2016, players, catching feelings, rap songs. Love isn't true, love isn't real, and a tweet with this message can get a thousand retweets in the divorce generation, in the multitude that grew up only seeing love on TV. Derek and Meredith, Monica and Chandler, Cory and Topanga. Love is a hot guy and a hotter girl. Only a guy and girl. Usually white. Love is to a woman's disadvantage because it's funny to cheat on them, it's okay to string them along, and then make fun of them for accepting that behavior. A romantic in this day and age will get eaten alive. The romantic suffers heartbreak after heartbreak, is laughed at behind her back, is the friend who's always with an "ain't shit". Monogamy is expiring and to search for such a thing can break you. Two fools together can last for a while, but how long is that? A year or two? How many Instagram anniversary posts?
There'll always be a girl with a gentle heart getting bitten. Maybe this is because the girl is seeking love for an artistic purpose. A girl can be Romeo, poetic and depressed in the face of a human's greatest emotion. Love says more about the lover than the relationship. Dating is more interesting than loving yourself. Even when a girl knows someone's dark intentions it's hard for her to tear herself away. There's always the penetrating hope that it can be like the movies, my lover can change, I will be the special one that changes him, or I will be able to make her love again. A girl is taught to wither, to be the ultimate sacrifice for a man and put herself beneath him. Or, a girl is taught to hide her relationship with another girl, lest it be looked down upon or considered solely sexual, reducing their relationship to orientation. Love for a woman is about taking a man back when he cheats and being submissive to a husband, or about dodging attacks and keeping yourself safe. Will you stay with a man who beats you? Will you stay with your transgender lover, beyond all odds of those who might hurt them and also hurt you? Can you stay with a woman after Orlando?
There is also a restless girl, who won't settle down, who won't let anyone in. There's a joy in pushing others away, in being Romeo, yet retreating to yourself when things go wrong.
If love is considered more important to women, why is it to their disadvantage? A girl is always getting hurt.
Energetic dance performance under the spotlight.
Taylor Swift in a purple coat, captivating the crowd on stage.
Taylor Swift shines on stage in a sparkling outfit and boots.
Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers sharing a joyful duet on stage.
