Taylor Swift’s 1989 album doesn’t come out officially until this week, but over the weekend, most of the album leaked online and many music critics rushed to publish pieces about the album. For what it’s worth, most music critics like the album and think that Swifty has another major hit on her hands. There’s also some analysis about which lyrics are about which boys, because of course.
Taylor’s whole shtick during this promotional tour has been “I’m taking a break from dating, I love my independence.” We’ve heard versions of that in nearly every Swifty interview. Which is fine. That’s her deal this year and I actually prefer that version of Swifty as opposed to “I’m in love with love, I’m boy-crazy and dating a guy still in high school.” Swifty did tell The Sun last week that she hasn’t dated a guy in 18 months. As in, she hasn’t even gone on a date in 18 months. That sounds… true. Or true-ish. Here are some quotes from Swifty’s exclusive interview with The Sun:
Why she hasn’t been dating: “I get stressed when I think about getting into a relationship because I get beat up in the press whenever I go near a boy. So you can understand why I’m taking a bit of a break. A relationship is not in my brain right now…It’s been seen as a scandal when I date a boy yet dating people is a normal thing for a twentysomething to do. But it has been treated as if I have some sort of problem.’
Writing the lyric ‘Boys only want love if it’s torture.’: “I was thinking about this – boys only want love if it’s torture and a constant chase. Men want love if it’s real, right, healthy and consistent. Any girl who’s really thought a lot about romance and relationships and break-ups has determined that the male species has divided into two groups – and it’s boys and men. You can have a 40 year old boy and a 20 year old man – it depends on their emotional DNA.”
Love in her life: “I have so much love in my life without having a love affair in my life. I think it’s important to find romance and magic in your life without there being a relationship that constitutes that.”
I like what she has to say about boys and men. It’s not, like, the most profound thing ever, but it’s good that she’s learning from past relationship mistakes and trying to figure it out. The problem is that Swifty has always liked boys, not men. Men who are emotionally mature, who are looking for a real relationship with an accomplished woman, will they really want to get involved with Swifty and her middle school drama? I’m not throwing shade, I’m really trying to understand. One of her last boyfriends was still in high school, I’m just saying. She had to sign Conor Kennedy out of prep school so they could go on dates.
Photos of Swifty performing at the Hollywood Bowl over the weekend, courtesy of WENN.
I think it’s telling she makes a distinction between men and boys and refers to herself as a girl and not a woman
I noted that too — I am hoping that in her new “girl power” phase, she’ll start referring to herself as a woman.
Well, she’s still marketing to “girls” who like “boys” so she’ll probably be referring to herself as a girl for awhile.
She utters “any girl” (presumably referring to her thoughtful self) and then splits males into the categories of boys and men.
Word up girly girl girlfriend.
Those photos look like cheerleader dance moves. She sure is slim, wonder if that’s natural or extreme dieting.
Word on the street is that she’s keeping her love of nose candy on the DL…
Do you think she does little kitty bumps or full on panther rails?
Really?? That can’t be true… I just don’t see it. Plus, don’t most people get the ‘coke bloat’? That is bloating of the face, right?
Coke bloat is some bs term that Michael K or somebody came up with, and for some reason it stuck. Look at all the famous coke heads out there, Kate Moss for example. Has she ever looked bloated to you? I’m in no way defending Swifty, because I neither know or care if she does blow, but I come from a multiple- generation-cocaine-using-family, and there is no such thing as coke bloat. Unless you drink a shit load of vodka at the same time. 😉
I’m sure if she is coking, they are tiny, geometrically arranged doses in lovely, mini-mason jars with gingham ribbons. But I really think that ever since the VS diss, girlie has been dieting and exercising to extremes. Not to mention adopting Kloss as her bestie. Hopefully, the nest guy she dates will be at least her age.
It wouldn’t surprise me. I’ve read on some sites that it’s pretty much a given for anybody in Hollywood culture to do it at some point. It’s the ones who have addictive personalities that wind up with a problem.
That’s probably just her build.
Have you seen her mother? I don’t think it is her natural build.
@Steph You can’t judge a woman’s weight based on her mother alone. My mother has been overweight my entire life, but I never have been. My face resembles my mother’s but I am shaped more like people on my father’s side of the family. I think that Taylor is naturally slender but that she likely diets/exercises to be as slim as she is now. She didn’t used to be this skinny. Also, when you have a parent with a weight problem sometimes you go the opposite direction, similar to the child of an alcoholic parent who abstains from drinking.
I’m not sure this emotionally stunted ‘girl’ should be telling everyone else ‘how it is’ about dating boys or men
Honestly. She needs to take her own advice before giving advice to others.
No, boys or men will go for a relationship if they want one. Plenty of teenagers got into year-long relationships and only breaking up when uni is around the door or after 1st year uni. Adult men are the same, if a relationship is on their brain they will date around until they’ve met somebody suitable. I would say this is not a gender specific trait either. If you’re in Love, you’re in fucking love and you’ll go for it.
Dating is normal and healthy and awesome, it can help you figure out what you want and what your standards/expectations are. And Tswift is figuring out some patterns (finally) so it’s paying off 🙂
I would understand what she means about staying away from boys because the press will hound her… if it weren’t for the fact that she staged photo-ops with all of them. Someone with her resources could be in a year-long monogamous relationship without a single pap picture of it, but she’s the type of girl who wants to declare her love to the world, and maybe she needs to work on *that* instead.
Or maybe she is. Maybe she’s fooling us all and she’s actually learned how to keep her romantic life to herself.
I don’t wanna sound sex-crazy but… damn, 18 months is too long for not dating at all. Maybe she is into one night stands though.
As for boys and men divide, pfttt! Maybe if she refered herself as a woman, she would be able to find a man.
LOL!
If you think 18months is too long… I haven’t been on a single date in 4 years!
I enjoy being single though and I totally understand her when she says, “I have so much love in my life without having a love affair in my life.”.
A lot of my friends don’t understand that and keep pestering me to date anyone because I am apparently in a ‘rut’.
C’est la vie!
Haha, “too long” is subjective. I totally understand her and you in that way. I have never been in love all my life so sex is all i get :). But i should take Swifty’s advice and connect with my emotional DNA to stop using boys, men whatever for sex.
Omg. I’m so tired of her pr talking points. Like if she repeats it enough it will be true. No. Not buying what she’s selling on her image overhaul.
She seems like a genuine lollipops and sunshine girl….which phase she should have left about ten years ago. She is a woman and defines herself as a girl which says a lot about her. Her music isn’t on my playlist, but I’m sure she does entertain her fans. Almost all of her predecessors have said the same thing in different words about the intrusive eye of the public on their romances. And…and the response is always the same, this is the business you chose and prayed and longed to be in…so learn to live with it.
I don’t like Tay-Tay, but it took me forever to find this out about boys/men. Wish I had known it at her age. I don’t mind her as a role model right now.
She has history of relationships with at least seven men/boys I’m aware of, two of which are rather notorious for their privates lives, John and Jake. Is this what you consider a good role model. She’s doing the same thing the other girls/women are, but she likes kittens and talks very sugar coated and fools all the moms out there worrying about Rihanna.
So, why Taylor do you keep choosing “boys”? What’s in your DNA that makes you keep picking the same partners for the same dysfunctional dance? It takes two you know?
Emotional DNA?! * eye roll*
I’ve been thinking about some of the hate she gets about her real life romances. At the end of the day I just don’t really care. I’m too old and disinterested to know enough about whom she dates to care that she writes songs about them. As long as she is doing her job, which is to produce catchy music, that is all that matters. I know she isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I admit to enjoying some of her songs. I take it for what it is and don’t pretend that she isn’t a horrible live singer. She is a pop star of our era which means that she doesn’t need to have a voice or even dance moves to produce a successful and catchy album. Swift doesn’t have the in your face sex appeal that Britney had, and that works for Swift in a sea of overly sexualised pop stars like Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, and Rihanna. I found her somewhat annoying a few years ago but I think she has grown on me as well. She isn’t a good singer but her songs are decent, catchy, and she has always been nice to her fans.
She’s horrible live. Apparently she was let go from Les Miserables because she couldn’t sing. And her mic feed/isolated vocals from the VMA’s was horrendous. Compared to Beyoncé’s who was singing and dancing throughout and had amazing vocals.
That said, I do enjoy her new album. It makes me want to listen to her other ones. I don’t think she’s anything special but neither are the other current popstars and Swift makes equally (if not more) enjoyable music.
She does stand out, she’s a ‘classic’ type of girl like Adele instead of a sex symbol. And it sells.
Honestly, the only one that really makes my eyes roll is John Mayer, and that’s because he already had quite a reputation for being a douche before she pursued him. Otherwise, she may have dated boys…but that’s because she was a GIRL. Twenty-four is still pretty young, and I can’t claim that I was all that much wiser at that age. Most of us make stupid romantic decisions in our younger years. The way to adulthood is learning from those mistakes instead of choosing to repeat them.
As for her…she’s actually growing on me more these days. Couldn’t stand her until fairly recently, but this “bolder” iteration of her that isn’t playing the sweetheart game and owning her power as a pop star is a lot more palatable.
I get that she wants to move away from her media image of boy crazy but these interviews aren’t helping. She’s still talking about boys and relationships. Get some new material. Also, I actually don’t want to hear “advice” from a girl who has written multiple songs over the love of a two month “relationship”, which seems to be the longest one she’s had. Which is fine, I’m not making fun of her for that, but maybe she should stop giving advice.
And there go my hopes about a Taylor-Karlie Kloss pairing. *sigh*
To be fair, for her video of Never Getting Back Together, I thought she as coming out as a furry. Clearly, I have no talent in reading Miss Swizzle.
I’m torn on the “media coverage of relationships” debate. I mean on one hand, I totally see it and my relationship (and my self esteem) would probably quickly crumble from the heat. On the other hand, look at the accomplished celebrities out there that don’t get photographed unless they choose to (Beyoncé, Tom Cruise, Brangelina to name a few), can fly under the radar and (not coincidentally) choose more behind-the-scenes dating locations and relationships in general. Just a thought. I would think Taylor’s level of success and fame (read finances!) would allow her that luxury.
She only dated one boy and he’s John Mayer. Anyway, Tay-tay is beginning to grow on me. She’s never ever going away (like never eVer) so might as well enjoy her antics.
I DOUBT she’s doing coke…she is still YOUNG. She is VERY tall and (like me) probably won’t get much of any curves until around 30. SOME women (girls…whatever), are just built that way (and then they’re teased for not having boobs).
I didn’t read her article, but I am can relate- most men ARE boys and want only bitchy women, a chase and uncertainty. The good men out there with level heads are VERY hard to find. It’s hard for single (GALS) nowadays.
i LOVE reading the pressed taylor comments as she continues to elevate her career to new heights. This album is the most critically acclaimed of her career, and instead of focusing on her professional achievements, people here are focusing on petty personal crap to bring her down.
Well, to be fair she keeps talking about her personal life, so why can’t others?
Well, certainly she should know, after all.
I don’t know why everyone is so hard on her?
I think Taylor Swift is an enormously kind-hearted person. Do you see how much she does for charity? She is constantly visiting hospital wards and singing to patients in her off-hours. She writes back to fans struggling with bullying and writes them a long letter to cheer them up. She’ll pull over in her car if she sees a fan wearing a Taylor Swift shirt, tap them on the shoulder and introduce herself. What celebrities do these things nowadays?
She is a person who tries so hard to stay normal in a warped industry and she tries to be a bright light in the world.
Who doesn’t have problems with men?? That makes her just like everyone else.
She is a sweetheart!
These are the little one liners Tay Tay puts in her songs and you have to pick them out and I think these are official, but can we please take a look.
“Welcome to New York”: We begin our story in New York. “Blank Space”: There once was a girl known by everyone and no one. “Style”: Her heart belonged to someone who couldn’t stay. “Out of the Woods”: They loved each other recklessly. “All You Had to Do Was Stay”: They paid the price. “Shake It Off”: She danced to forget him. “I Wish You Would”: He drove past her street each night. “Bad Blood”: She made friends and enemies. “Wildest Dreams”: He only saw her in his dreams. “How You Get the Girl”: Then one day he came back. “This Love”: Timing is a funny thing. “I Know Places”: And everyone was watching. “Clean”: She lost him but she found herself and somehow that was everything.
Is this entire album about a dude, except those 3 songs, one of which is a diss directed at another woman? What happened to “there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t support other women”, Swifty? Why isn’t she playing the bigger person? I heard the entire thing, loved 3 songs, but I was all hyped up for Swifty to write about ditching boys and not needing anyone but herself and drinking wine in her living room, not about how “They loved each other recklessly [in that 2 month period].” The Shake It Off one was the most disappointing, I mean: “She danced to forget him.” Why?
And I’m not trying to slut shame her or belittle her, but I was so disappointed. Because this was supposed to be a lady-power anthem type of album, which everyone made it out to be, but in reality it was an ode to Harry Styles and his pretty hair. And that’s okay and everything but… I really liked her and this is exactly like her last album just less Jake Gyllenhaal-y and more “I hang out with cool edgy indie kids like Lorde now”.
And I love her comments in this article, but why preach one thing and act on another? God.
What kind of guys is she dating? Oh wait…
Yeah, so Tay Tay, the thing is, you’re wrong. You’re making a very broad generalization based on your narrow experience with a certain type of boy. There are boys and men who want and pursue committed relationships. But I suspect you are not interested in these types of men. You already have a type. They’re called ‘players.’ And although some of them have LTRs, you probably won’t put up with their shenanigans and rightly so. So hang in there. Don’t rush it. Stay interested in your own life and growth. Watch the guys on the perimeter. The ones who aren’t charming and practiced with a line. If you want it, trust me, it’ll happen.