Zephyr III
Fall 2023 In Review: On T-Swift, Wheel of Time, and Masculine Nihilism
I write this fresh from watching the televised form of the Eras tour, which just debuted this weekend. Taylor Swift, on whom I also had something to say here, has been a not insignificantly positive force for the mental health of many young women that I know, including my spouse, and it was for this reason that I agreed to go see the concert. I wouldn’t describe myself as a Swiftie, exactly, but I’m adjacent: I get it, and I appreciate her talents as a writer, a performer, and a musician; I even share some of the experiences that she describes in her songs. But I also acknowledge that they’re not for me, really, and that any benefit I derive from them is secondary. T-Swift is hitting home with so many young women, not only in the United States but around the world, because she describes well the experiences of young women in late modernity and models a path of adult becoming that seems realistic, attainable, and collaborative rather than competitive (her massive fame and wealth notwithstanding).
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