When I was 24 I sat in a backstage dressing room in London, buzzing with anticipation. My backup singers and bandmates gathered around me in a scattered circle.Scissors emerged and I watched in the mirror as my locks of long curly hair fell in piles on the floor. There I was in my plaid button down shirt, grinning sheepishly as my tour mates and friends cheered on my haircut. This simple thing that everyone does. But I had a secret. For me. It was more than a change of hairstyle. When I was 24. I decided to completely reinvent myself.

How does a person reinvent herself, you ask? In any way I could think of. Musically, geographically, aesthetically, behaviorally, motivationally. And I did so joyfully. The curiosity I had felt the first murmurs of while making red had amplified into a pulsing heartbeat of restlessness in my bars. The risks I took when I toyed with pop sounds and sensibilities on red? I wanted to push it further. The sense of freedom I felt when traveling to big bustling cities? I wanted to live in one. The voices that had begun to shame me in new ways for dating like a normal young woman? I wanted to silence them.

You see, in the years preceding this, I had become the target of slut shaming, the intensity and relentlessness of which would be criticized and called out if it happened today. The jokes about my amount of boyfriends. The trivialization of my songwriting as if it were a predatory act of a boy crazy psychopath. The media co-signing of this narrative. I had to make it stop because it was starting to really hurt.

It became clear to me that for me there was no such thing as casual dating, or even having a male friend who you platonically hang out with. If I was seen with him, it was assumed I was sleeping with him. And so I swore off hanging out with guys, dating, flirting, or anything that could be weaponized against me by a culture that claimed to believe in liberating women but consistently treated me with the harsh moral codes of the Victorian era.

Being a consummate optimist, I assumed I could fix this if I simply changed my behavior. I swore off dating and decided to focus only on myself, my music, my growth. And my female friendships. If I only hung out with my female friends, people couldn't sensationalize or sexualize that, right? I would learn later on that people could and people would.

But none of that mattered then because I had a plan and I had a demeanor as trusting as a basket of golden retriever puppies. I had the keys to my own apartment in New York and I had new melodies bursting from my imagination. I had Max Martin and Shellback who were happy to help me explore this new sonic landscape I was enamored with. I had a new friend named Jack Antonoff who had made some cool tracks in his apartment. I had the idea that the album would be called 1989. And we would reference big 80's synths and write sky high choruses. I had sublime, inexplicable faith and I ran right toward it, in high heels and a crop top.

There was so much that I didn't know then, and looking back I see what a good thing that was. This time of my life was marked by right kind of naïveté, a hunger for adventure. And a sense of freedom I hadn't tasted before. It turns out that the cocktail of naïveté, hunger for adventure and freedom can lead to some nasty hangovers, metaphorically speaking. Of course everyone had something to say. But they always will. I learned lessons, paid prices, and tried to… don't say it don't say it. I'm sorry, I have to say it. Shake it off.

I’ll always be so incredibly grateful for how you loved and embraced this album. You, who followed my zig zag creative choices and cheered on my risks and experiments. You, who heard the wink and humor in "blank space" and maybe even empathized with the pain behind the satire. You, who saw the seeds of allyship and advocating for equality in "Welcome to New York". You, who knew that maybe a girl who surrounds herself with female friends in adulthood is making up for a lack of them in childhood (not starting a tyrannical hot girl cult). You, who saw that I reinvent myself for a million reasons, and that one of them is to try my very best to entertain you. You, who have had the grace to allow me the freedom to change.

I was born in 1989. Reinvented for the first time in 2014, and a part of me was reclaimed in 2023 with the re-release of this album I love so dearly.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the magic you would sprinkle on my life for so long. This moment is a reflection of the woods we've wandered through and all this love between us still glowing in the darkest dark.

I present to you, with gratitude and wild wonder, my version of 1989.

It’s been waiting for you.

Taylor ending the unhinged Kaylors and Gaylors in the 1989 TV prologue.

Gaylors are awfully quiet right now

tyrannical hot girl cult im crying

Taylor Swift becomes the first act in history to rank as Billboard’s #1 Year-End artist in three different decades!

Gaylors getting mad at the 1989 TV prologue is so funny to me because why did you think you were special just because you didn’t sexualize her male friendships? She’s not targeting you, and she’s her own person who has thoughts and feelings and didn’t want to feel like no matter who she was with it was romantic.

Female friendships are such an important part of girlhood, which Taylor literally said she had them for, and the way y’all tried to still find a way to take that from her is crazy. Let her live. Shes allowed to hang out with her female friends, she’s allowed to hang out with her male friends, she’s allowed to have relationships that aren’t scrutinized by the public constantly which gaylors are always amazing at doing. Seriously, let her live.

Also- stop saying real people can queerbait. Friendship comes in so many shapes and forms and really if you’re only following a celebrity because you think they’re queer, or hinting at it, that’s on you. If you’re mad about the prologue, she’s talking to you. Get the hint, and stfu. Glad we had this talk.

about to comment on every tayvis/haylor post i see “so we’re just choosing to ignore the prologue???”

y'all.

the problem was never people thinking "oh, taylor's songs have some pretty queer themes" or "hey, I wonder if the queer-flagging meant something."

the problem is people putting a lens on all taylor's friendships and relationships and sexualising them.

hetlors who behave in this way are no better than gaylors who do. I think anyone who thinks the point of that prologue was for taylor to disparage her gay fans is being wilfully ignorant at best, blatantly homophobic at worst.

she's just saying "stay out of my private life." doable, you'd think.

interpret her music however you want. just don't get all up in her business, yk

Me who doesn't ship Taylor with anyone (or any real people in general) and finds Gaylors especially weird watching the prologue drama unfold

I swear I don't love the drama

1989 tv Typed Prologue

When I was 24 I sat in a backstage dressing room in London, buzzing with anticipation. My backup singers and bandmates gathered around me in a scattered circle. Scissors emerged and I watched in the mirror as my locks of long curly hair fell in piles on the floor. There I was in my plaid button down shirt, grinning sheepishly as my tour mates and friends cheered on my haircut. This simple thing that everyone does. But I had a secret. For me, it was more than a change of hairstyle. When I was 24, I decided to completely reinvent myself.

How does a person reinvent herself, you ask? In any way I could think of. Musically, geographically, aesthetically, behaviorally, motivationally ... and I did so joyfully. The curiosity I had felt the first murmurs of while making “Red” had amplified into a pulsing heartbeat of restlessness in my ears. The risks I took when I toyed with pop sounds and sensibilities on “Red”? I wanted to push it further. The sense of freedom I felt when traveling to big bustling cities? I wanted to live in one. The voices that had begun to shame me in new ways for dating like a normal young woman? I wanted to silence them.

You see — in the years preceding this, I had become the target of slut shaming — the intensity and relentlessness of which would be criticized and called out if it happened today. The jokes about my amount of boyfriends. The trivialization of my songwriting as if it were a predatory act of a boy crazy psychopath. The media co-signing of this narrative. I had to make it stop because it was starting to really hurt.

It became clear to me that for me there was no such thing as casual dating, or even having a male friend who you platonically hang out with. If I was seen with him, it was assumed I was sleeping with him. And so I swore off hanging out with guys, dating, flirting or anything that could be weaponized against me by a culture that claimed to believe in liberating women but consistently treated me with the harsh moral codes of the Victorian Era.

Being a consummate optimist, I assumed I could fix this if I simply changed my behavior. I swore off dating and decided to focus only on myself, my music, my growth, and my female friendships. If I only hung out with my female friends, people couldn’t sensationalize or sexualize that — right? I would learn later on that people could and people would.

But none of that mattered then because I had a plan and I had a demeanor as trusting as a basket of golden retriever puppies. I had the keys to my own apartment in New York and I had new melodies bursting from my imagination. I had Max Martin and Shellback who were happy to help me explore this new sonic landscape I was enamored with. I had a new friend named Jack Antonoff who had made some cool tracks in his apartment. I had the idea that the album would be called "1989," and we would reference big 80's synths and write sky high choruses. I had sublime, inexplicable faith and I ran right toward it. In high heels and a crop top.

There was so much that I didn’t know then, and looking back I see what a good thing that was. This time of my life was marked by right kind of naïveté, a hunger for adventure, and a sense of freedom I hadn’t tasted before. It turns out that the cocktail of naïveté, hunger for adventure and freedom can lead to some nasty hangovers, metaphorically speaking. Of course everyone had something to say. But they always will. I learned lessons, paid prices, and tried to ... don’t say it ... don’t say it ... I’m sorry, I have to say it ... shake it off.

I’ll always be so incredibly grateful for how you loved and embraced this album. You, who followed my zig zag creative choices and cheered on my risks and experiments. You, who heard the wink and humor in “Blank Space” and maybe even empathized with the pain behind the satire. You, who saw the seeds of allyship and advocating for equality in “Welcome to New York.” You, who knew that maybe a girl who surrounds herself with female friends in adulthood is making up for a lack of them in childhood (not starting a tyrannical hot girl cult). You, who saw that I reinvent myself for a million reasons, and that one of them is to try my very best to entertain you. You, who have had the grace to allow me the freedom to change.

I was born in 1989, reinvented for the first time in 2014, and a part of me was reclaimed in 2023 with the re-release of this album I love so dearly. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the magic you would sprinkle on my life for so long.

This moment is a reflection of the woods we’ve wandered through and all this love between us still glowing in the darkest dark.

I present to you, with gratitude and wild wonder, my version of “1989.”

It’s been waiting for you.

Prologue 🩵🤍

Like listen, someday Taylor might be asked about the Gaylor thing straight up and she's gonna end up giving a no bullshit Easter egg free simple answer and people will still go up in arms and at each other's throats like

"NO THAT'S WHAT TREE TOLD HER TO SAY IT'S A PR THING SHE'S JUST NOT READY TO COME OUT BECAUSE OF HOMOPHOBIA SHE'S ATTACKING US"

"WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT HER TO DO OR SAY TO MAKE HERSELF CLEAR, SIGN A SWORN AFFIDAVIT?"

So let people believe what they will, if you can't beat them, just give up altogether and don't fight them at all. Like, people wanna believe they're reading between the lines and that there are secret messages written in invisible ink for only them to see, and then when they bring the UV light to the absolutely completely unadulterated ordinary sheet of white as chalk paper and nothing comes up they're like "oh, this is some really good invisible ink"

“If I only hung out with my female friends, people couldn't sensationalize or sexualize that right? I would learn later on that people could and people would.”

— Taylor Swift on hanging out with female friends in her ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ prologue.

1989 is still my least favorite album regardless (something has to be last) but I think the prologue and the vault songs will revitalize the entire album and era for me. Not because I didn’t already know these things and needed them said to me but it’s the candidness and candor that I appreciate. There was always something missing in the album and era and I think it’s finally here.

The way the last kinda fun album release was Midnights 😭