The Original Flag, By Gilbert Baker, June 25, 1978.

I am dusting off my little blog here because TTPD has my mind absolutely reeling. I am really wondering if anyone else listened to this and had this feeling that the album confirmed everything that they were thinking was going on with her. I know we talk so much about reading her songs beneath the surface of muses or certain details used to craft a story, but to me, TTPD reads so strongly of her reckoning with her life in the industry. like, it's so much more than the relationships. it's the comp het, it's the religious trauma, it's the being exploited as a child star, it's deep wound of abandonment and neglect when she as a person got split off from her brand and both could not thrive, it's giving everything to this brand and career and fandom and that still never being enough. it's her codependency with the very people that exploit her. it's the fact that she is bigger than she ever imagined and none of it feels how she wanted. it's the simultaneous love and resentment she has towards her family, and relationships, and career, and yes, even her fans.

the rawness of this album, the unrefined feel, the summation poem talking about this as mania, the continuation of the cage imagery and themes of escaping to her mind/fantasy, the coping with criticism, numbing it all with alcohol, the willingness to burn it all down and disgrace her name because none of this is what she wants or at least not how she wants.

I have seen so many criticisms of the album and honestly, I understand where they are coming from, but I also think the things they criticize make the exact point of what this body of work is - something that exists for it's own sake to turn things back on the people that made her into what she is now. art created not to be acclaimed but because it demands to be expressed. it is an exorcism, an expulsion. it is something that erupted from her. and it's so meta because this fandom and the industry are voyeurs in an echo chamber so desperate to see what they want that they miss that this is about them. that is what makes it brilliant to me - it is self-indulgent and metaphorical, and complex, and so direct, but yet still masked just enough that people miss it. her entire life has become performance art. it is a play within a play. and I fear the audience has not caught on.

it feels like she is reclaiming it all. I feel like this could either be a hint at a new beginning or a signal that she has broken and this is the end. this felt like the tell-all memoir written in code that everyone else will finally understand when she really leaves this spotlight. it's the lucky one come to life. she is daydreaming about fucking it all and leaving this life behind so she can finally have some goddamn peace.

I love this album for it as art. it is so expressive. it is so heartbreaking. it's messy and nuanced, and I think it is going way the fuck over most people's heads, especially when you really dig into poetry being the theme and the specific works she references. it's only been a week and I am just starting to really dig in but talk about a fucking iceberg.

Gene, 3

Gene said he wanted to “dress fancy” and threw this together: deadstock squirrel-print shirt from eBay, shorts are part of a 2-piece suit from Janes Exchange, scarf, beret, and plastic parrot pin are borrowed from his mama, snakeskin cowboy boots belonged to his papa when he was a kid, faux fur tail is a repurposed Uniqlo men’s parka hood lining. Ting, the stuffed squirrel is by Hansa Creations, makeup is “cherry me” Baby Lips by Mabeline, bracelet (wooden beads and fluorescent vinyl cord) made by Gene when he was 2. Before he left the house Gene asked his parents, “do you think Mozart would like my outfit?”

Sep 25, 2021 ∙ Lower East Side

Genuine question, but could TN actually help/what could they do in this circumstance? I hope something is addressed though (especially since we do know Taylor supports the community) And actually is there anything we can do to help too?

Yes I do truly believe they could help by at the very bare minimum making a statement about it, something along the lines of “Taylor Swift and our community do not stand for bigotry or discrimination of any kind. It has been brought to our attention that some of our LGBTQ+ fans have been doxxed and outed on social media platforms recently. Not only do we want to make it explicitly clear that this is not acceptable, but we will also be providing support to ensure that these culprits are reported and any necessary further action is taken. We stand with our LGBTQ+ fans and the broader LGBTQ+ community as a whole, and we will do everything in our power to protect every member of our community.” 

Frankly this is something that has been festering for a long time, the violent homophobia and transphobia in this fandom has been waiting just under the surface. And the whole situation with the song Betty was just the spark that lit the fuse. This is something that has needed to be addressed for a LONG time and it hasn’t ever really been fully addressed. Taylor has been vocal about her support for the LGBTQ+ community, but the internal fandom homophobia and transphobia really has not been addressed. And it fucking needs to be. 

@taylornation @taylorswift 

Who knows, if she never showed up, what could’ve been

pictures from the midnights moonstone blue digital booklet

VOGUE’S Behind Taylor Swift’s Bejeweled Eyes and Bold Red Lips for the MTV VMAs✨

embrace the new sun !!

you truly do not exist for other ppl’s consumption and your existence is not hinged on making others happy and comfortable by stifling and hiding and crushing and editing parts of yourself to be less than who you really are

Women in STEM (sorcery, thaumaturgy, enchantment, magic)