On Aug. 26, 2025, every father’s worst nightmare happened: Taylor Swift announced her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce. In the Instagram post captioned, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” she broke the internet. Amidst the promotion for her 12th studio album and probably 200 vinyl variants, this news continues to keep her on the highest pedestal with a spotlight. 

I haven’t been as tuned into the Taylor Swift scene since the end of high school, but trust I was a card-carrying fan. She was my top artist on Spotify for 4 years and, to this day, my longest playlist is a four hour slog of all my favorites from her first 10 albums (which I still listen to). I could not afford Eras tour tickets, but did see the concert film in theaters 3 times and held multiple watch parties after wide release—I get the obsession. I even got angry with those who hated her, claiming misogyny and that people acted the same towards fans of The Beatles back in the day. I would probably hate myself for writing this now.

After the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” I fell out of love. It wasn’t new anymore. The album was over-produced and the lyrics seemed like both AI slop and what a first-year philosophy major thinks is deep. While I loved the lyrics in “Evermore,” and do think she is capable of deep thought, sometimes pop is just pop. All that is to say, I turned off post notifications two years ago. I received the news about Taylor from two very conflicting sources. First, my father sent a text to our family group chat saying, “In accordance with my advanced directives, I will be placed in a medically induced coma between now and three months after Taylor Swift’s wedding. I just don’t want to hear about it.” Immediately after, a group chat of Swifties whom I haven’t heard from since high school was re-kindled to excitedly share the news. To both of them, I say: you need to move on.

Trend cycles exist for a reason, I think it’s finally time for her to fall out of it. Taylor Swift is just a pop star. She is a billionaire with a private jet problem. She also defined the genre of pop for as long as I’ve been alive. Writing a lot of break-up songs is great for your brand and a completely honest expression through art, but yes, it is entirely possible that she did use these relationships for publicity. Taylor is not a masterful lyricist, she is a master of staying in the news. 

This relationship is probably completely genuine, but it’s none of our business. I don’t say this in an attempt to save her, I am begging you to find a new pop star to obsess over, there are plenty to choose from in the Life Section. Do not let her win. Please let the story die. Taylor Swift, I loved you, but this is ruining my life.