Are the Swifties breaking up with Taylor?

“Talking sh*t for the hell of it” is a line from Taylor Swift’s hit song ‘Karma’ on her latest album release, ‘Midnights.’ But is it also a perfect descriptor for her once fiercely loyal Swifties? 

While on her Eras tour (which feature 3 hour long set lists which she has played rain or shine), Taylor announced she had split from her boyfriend of many years Joe Alwyn. Taylor has never said why they split but of course as is the nature of Ms. Swift, there is a lot of speculation and deep reading into her lyrics and performances. 

No matter the reason, Taylor is now linked to Matt Healy of the hottest sad boy band de jour, The 1975. The Swifties, apparently, do not approve. It is common in the life of the pop star for her relationships to be heavily scrutinized. Taylor’s most successful music has all been based on her love life and so her fans feel deeply connected to her and her romantic life through her music. They have always felt entitled to weigh in but this time, has it gone too far? 

Matt Healy is a controversial figure with the Swifites for what seems to be a myriad of reasons. Healy has had controversial political opinions (he’s kinda all over the map on that actually), he’s done a Nazi salute (making a political point in a song performance), and he’s made disparaging comments about other races and women including Taylor Swift herself. Most recently, Healy was accused of making fun of Taylor’s mom in a really convoluted indirect way that I could barely follow.

Regardless of Healy’s merits or faults, the Swifties clearly find him to be not good enough for their queen, Taylor. In perhaps one of the most unhealthy acts of a collective group not bound by blood or country, the Swifites have launched a campaign a social media campaign #SpeakUpNow which calls for Taylor Swift to break up with her boyfriend because they say so. This campaign is prominent on TikTok and Twitter. “They” (whoever they all are) wrote and have supported a letter demanding a formal and thorough apology from Taylor on all the accusations they’ve levied against her boyfriend. 

And I thought the #FreeBritney movement was unhinged. 

So far Taylor herself has not responded to the truly infantile and frankly disturbing movement to control her like a grown up Barbie doll or an actual lead of state. But it looks like Eras could be the end of the Swiftie era.