Taylor Swift engagement - puzzled

[LouisaJG]

I’m in my 30s and so unreasonable to be posting/caring about this on every level. BUT. I didn’t see a post. So…

AIBU to be puzzled that the man Taylor Swift has finally decided to settle down with is so different to the type she has seemed to date pretty consistently through her 20s and 30s up to then? She seemed so keen on soft, arty, mainly British boys - and now she’s gone for the direct opposite. Is it because her previous long relationship with a soft, arty British boy (Joe Alwyn) didn’t go the distance and so she decided she really needed to change her type if she wanted marriage and kids? Is it a fairly cynical marketing reaction to the current political situation in the States (no idea if TK is actually a Republican but he looks like someone who could appeal to Republicans, very much unlike Joe Alwyn)? Is it just a return to her American, country roots? What gives? I’m her age and I just can’t imagine my tastes changing as dramatically as that.

We used to like the same type of man, and now I feel like I don’t know her any more (I know, I know, I know) 🤣

So I can kinda see what your seeing.i was that girl singing Taylor songs into my hairbrush I followed who she was dateing we where with her in darkest moments and the same for her even though she wasn’t actually there so i think we all feel a bit protective of her.but also i think a lot of have grown with her music she would sing of the boy and girl sneaking out but now she sings of not hiding.if you look back and when she was with Joe we didn’t see her for years she was never out and when she was she was running to cars as like she was scared to be seen with her where with Travis she will walk slow chat to fans let pics be taken she’s very chilled and it makes me so happy to see her happy and even though he doesn’t fit what she would go for.shes being looked after so well by him.shes marrying the boy on the football team!if you haven’t watch the podcast that travis and his brother are on she was on there the other day and you see her shining and so so happy!sorry to post such a long one!

Yeah, she's a nobody and her songs are AI.

😂

The vast majority of posters on mumsnet are female so I'm gonna assume you are too. How bad does your internalised misogyny have to be for you to assume that a songwriter is 'cheating' at her craft just because she's blonde? American? Pretty? Female?

Hey everyone, Damon Albarn's arrived!

She's been performing for 20 years.
And writing songs long before AI existed.

@mumsnet BRING BACK THE LAUGH EMOJI

last year he signed a 34 million for 2 yrs tv shows , clubs
hes 94 mil now in the bank

As if she isn't worth more!
Hope you aren't suggesting she's motivated by money.

I bet Blake Lively’s gutted her kids aren’t going to be flower girls.

"So many" - 11 albums over 20 years?

Anyone who has doubts over this relationship needs to watch the podcast. They are clearly very happy and mad about each other. Travis did something she has been wanting for a long time- he made it very clear her was interested publicly and romantically and wooed her. Taylor was encouraged to meet him by mutual friends as he is considered to be a genuine good guy.
He is not intimidated by her success - in fact he’s in awe of it and has huge admiration for her. He’s made that very clear. He’s confident enough to put her on a pedestal and shout his feelings from the rooftop. That’s incredibly attractive. They have incredibly similar values and are very family orientated. His brother is also lovely and that shines through on their podcast.
Travis Kelce and his family are not republicans and are very left leaning. His sister in law Kylie has been very clear about her support for the democrats.
I find the negative comments about her sad but I do get it to an extent. Before my daughters became swifties, I knew little about her and had only heard songs like “Shake it Off” and “Love Story” and believed the media narrative of airhead serial dater with vacuous music. She is constantly slagged off and belittled and not given the credit for what an astute businesswoman and gifted songwriter she is. Well- I’m very glad to have had a chance to change my mind. From buying tickets to the ERAS tour for my daughters to now, my perception has totally changed. Firstly, I actually listened to her music - especially the lyrics and realised what an incredible talent she is. From songs like “Bigger than the whole sky” which is a must listen for any woman who has suffered a miscarriage or a loss to “The smallest man who ever lived” for anyone who has had their heart broken by an arsehole and a plethora of incredible songs - especially lyrically- in between that are so relatable. They certainly aren’t all about men or break ups. There is a reason people study her lyrics in universities now. TTPD is just incredible. Next, I started to pay more attention to her as a person and realised what a genuinely decent human being she is. She is kind and thoughtful and really values her fans. Yes she is a PR expert and a very smart business woman but she’s also just a nice person. She does huge amounts for charity and the big indicator for me is how she treats her staff from the bottom of the ladder up. Just look at the huge bonuses she paid the truck drivers on her tour. Yes she can afford it- but she still did it. The reason her fans are so loyal and supportive of her is because they know all of this. It’s not some deluded “she can do no wrong” cult- it’s evidence based admiration. I’m delighted this is who my girls have as a role model and think she deserves this happiness. I knew some of her songs before the ERAS tour concert and had started to like her music but came away blown away and a huge fan. It is the most incredible concert I have ever seen and I doubt it will ever be beaten. Three and a half hours of full in performance and great vocals. She trained for it by singing the full setlist whilst running on a treadmill every day for months. Apart from Vienna, she didn’t cancel a single show even when sick and managed to write a new album at the same time. That’s just unbelievable.
I would urge people to watch the New Heights Podcast with her and see how it changes your perception. I guarantee you will come away interested in her music and liking her (and Travis) as a person. Jason Kelce did a superb job interviewing them and I hope he gets an opportunity to use his natural talent at this elsewhere.
So sorry it’s long, but I’m really glad I got a second chance to become a fan thanks to my daughters, who were determined to make me get it and succeeded pretty easily once I actually gave her a chance and kept an open mind.

The previous flings (not Joe I don't think) were probably PR arrangements/contract type things to raise the profile of both parties at exactly the right time.

Could not love your post more!!!

I was pretty much the same as you, got tickets for the tour for my kids and thought I better start listening to more of her music! Am now a bigger fan than them. Everything you have said I agree wholeheartedly with.

And she announced the name of her new album

My two pence worth is Travis impressed her with how open he was about liking her with the whole friendship bracelet thing, she’s thought ok I’ll give this guy a chance - I can lean into the whole American Dream thing of the beautiful prom queen type and the footballer … and it’s just worked! Travis is the absolute poster child for shooting your shot now!! I bet he can’t believe his luck.

I love it when a married couple is committed, and fights wars within themselves to please the other person. Marriage is a long distance run with slow efforts. It should be enjoyed and valued. I value it.

She doesn’t need the publicity to
make her album a success. She has 282 million followers on Instagram. She could release an album of her singing nursery rhymes and it would sell massively.

Haven't read the full thread but I agree that this is a bit of departure from Calvin Harris, Harry 1D, that Loki guy and Joe Alwin , plus Travis dated black girls before. They have both switched it up.

@LouisaJG LouisaJG...

Darling...your very first sentence says it all. Let's grow up and move on from fantasy talk about the starlets, shall we? We are much bigger than this low stoop you seem to have taken. Moving right along...

I mentioned PR before, and I think it's quite possibly a blend of the two. Some showmances, but also real relationships leveraged for PR.

Two things I think are quite telling are that:

1. Re: Tom Hiddlestone - there was some PR pushback from her about the public show being not for her/she preferred privacy and Tom was pushing it in the spotlight. But a contradictory message about Joe Alwyn being "too private", and now Kelce is public and that's good again.
2. Calvin Harris tweeted about her wanting to "bury Katy" (Perry). I'd wager that she's very ambitious and yes, strategically worked towards this demigoddess status.

This is not to say that she isn't a credible artist with great talent who has been in and is in a genuine relationship.

It's merely pointing out that you simply don't turn into a billion dollar pop juggernaut without very careful PR management. She's done a great job. But it that's not mutually exclusive with having carefully presented her personal life. And it clearly works really well because a lot of people think they personally know her based on the exact narrative she's presented.

I agree with all this.

And I like Taylor (I'm a fan) and believe that this relationship is genuine and they really love eachother. That said there will still be an element of manipulation of the press and well timed delivery to maximise the impact of any announcements etc. They will have a whole team around them timetabling everything I'm sure.

What a strange response. The very little I know about her includes the fact that her dating in the past did not work out? It was not successful. Didn't she write numerous songs about what arseholes her past boyfriends turned out to be? It seems she had many dating tragedies with her normal type.

If something is not working, switch it up.

Or maybe she just grew up and was ready to settle down?

Either way, its weird that people who don't know her are puzzling this out as if she's their best mate or sister.

I'm not a fan, but I'm also not not a fan - very interested in the phenomenon!

The one thing I'd say I ever disliked about Taylor was the "girl gang" time, when she surrounded herself with thin, perfect, blond, famous models, and when people pointed out this, she added Lena Dunham.

The PR work on that was shite.

I agree, that was super toxic, and I think even TS has acknowledged this now.

I agree.

Although she was a bridesmaid at Lena Dunham’s wedding, so I do think they were/are actual proper friends, rather than just scouting round for the nearest non-model she could find. “You are in Love” is about Lena Dunham and Jack Antonoff.

She's not a "starlet" she has made it.