Valentine’s Day is here, and what better way to celebrate than with some love songs by Taylor Swift? From “Lover” to “Our Song,” she uses the art of music to show her love and appreciation to significant others. If you are not feeling the lovey-dovey vibes, perhaps you’d like some heartbreak anthems like “I Knew You Were Trouble” or “Picture to Burn.” The association between Swift and romantic songs has become an exhausted stereotype, however.
The media has long crafted their own version of Swift as a person gets caught up in her relationships, and even going as far as to label her a serial dater. Her discography is pushed behind the idea that she only writes about one topic, but this could not be further from the truth.
In Swift’s most recent album “Midnights,” she includes songs like “Anti-Hero” that are truly different from love songs. On an Instagram reel, she says the song describes her “struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person.” Her vulnerabilities come from more than epic love or tragic heartbreak; they also come from Swift’s inner voices.
Another example of a non-romance song is “Never Grow Up” from her 2010 album “Speak Now.” The song is about the fear of growing up. By using imagery of night-lights and a mother dropping off their child at the movies, the nostalgia and sadness of becoming older is encapsulated into a poignant song.
When the roles are reversed and male artists are in the mix, they do not get the same treatment as Swift. Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran are the two artists most frequently compared to Swift, as they both write intense love and break-up songs, but the stereotype put onto Swift as a “serial dater” is not applied to Mars and Sheeran. Of course, they also have other songs that are not related to romance, but overall they are not defined by or ridiculed for their more popular love songs.
The media has only helped and encouraged this behavior, as some continue on with their perspective of Swift being a serial dater. Some media outlets fail to cover both the fact that she is a woman who has feelings that are sometimes romantic, and that her boyfriends have not always been the best. It is normal to feel angry or sad after a relationship ends. She also has songs that reflect on her being the problem in the relationship, such as “Getaway Car” from “reputation” and “I Wish You Would” from “1989.” To be able to reflect on a personal wrong in a relationship as deeply as Swift does take incredible accountability.
Overall, Swift is much more than what the misogynistic stereotype she is portrayed as. She has written an array of songs with different themes and backstories.
On this Valentine’s Day, if you are in a relationship, play some of Swift’s love songs. If you just got out of a relationship, play some Taylor Swift breakup songs. In whatever relationship status you are in, there is a song by Swift that is perfect for you.
Do not let the baseless thought of Swift being a one-theme artist make you shy away from discovering a song that can fit into your life this Valentine’s Day.
