Sad news for Gaylors. In the epic prologue for the re-released version of Taylor Swift‘s 1989 album, Swift addresses the rumors surrounding her close female friendships, and says she had no idea such friendships could be seen as romantic.
In the prologue, Swift beautifully writes about “reinventing” herself for the groundbreaking album that was seen as her official cross over from country to pop. She also discusses the slut shaming and scrutiny she has faced her entire career, and explains why she was shocked to hear that dating rumors could cross over to her female relationships. She writes,
“It became clear to me that for me there was no such thing as casual dating, or even having a male friend who you platonically hang out with. If I was seen with him, it was assumed I was sleeping with him. And so I swore off hanging out with guys, dating, flirting or anything that could be weaponized against me by a culture that claimed to believe in liberating women but consistently treated me with the harsh moral codes of the Victorian Era.
Being a consummate optimist, I assumed I could fix this if I simply changed my behavior. I swore off dating and decided to focus only on myself, my music, my growth, and my female friendships. If I only hung out with my female friends, people couldn’t sensationalize or sexualize that — right? I would learn later on that people could and people would.”
This doesn’t exactly bode well for us gays who feverishly obsessed over Swift’s queerness, analyzing lyrics for clues and sensationalizing what Swift says were platonic friendships she intentionally sought to avoid rumors. It seems as though Ms. Swift just wanted to be left alone from the rumors and sexualization, but didn’t realize that they could carry right on over into her relationships with women. (I mean, can you blame us? I still maintain that Dress is the gayest song I have ever heard in my life.)
But now, Queen Swift has spoken directly on the subject, and we should let the speculation go. It’s clear she is over the public’s obsession with her relationship’s and sexuality, so it’s high time we just focus on her artistry. After all, she is a poet above all else.
