your future is me

let's talk about (sigh) swifties

Back when Taylor Swift was still dating Joe Alwyn there was this story that circulated online that, as far as I can tell, has no source at all. Meaning either that somebody just made it up or she said it in a secret session¹ and it’s circulated ever since in a game of telephone. It went like this: toward the beginning of their relationship she tried to break up with him out of anxiety or self-loathing and he said “no.” For whatever reason people viewed this as the most romantic story ever. Get yourself a boyfriend who says “no” when you try to break up with him, ladies! Don’t settle for anything less.

That used to be the big narrative about Joe: that he was secure, grounding, private, steadfast, and so on. As Taylor sang in “invisible string,” he “wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire / chains around my demons, wool to brave the seasons.” Now the big narrative about Joe is that he was insecure and resented Taylor’s success and kept her from sparkling. Now it’s all about Travis …