America’s own royal wedding is underway! Yesterday afternoon, Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce took to Instagram to announce their engagement in a joint post. Travis popped the question in a rose garden with a customized Kindred Lubick 8-carat diamond cut ring, featuring an 18-karat gold band and embellishments. Unsurprisingly, the news broke the internet in a matter of minutes, with the post garnering over 5 million likes within an hour. It’s a love story, and Taylor said yes. But for non-Swifties wondering what the big damn deal is, let’s break it down.
For the early part of her career, with the release of songs such as “Picture to Burn,” “The Story of Us,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and “All Too Well,” Taylor Swift was often portrayed as the girl who couldn’t shut up about heartbreak. She even found herself the butt of the jokes on Family Guy for this reason, with one episode featuring Swifties turning on her when she got into a relationship with Chris. The heart of the matter, though, is that beneath the aching of the chairman, she vowed in White Horse;
“I’m gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well. This is a big world, and that was a small town. They’re in my rear view mirror disappearing now”
These lyrics are evidence of why her music resonates with so many, because after a breakup, one can’t help but try to move past it by believing something better will inevitably come along. The universe doesn’t take without giving. Deep down, she never lost hope that she’d find her prince. For many young women my age, we were raised on Taylor Swift and quickly discovered that she has a song for everything. Heartache, anger, the reality of growing up, dealing with change, moments of feeling ourselves, dreaming big, and yes, haters, being in love. Each era made a distinct formative impact, especially as she transitioned from country to pop and was unafraid to experiment with her sound over time. The release of folklore and the chronology of the Betty, James, August triangle solidified her identity as a storyteller, which is what ultimately got my father on board after my nearly decade-long attempt to get him to love her music as much as I do. Concerning her love life, B.T. (before Travis), Taylor has been through the ringer with boys, having suffered toxic situationships, ill-fated age gap relationships, and copious misogyny. Sound familiar? Women in particular found solace in her music for a reason; primarily, the knowledge that they weren’t alone. Her most recent release, The Tortured Poets Department, is emblematic of her phoenix-esque rise from the ashes. She deals with the devastating impact of her breakup with Joe Alwyn after being together for six years and dives into her mental health struggles. Moreover, she also details her romance with Travis. After all, the two captioned the post ‘Your English teacher and gym teacher are getting married’.
Little did she know the love of her life was in that crowd. Image via Evelyn Young.
Image via @taylorswift and @killatrav on Instagram
Her story is proof that rainbows do come after the darkest storms. In her recent appearance on New Heights, she said quite plainly, regarding her relationship with Travis, “This is the stuff that I’ve been writing songs about since I was a teenager.” Many Swifties remarked that they had rarely seen her speak so candidly. Seeing her with someone whom she’s able to be herself and who doesn’t dim her light; if anything, it’s the opposite with Trav – it’s a breath of fresh air. As if his surprise appearance at Wembley Stadium wasn’t evidence enough that they were endgame, the way he looked at throughout the episode screams, I have the ring in my pocket. Then there’s Jason, being well, all of us when she announced The Life of a Showgirl.
Image via People Magazine & NBC News
In conclusion, for those of us waiting for a Travis Kelce of our own, seeing Taylor at last find perfect happiness gives us hope that true love is within reach. It’s just a matter of time.
Feature image via @taylorswift and @killatrav on Instagram.
About Evelyn Young
Evelyn is a senior from the Chicago area majoring in Digital Media Practices and Jewish Studies with a minor in French. This past summer, she studied creative writing in Paris. Evelyn has held a variety of positions within the Crescent and is incredibly excited to begin her role as Senior Editor. After graduating from Tulane, she hopes to move to Los Angeles to pursue her film career.
Evelyn is a senior from the Chicago area majoring in Digital Media Practices and Jewish Studies with a minor in French. This past summer, she studied creative writing in Paris. Evelyn has held a variety of positions within the Crescent and is incredibly excited to begin her role as Senior Editor. After graduating from Tulane, she hopes to move to Los Angeles to pursue her film career.
