Posted on 05/15/2024 4:46:42 AM PDT by Cronos
On April 19, Taylor Swift unleashed her highly anticipated eleventh studio album, entitled The Tortured Poets Department. Within twelve hours, it was the first album in Spotify history to achieve 300M streams in a single day.
From a postmodern worldview, it would be difficult to find someone who more perfectly represents the culmination of the feminist movement than this self-made billionaire. She has masterminded a successful sound, and her increasingly loyal fan base has the potential to sway an upcoming presidential election.
Despite her accolades at the pinnacle of worldly success, Swift’s new album unveils a raw, angry woman grappling with her own emptiness. Swift’s power has always been in her willingness to tell her own story. In Tortured Poets, she is at her most vulnerable. Here we find her slightly unhinged, raging at the world that has placed her on this pedestal. Reflecting on her “Eras” tour, an international phenomenon so successful that it catapulted her to billionaire status, she sings, “You know you’re good when you can even do it with a broken heart . . . and I’m good ’cause I’m miserable! And nobody even knows!”
A consistent theme through all eleven of Swift’s critically acclaimed albums is the craving for marriage, family, and unconditional love. As time slips away and her success has intensified, that desire has grown from the fantasy of a twenty-two-year-old singing, “We could get married, have ten kids and teach them all how to dream” to a point of painful desperation twelve years later: “You swore you loved me, but where were the clues? I died on the altar waiting for proof.” In the emptiness of her own success, Swift seems to have discovered the truth that Pope Francis articulated in Evangelii Gaudium: “Our infinite sadness can be cured only by an infinite love” (265).
This core reality of human existence is hardly a new discovery among the rich and famous. The Beatles famously sang, “Don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy you love,” and Tom Brady, possibly the most successful quarterback of all time, expressed it in his haunting 2005 interview with 60 Minutes: “It’s gotta be more than this. This can’t be all it’s cracked up to be. I’ve done it. I’m twenty-seven, and what else is there for me?” In her own documentary, Ms. Americana and the Heartbreak Prince, Swift openly discusses her loneliness as she reflects that she has achieved everything she has ever wanted but has no one to call and celebrate with.
What makes Taylor Swift unique? Why, if so many instinctively understand this core truth, do thousands of people spend thousands of dollars in adoration of this particular celebrity?
I think there are a few reasons. One of them is that Swift has a brilliant mind for marketing herself, but beyond that, it’s that she has been sharing the intimate details of her journey with her fans for over fifteen years. As Taylor has experienced coming of age, love, freedom and heartbreak, so have we. As Taylor has achieved international recognition and subsequent disillusionment, we grapple with our own disillusionment. She is the voice of a generation (actually a few generations at this point) because her lyrics speak openly about the darkness and cravings that people face in their daily life.
I, a thirty-three-year-old woman (Swift is thirty-four), have followed her career for many years. However, as time has passed and our lives have gone in wildly different directions (no screaming fans here—just four screaming kids), my fascination with Swift’s music has taken a turn from relatability to feeling as though it’s a book that I can’t put down. Tortured Poets is not my favorite album and pretty obviously isn’t her best work, but it is striking in its rawness. At one point, Swift sings, “Is it a wonder I broke? . . . I was tame, I was gentle till the circus life made me mean,” and later in the same song, “I want to snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me.” Among other things, Swift compares herself to an albatross, a deranged weirdo, a modern idiot, a doll on a string, a petulant teenager, the victim of a conman, and a wrecked Aston Martin. She talks about drinking alone with a ghost, needing a priest to exorcise her demons, and being raised in an asylum. Through all this pain and brokenness runs the consistent deep longing to be loved and live the simple life of marriage and motherhood: “Talking rings and talking cradles. I wish I could unrecall how we almost had it all.”
Taylor Swift is celebrated as the ultimate feminist, the It Girl whom every girl can look up to. Ironically, this woman, who could be seen as the antithesis of the Christian life, is desperately telling the world that all her success is empty, and what she wants is to be loved by a man and have his children.
In her previous album, Midnights, Swift sings, “It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero.” I’m rooting for you, Taylor. In my quiet home with my happy children and loving husband and little flock of ducks, I’m rooting for you to become a different kind of anti-hero—the kind that’s just a happy wife and mother, whom the world rolls its eyes at, wondering why she threw her life away.
I’m not a fan although Taylor Swift is clearly a highly successful entertainer. I pray that her personal awakening continues and that she is able to apply her abilities (and her vast amount of money) to achieve what is deep-down important to her. That is, I wish her well.
Of course they need the angry woman to support their liberal ideology. One only needs to look at the trajectory of America since the passing of the 19th Amendment to know what America is really up against.
In the Garden of Eden, it was Man who was given dominion. Now, with substantially more voting numbers, women have dominion and governments understand this very well.
She’s a singer, right?
She writes love songs for/about herself. Textbook narcissism.
Everyone who ever has or will have anything to do with her must always lose so she can win. That is what her breakup songs are, a celebration in the end zone.
Taylor, she is just another woman whose every relationship is a failed fantasy. Her music is simple, the lyrics repeat song after song her prenuptial state of failures and heartbreak. The total opposit of Ann Landers.
WHO?
She writes love songs for/about herself. Textbook narcissism.
She’s written hundreds of songs about bad choices in men, bad relationships with men, but not a single song about making him a sammich and bringing him a beer.
Coincidence?
She always seemed weird and freaky to me. And not too bright. I’ve never listened to her sing so I have no idea if she’s any good or not.
Fame and looks depreciate. Shell meet the same fate as all the rest of the aging feminist celebrities.
Her fanbase will consist of aging queens, just like Cher and Madonna.
Here are some things that might help:
Self-Reflection and Healing: Swift could embark on a journey of self-reflection and healing to understand the root causes of her pain and brokenness. This could involve exploring her past experiences, emotions, and beliefs to gain insight into her own psyche and identify areas that require healing and growth.
Seeking Professional Support: Engaging the assistance of a skilled therapist or counselor could provide Swift with a safe and supportive environment to process her emotions and work through her pain. A professional could guide her in developing coping strategies and tools to manage her emotional turmoil effectively.
Embracing Vulnerability: Swift's longing for love and stability suggests a deep desire for emotional connection. By embracing vulnerability, she can open herself up to authentic and meaningful relationships. This involves allowing herself to be seen, understood, and accepted for who she truly is.
Building a Supportive Network: Surrounding herself with a supportive network of friends, family, and loved ones can provide Swift with the love and stability she seeks.
Cultivating relationships based on trust, empathy, and understanding can help her navigate her emotional journey. Setting Boundaries: Swift could benefit from setting healthy boundaries to protect her emotional well-being. This involves recognizing her own limits and communicating her needs and limits to others in a clear and assertive manner.
Engaging in Self-Care: Prioritizing self-care activities such as practicing mindfulness, engaging in hobbies, and taking care of her physical health can contribute to Swift's overall well-being and help alleviate emotional turmoil.
Hence my name for Taylor Swift: The Older Sister Complaint Department
Money can buy you cleavage.
Tortured?
I bet she’s never even had her [XXXXXXX] twisted real good.
Check
+2
Ahh the suffering femme artiste brought to you now with even more estrogen.
You never suggested getting right with God.
Anyway what you suggest would certainly distance her from her fans, and perhaps also her current vast network of friends, family, and loved ones who are with her at all times, supporting her all the way. Perhaps you could read the article again as you missed the point. Like so many others who are in the "therapy" business, you must beware lest you become more concerned with your pre-packaged proposals than really listening.
I think Kelce is nothing but a publicity stunt. It may take him a couple of years to figure it out.
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