Millions have awaited today over the past few months. November 12th, 2021.
Red.
Taylor Swift’s album, Red (Taylor’s Version), has been re-released today with ten added songs. The added songs include the hit country song, Better Man, previously sung by Little Big Town but written by the Queen herself. Songs also include Ed Sheeran, who was featured on the original album on Everything Has Changed and now Run. Phoebe Bridgers, Chris Stapleton, and Gary Lightbody are also featured in Nothing New, I Bet You Think About Me, and The Last Time.
However, the most-awaited and jaw-dropping ten-minute masterpiece, ALL TOO WELL, was released along with the 29 others.
All Too Well is known in the fan base as Taylor’s heartfelt reach to every heartbroken woman on the floor of their bathroom at midnight.
“And you call me up again just to break me like a promise.”
“You kept me a secret, but I kept you like an oath.”
These lyrics are questions, thoughts, prayers, and fleeting moments all humans have experienced. But the difference between our silenced thoughts and Taylor’s lyrics is her ability to put pain, anguish, and spite into a song that captivates millions.
Ten Minutes of heartbreak. Ten minutes of reoccurring fever dreams. Ten minutes of filming cab isn’t thoughts put out for the world to experience.
Ten minutes full of learning mistakes and reevaluating time.
Love does not always last.
Love is trust.
Love is RED.
The most magical part about this album release is that I am stuck in my room sick, but I can hear every car pass my window with Taylor Swift blasting through speakers.
These cars are fleeting, and I only get a glimpse of a song, but it is symbolic to the album; we only get a glimpse of her mind.
Red’s re-release should challenge us fans, listeners, or window openers to learn from Taylor’s vulnerability.
Give a glimpse of yourself to a friend or stranger and see what you receive back.
You could receive love and acceptance from someone you would never have expected.
Feminism is not about hiding your thoughts away from the world with the hope of treating people equally. Feminism is being vulnerable and expressing thoughts and feelings through different modes of communication.
So text those friends you have been putting off, talk to people in your classes, laugh at jokes you hear from across the room, and give credit where credit is due.
Communicate feelings.
Taylor Swift does this effortlessly through her music, and I believe we could all learn a few things from her, including…
– Do not stay if the relationship is not equal. It is okay to run, and sometimes it is the best thing you will ever do.
– People are okay to lose, but the moments are okay to remember forever
– Missing past lovers is human nature
– Feelings are not always able to be put into words sometimes; they are colors.
– Trouble enters our lives and follows us even if we know better, but it is our responsibility to tumble out of it no matter how many scratches and learn from our mistakes.
Our minds and hearts are not always in sync but figuring out how to sync with others is how true equality will follow us home.
So catch those fleeting moments and learn from transient hearts that chased you down last December 😉
ShoutOut! James Madison University 
I love this! I think that Taylor Swift is a great role model because she uses her platform to share her political opinions and she encourages people to vote. I also agree that many of her lyrics are empowering. Love this topic choice!!
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I loved the end of this blog a lot! Thank you for touching on the importance of communicating feelings. It’s something that Taylor gets a lot of negative feedback about, how she only sings about her exes and how she feels about them. But when a male rights a song about exes (WHICH THEY DO ALL THE TIME) its vulnerable and excellent. Sigh. That could be a whole other blog topic.
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I am glad to know that I was not the only person excited for Red to come out. I agree with @stillstanding99‘s point on communicating feelings. Women as a whole get kickback for communicating their feelings, especially if it is in a negative way.
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I am SO glad that you wrote about the release of Red (Taylor’s Version). I have been a Swiftie since I was 8 years old. Even the reasoning behind her having to rerecord her own album shows her perseverance in a mostly male industry. I agree with @sofunnyandsillyxoxo on how by using her platform she has become a great role model.
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