversely, separates from them, fans and the media love to say that she is incapable of maintaining a relationship because of her superstar status.
Swift has always been reluctant to share much of her personal life with fans. During her six-year relationship with Joe Alywn, they were able to keep a low profile for as long as they could.
Why can’t people comprehend that this woman can have multiple relationships in her lifetime?
Her fans love to assume who she is with and how seriously involved she is with them, forgetting that these strangers are not entitled to know the ins and outs of her life and never will be.
Nobody should be concerned about who she is seeing or dating. She is allowed to live her life the way she wants to. How and when she (or anyone) gets to discuss their personal lives is up to them — not her nosy fans. Yes, she is a global superstar, but she is still a human being like the rest of us. How she is objectified just proves how much society enjoys invading and violating people’s privacy for their own amusement.
Swift has even repeatedly spoken out against the sexist discourse to Rolling Stone in 2014 surrounding her dating life.
She spoke about how difficult it is to have a relationship with the public watching and criticizing her every move. “I feel like watching my dating life has become a bit of a national pastime. And I’m not just comfortable providing that kind of entertainment anymore,” Swift said.
If that was a cue for fans to back off, they certainly didn’t take it. The attention surrounding her relationship status has only amplified.
This attention bled into her music career, which she has also expressed frustration with. When asked in 2015 why she “only writes songs about her ex-boyfriends,” Swift clapped back, saying, “Frankly, I think that’s a very sexist angle to take.”
“No one says that about Ed Sheeran. No one says that about Bruno Mars. They’re all writing songs about their exes, their current girlfriends, their love life, and nobody raises a flag there,” she said.
Since then, this media attention has not gone away, and Swift still has to deal with the public speculating about who she is dating. This time, the focus is on her and Kelce.
Supposed diehard fans who would do anything to be close to Swift continuously prove they are willing to violate her personal life for their amusement. This is not about who Kelce or Swift is dating. It’s about supposed “fans” asserting themselves into Swift’s life just to feel closer to her.
If they actually are dating, then good for them. But that does not give anyone the right to know the ins and outs of their relationship dynamic. They deserve to be happy without all the extra attention shoved in their faces.
I won’t speculate on her relationship status because, honestly, I don’t care. I believe more important and pressing stories deserve attention over this. But I cannot understand people poking and prying into her personal life when she owes nobody any details about her life.
How this is somehow the story of the year boggles my mind, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not worth caring about.