World-famous singer/songwriter Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce announced their engagement last week. Naturally, the news sucked all the oxygen out of the media space. What a stark contrast their proclamation received compared to the betrothal announcement from Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bonjovi. While Swifties are delighted that their superstar finally seems to be getting her happy ending, fans of Brown were in an uproar because she was just 19 years old when she decided to get married (she made her vows at age 20). Gasp! At 35, Swift’s age is much more acceptable to the feminists out there.
Neither Swift nor Kelce is of particular interest to conservatives because both lean to the left politically and socially. Why, then, should we take the time to talk about their engagement? Why should we care about two celebrities tying the knot?
First, we should care because the institution of marriage is worth celebrating. Taylor Swift, whose life is written through song, is emblematic of our younger generations’ arrested development. Her taking that next step in her relationship is significant and will hopefully change her for the better.
Marriage may provide a different sort of fodder for Swift’s music and perhaps launch her into a new era and sound. In her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” she explores the darkness of a failed love affair and the post-break-up roller coaster of emotions. She is set to debut a new album, “Life of a Showgirl,” on October 3, detailing her life as an entertainer.
A healthy marriage has a way of maturing those who enter into it. I have critiqued Taylor in the past, stating, “Swift’s lyrics clearly show that she doesn’t want to grow up. She seemingly wants love and marriage, but she is in a vicious cycle as long as she isn’t willing to grow up.” By committing to Kelce, Swift is taking that next step, and it will be interesting to see how that affects her schtick of writing about love and then playing the victim.
Second, Swift and Kelce have a strong fan following and, thus, significant cultural relevance. Politics is downstream of culture, and while a lot of Swifties may not have agreed with Taylor’s pro-Kamala Harris push last year, marriage is the arena of culture. Perhaps her choosing to settle down and get married may change the hearts and minds of some of her fans who wouldn’t have considered it before.
Could we see a Swift/Kelce marriage snowball effect? One never knows, but marriage rates and birth rates are down. Young Americans are opting out of starting families and are denying themselves something more permanent than the “boss babe” life and hook-up culture.
“I do expect that their engagement will make some young people pause and reconsider the script they’ve been fed — that career comes first, that love is temporary, that vows are outdated,” podcaster Gates Garcia predicts in The Daily Wire. “Seeing the most famous woman on the planet say yes to marriage — and seeing one of the NFL’s biggest stars embrace that same choice — undercuts the lie that commitment is uncool.”
Only time will tell if there’s a pending marriage and baby boom. In the meantime, congratulations to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce on their engagement. May their marriage be blessed and a blessing.
