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redpaintedgolden · 2 years

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Refuting the “Private” Narrative of Taylor and Joe (from reddit/r/gaylorswift)

found this fantastic post on reddit. give it an upvote of you have the chance

(Source)

“One of the most common excuses rolled out to explain Taylor and Joe’s strange relationship is that they are a “private” couple. It is a narrative that both Taylor and Joe encourage: Joe recently told a Guardian interviewer that “If you and I were having a conversation, and having a shandy in my house, and it wasn’t being recorded, then, of course, other things would be said” and directly echoes what Taylor told the paper in 2019 (“If you and I were having a glass of wine right now, we’d be talking about it – but it’s just that it goes out into the world”).

But this is not entirely true, particularly for Taylor. Some examples include:

Writing albums entirely dedicated to Joe and their relationship [e.g. https://amp.capitalfm.com/news/taylor-swift-lyrics-songs-boyfriend-joe-alwyn/]

Publishing old (or perhaps fake) diary entries in the deluxe editions of Lover (2019) that allude to their relationship [https://www.glamour.com/story/taylor-swift-diary-joe-alwyn]

Openly discussing their relationship during Secret Sessions [e.g. https://twitter.com/tswiftnz/status/921230054650036224?s=21&t=qu93pd5D0fBH7RDhi4KASQ and https://twitter.com/toetimeline/status/1384383859228233728?s=21&t=qu93pd5D0fBH7RDhi4KASQ]

Wearing a necklace with a ‘J’ pendant, and referring to it in song lyrics [https://people.com/style/taylor-swift-j-necklace-for-joe-alwyn-where-to-buy/]

Regularly posting (and tagging relevant pages) about his work [earliest example: https://www.instagram.com/p/BqgSGXVl22M/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=]

Coordinating matching Instagram photos and stories [earliest example: https://www.wmagazine.com/story/joe-alwyn-public-instagram-taylor-swift-cactus/amp]

Discussing each other in interviews, despite an option to ban specific questions [see virtually all of Joe’s recent CWF promo]

Explicitly discussing their relationship in Taylor’s documentary Miss Americana (2020) and including a montage of private video clips (plus one very awkward embrace) [https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a30725401/taylor-swift-joe-alwyn-miss-americana-i-love-you/]

Attending award shows and afterparties together, thanking Joe in her speeches [e.g. https://www.etonline.com/taylor-swift-gives-joe-alwyn-a-sweet-shout-out-during-historic-global-icon-award-speech-at-brit?amp]

Working together on her Folklore (2020) and Evermore (2020) albums, behind a temporary pseudonym [https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a34784981/taylor-swift-joe-alwyn-william-bowery-ghost-writer-folklore/]

Staging paparazzi photos [my favourite, purely due to the matching outfits: https://people.com/music/taylor-swift-joe-alwyn-arm-in-arm-new-york/]

Coincidentally, she is only loud about their relationship when it is relevant to her brand and their careers. Let’s unpack my previous examples:

Writing two albums entirely dedicated to him and their relationship = establishing her post-2016 “settled/mature songwriter” image that Taylor seeks to portray, as well as using relationship easter eggs in lyrics and music videos to generate further interest and discussion for both her album and Joe (and by extension, his career)

Publishing diary entries in the deluxe editions of Lover (2019) that allude to their relationship = by exposing a more vulnerable side to her life, she maintains her “relatable” persona and fan relationships… and sells more copies of her album to invested fans, who want to be part of this “private relationship”

Openly discussing their relationship during secret sessions = again, encouraging her “relatable” persona and fan relationships

Regularly posting (and tagging relevant pages) about his work = boosting his career profile to an audience of 221 million followers

Coordinating matching instagram photos without tagging each other = a sort of easter egg, which generates discussion/interest about their “serious” relationship (as opposed to a more obvious joint Instagram presence, ala Tayvin 2015-2016)

Discussing each other in interviews, despite an option to ban specific questions = for Taylor, this reinforces to the general public her “committed relationship” status, and for Joe, this boosts his engagement stats via a mere association to Taylor

Explicitly discussing their relationship in documentary Miss Americana (2020) and including a montage of private video clips = again, helping to establish Taylor as a mature and politically-engaged woman by showing a more settled lifestyle

Using a temporary pseudonym for Joe’s Folklore/Evermore (2020) credits = generating online buzz/speculation, and creating a bigger interest in the development of Folklore/Evermore, i.e. drawing people towards The Long Pond Sessions

Staged pap photos = need I say more?

Their relationship is now part of Taylor’s brand as a “settled, mature songwriter”, as a way to kill her pre-2016 “boy crazy” image. Taylor has long and publicly desired to be viewed as a serious and even legendary songwriter - Joe’s presence in her work and image thus becomes a means to an end. Their relationship also hugely benefits Joe: a bigger audience through Taylor’s fanbase means bigger acting roles, partnerships, connections. And if we are to believe that Joe is a beard (as I do), Joe also serves to distract the general public and Swifties away from the real muse, and allows Taylor’s queer songwriting (e.g. Ivy, Dorothea, Gold Rush etc) to go mostly unnoticed.

This was ramble-y and somewhat superficial in detail but the contradictory narrative of a “private relationship” is intentional, and distracts Swifties from questioning Taylor’s use of Joe as a way to promote both their brands”

🙏

#gaylor #reddit #gaylor swift #kaylor #toe stunt

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