When I was 17, I was hired to work in a customer service position for the minor league baseball team in my city. It was my first “real” job and it was kind of a big deal because they’d never hired someone as young as me for the position. Basically, I was like a hostess for minor league baseball fans, so it wasn’t exactly high-stakes, but it felt important to me. I was interested in broadcast journalism and I loved sports, so I thought it would be a good entry point for a potential career in sports journalism. I took it seriously and I was good at it. I was treated well by my overwhelmingly older male colleagues. I trusted them. What I didn’t realize, until several months into the job, was that one particular colleague was convinced he was in love with me. He was 27. He was high-ranking in the organization. He had a Master’s degree. He seemed nice and never made me uncomfortable. I wouldn’t have been interested in dating him. He’d never even asked. And yet, it was a running joke in the organization that he was infatuated with me. Me? A 17 year-old girl, excited to be doing so well in her first job, thinking naively that these would be the people who would write me letters of recommendation for college and would point me in the right direction for career opportunities. Instead, I would find out later, they were presenting this man with an award for “most likely to fall in love with a high schooler” at their annual Holiday party and had the song “She’s Only 17” on the pregame music mix that blasted through the stadium as we were prepping for game days as an inside joke meant to poke fun at him. They were all in on it. With no regard for me at all. I was showing up to work thinking someone might notice my ambition, while they were humiliating me in ways I didn’t even know about. In ways I still think about. In ways that meant I didn’t ask anyone there for a letter of recommendation even though I stayed at the organization for another four years. It wasn’t harassment, really, and nothing ever came of it. Who knows if any of those men ever even considered it harmful? I was certainly in no position to tell them. I was only 17, after all.
I’m thinking about this today as I sit down to make some edits on the essay I’ve been writing about Taylor Swift and the release of “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” and the Jake Gyllenhaal of it all. Just as I sat down to edit, a friend sent me a video posted by a popular, sports-themed media network, of a man explaining how crazy it is that Taylor Swift would write a breakup song about someone she only dated for three months, ten years ago. Not just her, but all of her fans, he sputtered, needed to get a grip! Like the hysterical female I am, I was triggered. Taken all the way back to being young and in spaces and relationships that pushed me into powerlessness. And then I realized—maybe 10 years ago “All Too Well” was about the scarf. But now? Now it’s about the keychain.
The “F*ck the Patriarchy keychain on the ground” line, so beautifully delivered in the 10-minute Taylor’s Version of “All Too Well,” isn’t just a cute lyrical anecdote. It’s a reminder to all of us who have ever been silenced or humiliated by a man, or a roomful or a stadium full of men, who were supposed to have our best interests in mind, but were actually actively working to dismiss us while hiding behind the walls of patriarchy that keep them safe from consequence as long as they perform like “good guys” who would never! That kind of protection only works if we either ignore the inherent power differential that comes with age and gender or we make young women out to be irrational or minimal. It works especially well for men who proclaim to be fighting the oppressive systems that they’re directly benefiting from and being protected by.
The F*ck The Patriarchy keychain on the ground? That was Jake’s. He was using it as an armor to hide in plain sight just like he did with the stolen scarf. When you are 19 and you fall for a man who is 30 and you trust that he isn’t intending to harm you because he’s kind to his sister and he makes your dad laugh and he openly acknowledges that patriarchy is problematic by carrying a keychain that declares it?! He’s one of the good ones. He should know better. When you’re 17 and you think you’re safe at work because you are surrounded by men who claim to see your potential and want to support your career because they are also professionals and from what you can tell they are some of the good ones?! They should know better. But this is patriarchy.
Living in patriarchy means that young women should put their trust in older men who seem worthy of it, and even if those men steal their scarves or steal their songs or turn them into a running joke, it’s not something to take seriously. It was only three months. It was only a joke. Why are you making such a big deal out of this? A lifetime of patriarchy has taught us that men can do whatever they want with very little consequence as long as they keep it light and also collect symbols of solidarity to prove they don’t actually mean it and as long as the women they harm are too emotional or too young to get the joke.
With the release of Red (Taylor’s Version) we not only witness a woman taking back every ounce of her power, we also get the chance to make meaning of our own experiences of patriarchy and know that whatever we felt and however we express it is real and right. At the premiere of the video for “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)”, Extra TV reporter Cheslie Kryst asked Taylor who the song was about. Taylor quickly shifted the focus to her fans. It isn’t who the songs are about that matters. It’s who the songs are for that is important, and that’s all of us. She wants us to know about her heartbreaks because she wants us to know our own. She wants us to understand that our Gyllenhaals were real and the pain and confusion we felt because of them were valid emotional responses to situations we never deserved.
I wish I’d had the 10-minute “All Too Well” experience when I was 17. Or 19. Or even 25. I wish I’d seen someone like Taylor Swift expressing every emotion about a man who should have known better and been better. It might have given me a stronger voice in times I really needed one. It might have helped me realize that it wasn’t my fault that I was young and under-experienced and more trusting than I am now. It might have been the reason I asked for a well-deserved letter of recommendation instead of walking away too humiliated to ask for anything at all.
So my point is this—Jake, you can keep the scarf. We’ve moved on. But we do need you to hand over that keychain. It’s not working for you anymore.
Image: Taylor Swift / YouTube
In case you somehow missed it, pop superstar Taylor Swift just casually released her re-recorded version of her Red album in the name of being honest. The 30-track album of course has the classic songs from the original 2012 album—but also brought out some never-before-heard tracks, and along with that, never-before-heard lyrics. In doing so, she basically gave her fans a Mad Libs level assignment, matching lyrics to moments in Taylor’s life with one J*ke G*llenhaal. The song that has taken over the majority of everyone’s life? “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)”. Yes, it is over 10 minutes long, so it may be one of the longest songs with one of the longest song titles.
While Taylor’s relationship with Jake is at the forefront of most of the dialogue, there is a third party who is taking up an almost larger amount of the cultural conversation. They’ve been talked about on-and-off in the past, but this is the first time they seem to also be taking back their narrative, and more importantly, sharing their side of the story. I was beyond honored to sit down with them for their first interview in this exclusive conversation. Sure, Oprah just chatted with Adele, but ladies and gentlemen—enter Taylor Swift’s scarf.
Betches: First off, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me—I can only imagine the whirlwind of these last few days.
Taylor’s Scarf: You have no idea. I mean, literally last week I had nothing to do. Not only was “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” not out then, but also global warming has really hurt my career. It’s November and people are barely wearing scarves—it’s a tough business.
B: Ah, I can only imagine. So this really came at the right time for you. What was your involvement with the re-recordings?
TS: I mean… real fans know that while I haven’t been in contact with Taylor in almost 10 years, we’ve definitely emotionally stayed in touch. And it’s funny, people seem to keep saying that Jake Gyllenhaal inspired this entire album but like, hello… It’s me.
B: 100%. Everyone seems to be talking about you, have people reached out about their own scarf stories?
TS: My favorite thing about music is that it brings everyone together. Like, the people who have been reaching out to me, oh my god. Like, I just got this DM from someone who left an infinity scarf that they really liked on a United flight a few years back and even after calling 15 minutes after they got off the plane, they couldn’t find it? Heartbreaking. But they were happy to know that they weren’t alone, cause even Taylor Swift loses scarves.
B: Missing scarves really is a pandemic in its own way. Now, I have to ask, since you were there—what was Taylor and Jake’s relationship like in the moment?
TS: It’s so funny you ask that. Obviously she was there and remembers it all too well, but for me… I had so much going on in 2012. Like, between Kony 2012 and the final Twilight movie coming out, I was super distracted to say the least. So I can’t really recall how they treated each other, but they definitely were obsessed with me, if that answers your question.
B: That sort of doesn’t answer any question I asked. Anyway, in their infamous paparazzi shot, they seem to be carrying a bag from Union Market. Now, as a fan of that grocery store, can you tell us what they bought?
TS: I’m sorry, is this interview about me or them? I took time out of my day to talk with you and you’re asking me about grocery store orders and Twilight.
B: Well, to be fair… you brought up Twilight.
TS: Wow. Okay. You’re truly just like Jake. And I should know because i’ve been on-and-off with his neck for the past few years. I honestly wish Jake and Taylor the best, but I’d really like to focus on my career, my busy season of winter coming up, and my announcement.
B: Oh! What announcement is that?
TS: I am going to be on the next season of Dancing with the Stars! I am both excited and blessed for this new journey, and I’m ready for America and the world to see what this scarf really is capable of.
B: Well, congratulations on that—I’m excited to watch you. Any last words you want to say to the Swifties or anyone?
TS: I’d much rather take this time to show support to the real fan group in my life, the Scarfies. You guys don’t know how much you mean to me, and I love that we are able to reconnect like this. Okay, I have to hang up now, Jake is going out on a coffee run and has to wear me—he’s wearing me around his face now though, for you know, obvious reasons.
Images: Brian Friedman / Shutterstock.com
In case you deleted Instagram and threw your phone out a window a few weeks ago, I’ve got some news: Taylor Swift has been teasing something big. Over the past several weeks, she’s completely overhauled her Instagram aesthetic, and now she’s counting down to April 26th, which is this Friday. Taylor has kept things very mysterious about what’s coming, but now we’re only a couple days from finding out. In the past, I’ve been outspoken about my issues with Taylor Swift, but I’ll admit that I’m more than a little curious about what she’s up to this time.
Obviously, it seems extremely likely that this is all leading up to new music. Taylor Swift can be a shady bitch, but I don’t think she’s petty enough to tease her fans for two months just to drop a new perfume or something. That would really be brutal. Based on all of Taylor’s past album eras, it’s most likely that this Friday, she’ll be releasing the first single from her new album. Taylor has never been into the whole Beyoncé surprise album thing, so the chances are slim that we’ll be getting more than one song this week. According to the Taylor Swift stans on Reddit (doing the lord’s work), the best guess for an album release date is sometime in July, based on the schedule Taylor has followed in the past.
So, assuming we’re getting a new Taylor Swift song this week, let’s go through her Instagram, and talk about what to expect from Taylor’s impending seventh era (which would be her Neoproterozoic Era, if we were talking about geology).
Despite turning 30 later this year, it looks like Taylor has gone back to an aesthetic that would also work for decorating an 11-year-old girl’s bedroom. I’m not mad about it, I’m just kind of surprised, after the Reputation era was all about seeming as hardcore as possible. This time around, Taylor is all about rainbows, butterflies, and bright colors. At least the snakes are gone.
One of the first big moments of this new Taylor Swift era was the iHeartRadio Awards on March 14th, when Taylor wore a holographic romper covered in paillettes, and butterfly shoes. Taylor honestly looks amazing, and this outfit was just the beginning of new Taylor (which honestly just harks back to the old Taylor, who we thought was dead).
After the iHeart Awards, Taylor took almost a month off from posting on Instagram, but then she came back with a vengeance on April 13th. That’s when she first started teasing the April 26th mystery, and she’s been pretty relentless since then. Based on the types of photos she’s been posting, I would imagine that her new music is in more of a pure pop direction, which I’m excited about. Her outfits and current hairstyle have drawn a lot of comparisons to Carly Rae Jepsen’s last album E∙MO∙TION, which is basically a perfect pop album, so I hope Taylor is going down this path.
On Tuesday night, Taylor Swift took a break from posting cryptic Instagrams and made an appearance at the TIME 100 Gala. As one of this year’s honorees, Taylor made a speech at the event, and even performed a few songs. Sadly though, she only performed past hits, without so much as a snippet of new music. While we all would have appreciated a sneak peek, obviously Taylor has planned this all too perfectly to let loose a minute too soon.
Her dress at the Gala, totally draped in pink and yellow silk, was perfectly in line with her 2019 aesthetic. While the dress is a little prom-but-make-it-fashion for my taste, Taylor really does look amazing.
At this point, we’re only about 36 hours away from new Taylor Swift music, and I’m ready to give her another chance to impress me this time around. I’m hoping for a glittering pop anthem that will lead us into summer on a high note, but will try to keep an open mind no matter what she releases. Are you excited for new Taylor Swift music? What do you think she has up her sleeve? Let me know in the comments!
Images: Shutterstock; @taylorswift (3), @carlyraejepsen / Instagram
