Who's Afraid of Some Tortured Taylor? (Maybe we should be)
Taylor's new album, some Title IX shenanigans, and a Mother's Day gift guide!
Hello, friends! Happy…Saturday? Yes, we’re one day late here at The Slip, but better late than never, right? Sometimes LIFE happens and when it does, you just gotta go with the flow, you know?
Anyway, let’s get down to business! On tap we’ve got:
An honest review of The Tortured Poets Department
A Mother’s Day Gift Guide
A “WTF” screed about Biden’s new Title IX changes
But first…
1 Thing to do today (if nothing else)
Text your best friend and tell her she’s doing great. I don’t care who she is or what she’s been up to lately, I promise she could use the encouragement. Just do it :)
Gut Check: Taylor Swift’s new album - Are we all sufficiently confused?
Here’s the honest truth: I have read exactly zero other reviews of Taylor Swift’s new album so this is a 100%, unvarnished take. Get excited! Also: Yes, I listened to it at 2 AM the night it dropped. Am I that big of a Swiftie? No. But third trimester pregnancy insomnia pretty much guarantees you’re awake at odd hours of the night and so there I was, opening my Spotify app to give good ol’ Taylor’s new album a whirl while wrapped around one of my two pregnancy pillows. And the truth is…wait for it…I basically haven’t stopped listening to it since. Not because I love it…because I’m so doggone confused by it. Should I feel sorry for her? Bad for her? Proud of her? All of the above?
There are some very, very good songs on this 31-track extended album. And…some not so good songs. For example, I struggle greatly with the title track, The Tortured Poets Department. The protagonist, a mysterious tortured soul (ok not so mysterious, cough cough Matty Healy) is clearly a troubled guy. Clearly going through something. And so I can’t help but feel as though Taylor’s oft-repeated “Who’s gonna hold you like me” line comes off as a bit manipulative. It reminds me of the stereotypical not-so-great boyfriend who manipulates the girl into staying with him by saying things like “who else is going to want you? No one!” And so she stays, far longer than she should. And maybe this isn’t a fair comparison, but also maybe Taylor should have let her tortured bird fly free instead of constantly telling him there is no one else out there who could possibly hold him like she does. Sigh. I know the romance was short-lived so she eventually figured it out, but the lines still bother me and probably always will. It’d also be easier to ignore if the track wasn’t obviously so important to the identity of the entire album.
So what are we meant to take away from The Tortured Poets Department? The album is written - and sung - by someone who's clearly been through the grinder when it comes to love, but wants to proclaim to the world that’s mostly all behind her now. She knows her worth. She’s survived, and she’s moving on. Overall, it’s a message I think we can all relate to on some level - even if I do keep going back to my disappointment in TTPD the song and its cascading narcissism - not something I’m used to getting from Taylor. But then again, maybe it does make sense. After all, the album as a whole is clearly not for us. It’s for HER. And on one hand, that’s all that matters. If we like it, great. If not, who cares? It’s Taylor’s and Taylor’s alone.
Some bright spots:
I love “So Long, London.” This is vintage Taylor and it’s incredible. I also believe “thanK you, aIMee” will go down alongside the likes of “Blank Space”, “Style”, and “Marjorie” in the pantheon of Taylor Swift greats. And then there’s “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” It’s a jam, and at first glance, a nice anthem for self-empowerment. But I love it because it’s actually more complex than that. “The scandal was contained. The bullet had just grazed. At all costs, keep your good name. You don’t get to tell me you feel bad,” sings Taylor. “Is it a wonder I broke? Let’s hear one more joke. Then we can all just laugh until I cry…so I leap from the gallows and I levitate down your street. Crash the party like a record scratch as I scream. ‘Who’s afraid of little old me?... Well, you should be.”
Indeed, we should be. In this we have a Taylor who’s reminding us that, for all her perceived weaknesses as an artist, a celebrity, a role model, etc, she’s someone who’s been targeted over and over and over again. For years. Sometimes publicly, sometimes privately. Sometimes self-inflicted, sometimes not. But who cares? It takes its toll and in truth, yes, it killed her. The wounds were lethal, and yet she’s rising (“levitating”) from the gallows, not gone forever, to remind the haters: your stones may have broken me but be ready because here I come anyway. She’s not immortal and Taylor 2.0 is here and stronger than ever. And guess what? Regardless of what anyone says, we can’t stop listening. No, no we can’t. And that, I think, is the other takeaway of TTPD. If she’s that bad, why are we still listening to her music? Why are we still so obsessed? Why are we spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars on concert tickets? The answer, my dear friends, is because we like her. And you can’t fake cool, and yes, Taylor is cool. And in TTPD, she’s telling us she knows she’s cool, too - despite the tortured times. Despite the missteps. Despite the broken hearts. Despite everything. She’s just trying to do her thing and with TTPD, she’s certainly done it.
Feminist Files
Last week, Joe Biden unveiled some sweeping (Long! Awaited!) changes to Title IX protections for women that, among other things, lump transgender “women” in with biological women so they too can have protection against discrimination. The changes also rolled back Trump-era due process protections for those accused of sexual assault or rape on college campuses. Both changes are bad, and both represent a huge step backwards for women. For starters, we’ve written in The Slip enough times about how trans ideology is erasing womanhood. When the definition of “woman” is stretched to include “chest-feeders” and non-uterus-having people, women are erased. When biological men are told they are “woman enough” to change in female locker rooms and compete in female sports, women are erased. The fact that this is even up for debate, is gobsmacking to me, on more than one level. What’s more, due process is important. Not only is it a constitutional right, but for women to be taken seriously, their accusations need to be taken seriously. And the only way that happens is for them to be treated like the members of society that they are - and not some snowflake whose very word supersedes the constitutional rights of men everywhere. Men, yes even those on college campuses, deserve to be able to face their accuser. They deserve due process. It’s good for the guys and it’s good for us, too.
Kirsten Fleming has a good write-up in the New York Post about why these changes are so disturbing:
The Title IX changes introduced on Friday make a mockery of the original law passed in 1972, by rewriting discrimination on the basis of sex to now include the very amorphous concept of “gender identity” — something that is ruled by self-identification.
…
Ladies, once again have to suck it up. The landmark law written to give us equal opportunities and protections is now being weaponized against us.
The Slip’s Mother’s Day Gift Guide
Stumped this year? Let us help you!
For the mom who likes being pampered:
This Osea Malibu moisturizing duo. Pretty sure I’m recommended this in The Slip before, but it’s one of my true holy grail products. An immediate re-order when I run out.
For the mom who loves to cook:
The Big Heart Little Stove cookbook by The Lost Kitchen’s Erin French. Even if she doesn’t know who French is, I guarantee she’ll appreciate this cookbook. And if she doesn’t know French, she’ll be even more thankful that you introduced her to the chef extraordinaire from Maine. Seriously. I haven’t made anything from this book yet, but I’m a huge fan of French and can’t wait to dive in.
For the mom who loves to be outside:
Can’t go wrong with a really cute bird feeder! And heck - why not throw in some bug bite relief patches while you’re at it? We could ALL USE THEM.
For the mom who’s new at being a mom:
If she’s REALLY new: A subscription to Audible. There’s only so many podcasts to listen to during those night-time feedings. And I, for one, couldn’t bring myself to subject my baby to the glare of Netflix (but that was me). So why not let her enjoy a good book or two (or several) on you? I switched to Audible probably during week 3 or 4 of my midnight feeding journey last time around and wished I had done it sooner.
Also if she’s relatively new: A Stanley Tumblr. Yes, I know. Women are too obsessed with Stanley. Blah, blah, I get it, and I don’t care. I love my Stanley’s, and am particularly fond of the flip straw Tumblr. It’s super easy to carry around and doesn’t leak! And us moms need to stay hydrated. Stanley fans unite!
For the mom who’s now a grandma / has experienced several decades worth of Mother’s Days
An adorable tea kettle from Le Creuset in her favorite color (and a promise that you’ll both enjoy it together!)
Free Time
To buy: BeautyCounter’s Vitamin C serum. It’s pricey, but legit.
The listen: The Fifth Column’s episode with Batya Ungar-Sargon was really good.
To try: Topo Chico flavored sparkling water. I love this stuff.
Thank you for reading! We’ll see you in two weeks! -Amanda