Taylor Swift's engagement: a triumph for old values?
Pop superstar Taylor Swift and American professional footballer Travis Kelce have got engaged in Missouri. A news story which would normally only make headlines in the tabloids and in fan circles is making waves well beyond, and has even drawn comment from the US President. Europe's press also asks: what does this say about our society and our times?
Finally a bit of glamour instead of disaster
The taz explains why the engagement is anything but insignificant:
“US Republicans thought they had scored a victory in their culture war: the almost monarchical aura that Taylor Swift exudes in Western societies makes everything she does a potential cause for a gabfest. ... Activist and Trump confidant Charlie Kirk expressed his hope that the marriage would make Swift more 'conservative' and 'de-radicalise' her. Among Swift fans, on the other hand, the reactions range from delight to shock: as a proud 'childless cat lady', they had elevated the musician to the status of a liberal feminist icon. Now their projections are in jeopardy. Nevertheless, for a brief moment the West has regained some much-needed glamour. Fascist state reforms, the aiding and abetting of war crimes, environmental disaster - it's all so unsexy and hard to sell.”
No shift to the right in this romance
Polityka says the engagement has a signal effect:
“Swift and Kelce's engagement is an important cultural event that is part of the discussion about the return to traditional values. On closer inspection, it reveals many tensions and unresolved conflicts. ... There is nothing to suggest that Swift would transform herself into an icon of the right - quite the contrary: Travis Kelce exemplifies non-toxic masculinity and his respect for his fiancée's achievements and work is completely at odds with the attitudes of various gurus of the 'manosphere'.”