Ex-Swifties… can we lament together?

I was a huge fan of Taylor’s music from 2010 until 2025 when she released The Life of A Showgirl.

Even though I liked some her her previous albums more than others, all of them had songs that I loved and that resonated emotionally. (Even on TTPD, I adore Down Bad, Chloe et al, Guilty as Sin, and The Prophecy.) Each album had songs that were recognizable as Taylor Swift songs.

It somewhat confuses me when people say that everything released after folklore and evermore was bad, when it seems to me like this sharp decline clearly happened with TLOAS. The album and this new deluxe / Encore version of it are absolutely irredeemable to me as a longtime fan.

The lyrics are clunky, the melodies are clunky, and the visuals are completely mismatched with the sound of the album. The songs do not make you feel seen. They don’t even make you want to empathize with her. And the worst part is the storytelling has vanished from her writing style. She has nothing to say, and when she does have something to say it’s not compelling or interesting or profound. Or the narrative is so confusing that you walk away not even knowing what the song was about

It’s also very frustrating seeing Swifties say “you just hate fun!” Or “you would’ve hated 1989 when it came out! Everyone did!” Not only are they rewriting history, but it’s baffling to me that they truly cannot tell the difference between boppy songs on 1989 and the songs on TLOAS.

So ex-swifties… When did the veil lift for you? Do you also find it difficult to find other people who believe she used to be great and her recent music isn’t? The discourse on her music is so black and white and I’m glad a space like this exists