Over the weekend, Entertainment Tonight reported that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn have separated after six years of dating. While Swift, 33, and Alwyn, 32, have not confirmed the split themselves, a source “close to Swift” confirmed the news to CNN saying, “Taylor and Joe broke up a few weeks ago. They simply grew apart and plan to remain friends.”
Despite the amicable ending, the breakup has shaken Taylor Nation to its already emotionally unhinged core:
@imgoingtojump the world is a cruel place #taylorswift #joealwyn #fyp #midnights #lover #reputation #alltoowell
♬ All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) – Taylor Swift
(By the way, I am part of this demographic, don’t come after me, fellow Swifties.)
But unlike Swift’s other breakups, this one feels a little more gut-wrenching. While Alwyn and Swift intentionally kept their relationship private, the little glimpses we did get into their partnership showed a happy, healthy, and strong couple. Alwyn also inspired “Lavender Haze” on Swift’s recent studio album Midnights.
“My relationship for six years, we’ve had to dodge weird rumors, tabloid stuff, and we just ignore it,” Swift told Entertainment Tonight. “And so this song is sort of about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff. I hope you guys like it.”
The Internet is having trouble processing how a relationship can inspire songs like “Lavender Haze” only to end mere months later, especially because Swift and Alwyn seemingly did everything right.
They kept their romance between just themselves. They protected “the real stuff” and loved with deep intention and commitment.
And yet, they still didn’t work.
But maybe that’s okay. Because maybe love isn’t about how long it lasts or if it has forever potential. Maybe the best love stories are actually the ones that we were still brave enough to write despite their expiration dates.
Just because something ends, that doesn’t mean it didn’t matter or doesn’t matter. Love doesn’t always need to fall apart spectacularly in order for it end either. Sometimes, it simply needs to run its course. And when love leaves, perhaps one of the most romantic and loving things we can do for one another is to let each other go when it is time to do so.
But not all hope is lost. Because just as Swift once said, love is like daylight. It always arrives again.