Sorrows of Songwriting: The Hyper-fixation on Associating Taylor Swift’s Work with Her Exes
Recent news reports that Taylor Swift had recently ended her short-lived romance with the 1975 frontman, Matty Healy. After her breakup with her longtime partner, Joe Alwyn, some fans and online spectators started to investigate which man the global superstar would date next.
However, other fans found it devastating that people immediately focused on Swift’s love life and perceive her once again as a “serial dater” after her six-year relationship ended. But why exactly do people choose to hyper-fixate on her relationships despite her success and creativity?
Swift has a history of dating men of a certain stature and often has written about her experiences dating these men. Because of these highly publicized relationships, people tend to associate her songs and even albums with each ex, which immediately returned during the release of her re-recorded albums. Variants of a meme with the Grim Reaper visiting each of her exes after a re-recorded album is released or announced constantly resurface on the internet.
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Although songs, much like any other art form, are open for interpretation, it is undeniably sexist to attribute Taylor’s work to her ex-boyfriends, especially because she writes about her lived experiences, feelings, and thoughts. Yes, her work is predominantly autobiographical but this is not an invitation for people to speculate about her personal life. With this, why should you attribute her work to these men?
However, there is one practice that hinders people from separating Swift from her art, and that is her parasocial relationship with her fans. Swift’s music is very relatable, specifically because she writes with a vivid, honest, and heartfelt storytelling voice. However, this “connection” is amplified by the Swiftie culture of easter eggs and secret sessions.
If you are unfamiliar with easter eggs, these are clues that Swift leaves behind on her promotional materials, music videos, albums, letters to fans, and even to her clothing that allude to release dates, track lists, or to reference her songs or experiences. On the other hand, secret sessions are gathering of selected fans in Swift’s home where they listen to and discuss her upcoming music.
These are efficient marketing tactics for Swift as it encourages fans to listen to or watch her work repeatedly and engages them to tell their thoughts to Swift. In return, Swift develops an innate understanding of her fans’ preferences. However, this continuous practice of analyzing easter eggs and the parasocial relationship has led fans to dissect even her intimate, personal experiences as well as her political affiliations.
In her 2020 documentary, Miss Americana, Swift pledges to be more vocal about her political beliefs, especially concerning women’s rights and LGBTQIA+ rights, among others. This is why her fans took it upon themselves to call out the musician when news broke out that she was dating Matty Healy.
Initially, some fans were against Matty, pointing out his physical appearance and addiction. However, fans were more disappointed with her because of Healy’s controversies, leading them to trend #SpeakUpNow on Twitter. While they do have the right to be enraged by Healy’s actions, they have to understand Swift’s choice to associate herself with him is not something they can control. Sure, it is disappointing, but fans should not find this surprising. While it is true that she promised to be more politically active, Swift’s performative activism and white feminist tendencies, which she is continuously criticized for, could be interpreted as what it is: a marketing tactic so she can be on the right side of history.
This, however, does not mean that we should be blaming Swift or her fans for this parasocial relationship. Despite genuinely admiring one another, this has fostered fans and other spectators to believe that they understand and know Swift intimately. Consequently, it is necessary to distance the art from the artist, especially if it fosters an idealized connection. Although it is vital to recognize Taylor Swift as a person who deserves to be respected, we also have to acknowledge that she is a public figure with a brand to maintain. At the end of the day, we can still admire and support Swift without having to speculate on her personal life.
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The post <b>Sorrows of Songwriting: The Hyper-fixation on Associating Taylor Swift’s Work with Her Exes</b> appeared first on WE THE PVBLIC.
Source: we the pvblic
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