The Overexposure of Taylor Swift
On April 8th, 2023, the news of Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s breakup was released to the public. Has she been heading for a period of overexposure ever since? Read this article to find out!
It was the shot heard around the world. On April 8th 2023, Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s breakup news hit Entertainment Tonight and PEOPLE. In fact - I didn’t believe the news when I first heard it. The complete and utter shock that hit me came from the amount of possibility that was put on the table on that day. And not only 1 month later, the possibilities came to fruition.
TAYLOR SWIFT’S OVEREXPOSURE: How Can Overexposure Hurt Swift’s Career?
Throughout 2023, how many times have you heard Taylor Swift’s name? Whether it was a video of Swift performing at her Eras Tour, an article about a breakup she’s going through, or a photo of her at a Chiefs game cheering for her boyfriend Travis Kelce. I’d argue that she is the most famous living person at the moment. But let’s take a step back - overexposure has damaged Swift’s career pretty immensely before. In particular, Swift’s breakdown due to the overexposure in 2016 had an undeniable impact on her career. She slowly had to regain a good reputation over the course of the next 2 years. For that reason, part of me wonders if this overexposure will end well for her.
THE ERAS TOUR: The Greatest Tour of All Time
So, where did this all start? In November of 2022, Taylor Swift announced her 6th headlining tour, The Eras Tour: a retrospective guide through all the eras of Swift’s music, which started March 17th, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona (or should I say, Swift City, Era-zona). The 3.5 hour long show includes segments from 9 out of her 10 studio albums, costume changes, choreography, and a jaw-dropping stage structure. I remember going to The Eras Tour in MetLife Stadium last spring, and I can confirm that even from the last row in the stadium, Swift can make you feel like she is talking directly to you. The Eras Tour is so high profile that cities took drastic measures to ensure that Swift was honored and welcomed into the city including changing the cities’ names (Swift City, Era-zona and Swiftie Clara, California). Needless to say, The Eras Tour has become the greatest tour of all time, without even being more than halfway done. As of now, the last Eras Tour show is on December 8th, 2024.
IT’S JOEVER: Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s Breakup
Along the way through 2023, Taylor has gone through several trials and tribulations in her personal life. On the 4th week of The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s breakup news was initially released to the public. When I heard the news, it felt like an absurd claim, considering their seemingly picture perfect relationship. But, in retrospect, there were many signs that their so-called “picture-perfect” relationship was perhaps coming to an end. In particular, the record breaking album, Midnights, foreshadowed their relationship’s downfall.
When Midnights was announced at the 2022 VMAS, Swift described the album as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life,” leading people to believe that this album wouldn’t have songs about her current life. The establishment that the album was a “blast of the past” was a smart way for Taylor have complete creative ability to write and release music about her relationship breaking down, without it being clear to the fans. But now, we can all look back and rethink some of the subjects of the songs on Midnights. “Bejeweled” being a blatant example considering the song describes a relationship with a victim + savior complex. Taylor was in the basement with Joe, writing folk songs with him, hiding from the public, and neglecting her wants for far too long. The song is a clear warning sign that the relationship was in trouble. And not just one day after the news of their breakup was released, that was proven right when Taylor went out in New York City for the first time in months. Her jeans featured a cutout butterfly symbolizing her breaking free, unafraid of the paparazzi, contrasting her low profile lifestyle with Joe Alwyn in every way.
MATTY HEALY: The Brief and Confusing Romance Between Taylor Swift and Matty Healy
In early May 2023, The Sun reported that Matty Healy and Taylor Swift were dating. I remember when I first heard the news and I wondered, why? On the surface, they seem to not have much in common, and his public record with his words would surely not help Swift’s public image. Healy is known to be controversial. He gets in trouble with the public all the time. So why would Taylor Swift, the woman who “just wants to be a good girl” as she stated in her 2020 documentary Miss Americana, date Matty Healy? As expected, it backfired. Fans wrote an open letter to Swift on X (Twitter), “#SpeakUpNow,” a twist of words of her 3rd studio album, Speak Now. The letter proposes “concern” for Swift, simply because she was pictured with Healy, and puts pressure on Swift to give “more than a simple apology” for the “degrading remarks” that the 1975 frontman has made. My issue with this open letter is the insistence that the fans can control Swift’s personal life. And of course, the open letter did not stop Swift from dating Healy. The couple’s split was released to the public in early June, as many anticipated.
2 ALBUMS IN 5 MONTHS: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
In 2019, Swift announced to the public that she was planning on re-recording all of her albums 1-6, in order to own the master recordings. Each re-recorded album would include a small collection of songs that didn’t end up making the cut of an album. These songs are subtitled, “(From The Vault)” songs. Swift took a brief break from releasing re-recorded music during 2022, because she was recording her 10th studio album, Midnights. But on May 5th, Swift announced that her re-recorded version of her 3rd studio album, Speak Now would be in stores, July 7th.
I loved Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), but the real star of the year was 1989 (Taylor’s Version). On August 9th (8/9 referencing 1989!), Swift announced that on October 27th, the re-recorded version of her 5th studio album, 1989 would be released. The “vault” tracks on this album are in my opinion, the best “vault” tracks from any re-recorded album so far. Although I love getting new content from Swift, the constant release schedule does concern me a little bit. From The Eras Tour, to the 2 new albums, to being the most famous person in the world, she is clearly overworking herself.
TAYVIS: The Most Famous Couple On Earth, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift
Imagine this: You own the NFL. The most famous person in the world shows up to an NFL game. What will you do? Profit off of it, which is exactly what they did. On September 24th, Swift arrived at Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs game, ready to cheer for her boyfriend Travis Kelce. Rumors about the couple had been circulating before this day, but Swift showing up to the game was the hard launch. The date was so highly publicized that even Heinz Ketchup got involved. @tswifterastour on X (Twitter) posted a photo on the platform of Swift at the Chiefs game eating “a piece of chicken with ketchup and seemingly ranch!” https://x.com/tswifterastour/status/1706076507540767211?s=46 This post went so viral that Heinz Ketchup introduced a new flavor, “Seemingly Ranch.” Trust me, I am a fan of the couple. But moments like these where the relationship is so highly publicized until it makes you feel uncomfortable, are clearly not good for her image. The public seems to be getting annoyed by the couples high profile life. The most recent concern was on December 17th, when they showed Swift on the jumbotron and the entire stadium booed.
OPINIONS: How Will This Overexposure End for Taylor Swift?
For Taylor Swift, the year 2023 has had highs, lows, and just about everything in between. After everything Taylor Swift related has happened directly in front of the public eye this year, it is likely that the general public will get sick of her. The amount of attention she has pulled this year can only be compared to the events of 2016. In 2016, Swift’s life was so high profile every minute of everyday until the public eventually couldn’t handle her success anymore, forcing Swift to get creative on how to regain her past success. But who knows. Maybe Swift is taking that in consideration, and maybe she will take a break once The Eras Tour concludes. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.