Romance is dead.
On Saturday (April 8), Entertainment Tonight(Opens in a new tab) reported that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn broke up after six years together. Their source revealed the couple split “a few weeks ago” and that “it wasn’t dramatic,” explaining “the relationship had just run its course. It’s why [Alwyn] hasn’t been spotted at any shows.” People(Opens in a new tab) independently confirmed the news that sent Swifties and Lover supremacists spiraling on social media.
As with any modern heartbreak, memes were made and Swift lyrics were tweeted.
If you’re unfamiliar with the lore of Toe (portmanteau and couple name of Swift and Alywn), you probably don’t understand the distress caused by the news. For most, Alwyn is not even a household name, but for Swifties, he’s the titular Lover.
The Midnights singer and British actor started dating in 2016. Fans speculate they met at the 2016 Met Gala based on the lyrics of Reputation cut “Dress”: “Flashback to when you met me / Your buzzcut and my hair bleached.” Because, you guessed it, Alwyn sported a buzzcut and Swift’s hair was bleached. At a secret session for Reputation, Swift reportedly told fans that the single “Gorgeous” was about her “angel boyfriend of one year.” Other tracks off of Reputation like “Delicate,” “Call It What You Want,” and “King Of My Heart” are also thought to be about Alwyn.
Her next album, Lover, is also understood to be about Alwyn with songs like “London Boy” — Alwyn is famously British and a Pisces— “Paper Rings,” “Cornelia Street,” “Daylight,” and the titular “Lover.” During quarantine the couple started collaborating creatively. Alwyn surpassed his muse status and co-wrote Folklore tracks “Exile” and “Betty,” Evermore songs “Champagne Problems” and “Coney Island, and most recently, “Sweet Nothing” off Midnights. Other tracks on her most recent three albums canonically about Alwyn include: “Invisible String” and “Peace.”
Phew, that’s a lot of Toe mythology. And boy, oh boy are they. Out-of-context lyrics are running amuck on Twitter on TikTok. (“Cornelia Street,” “King Of My Heart,” and “Peace” are hitting Swifties particularly hard.) As one Twitter user wrote, “taylor swift breaking up with the person she wrote peace about has the potential to be absolutely catastrophic for the girls.”
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Needless to say it’s a tumultuous time to be a Swiftie, many using ironic political memes to convey the gravity of the situation. One shows former President Obama in the Situation Room.
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Same fans are focused on the implications of this break up on the Multiverse of Sadness, the fan-made mind map connecting the leading men of Sally Rooney adaptations, female musicians, and other essential Girl Media. One tweet reads, “the sally rooney verse is crumbling before our very eyes.”
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Other fans have translated their online grief into real-life action by making the pilgrimage to Swift’s old apartment on Cornelia Street in New York City to leave flowers and take photos.
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Only time will tell what era is in store for Swift next.
