It Isn't Hate... I'm Just Tired

Why I'm Tired of Taylor Swift & My New Merch

Photo by Beth Garrabrant

It’s admittedly a bold and risky statement to make in the public sphere, but I’m tired of Taylor Swift.

From the Eras Tour to the Eras movie, and the never-ending saga of her rumored relationships—most recently with Travis Kelce—it seems there’s been no escape from the relentless spotlight on Swift. And now, with the release of “The Tortured Poets Department” it feels as though we’ve been inundated with a year-long immersion in all things Taylor.

The constant presence of her personal life, now intertwined with her boyfriend's appearances, only adds to the saturation. I find myself increasingly bored and annoyed by her, and now him. (Really outside the realm of diehard Chiefs fans, pharmaceutical conglomerates, and preteen Swifties, who cares about Kelce?)

While I can certainly respect Taylor Swift as an artist, and as a woman who literally does not fuck for free, she gets platinums every time dates a man and I respect that more than anything - I find myself facing a perplexing dilemma: which is more draining—the constant spotlight on Swift herself, her rabid fans, or her latest artistic endeavor. Tortured Poets Department? The irony of this is difficult to ignore, the portrayal of Swift as in anyway tortured (or a poet vs a Pop Princess) feels disconnected from reality and lacks authenticity. Or am I missing something?

You tell me.

I also highly agree with the review from Paste Magazine in which the writer commented on the lack of innovation in her music and the infantilization of her audience.

“The mid-ness of The Tortured Poets Department will not be a net-loss for Swift. She will sell out arenas and get her streams until she elects to quit this business (a phrase decidedly not in her vocabulary, surely). She will sell more merch bundles than vinyl plants have the capacity to make, and rows of variant LP copies will haunt the record aisles of Target stores just as long as Midnights has—if not longer. Perhaps, in five or six years’ time, we will speak of this record just as we now do of Reputation. But right now, it is obvious that Swift no longer feels challenged to be good. The Tortured Poets Department is the mark of an artist now interested in seeing how much their empire can atone for the sins of mediocrity. Can Swift win another Album of the Year Grammy simply because she released a record during the eligibility period? The Tortured Poets Department reeks of “because I can,” not “because I should.”” - Paste Magazine

In honor of this exhaustion and because I like to have a laugh… I’ve launched my first round of merch which you can purchase today!

Come at me Swifties… or join me, because don’t you deserve better or even just a break? Or just a hat to shield you from the stadium lights during her next tour?

Use the code NotEnoughTime for a special discount.

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