14 DAY TRIAL // There was a time when Taylor Swift’s love life held the headlines in all the tabloids and celebrity publications, but it’s been months since she’s been linked to another man. In fact, these days, the only media attention she gets besides for her music is for the reportedly strained relationship with BFF Selena Gomez.
And Taylor is just fine with that, she admits in her new interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Since she’s being candid on topics she doesn’t usually discuss in the press, she also adds that she hasn’t been on a date since she and One Direction member Harry Styles broke up.
The two dated for a few months in late 2012, but even in late 2013, there still were rumors that she was pining away for him, looking for ways to make their paths cross and writing music for him.
Taylor is finally OK with being single
None of that was true, the singer admits. She’s been single since the Styles breakup and isn’t looking to find another boyfriend too soon. If you think that the media scrutiny that comes with going public with a new boyfriend has something to do with Taylor’s decision, you’re right.
“People are going to feel sorry for me when you write that. But it's true,” she says. “And I'm just not comfortable providing that kind of entertainment anymore. I don't like seeing slide shows of guys I've apparently dated.”
“I don't like giving comedians the opportunity to make jokes about me at awards shows. I don't like it when headlines read ‘Careful, Bro, She'll Write a Song About You,’ because it trivializes my work,” Taylor explains.
However, what she hates the most is the fact that all these things probably killed many a good relationships in the bud, because they added to the pressure the guy she was dating must have been feeling.
Learning a valuable lesson: sometimes less is more
With her love life too, like with many other things, Taylor used to have a no-holds-barred approach. This meant that, whenever she had a new boyfriend, she would not hesitate to go public with him after the first couple of dates, which is something that no celebrity of her caliber does.
The idea in showbiz is that you don’t “go public” until you’re certain that you’ll be with that guy / gal for at least one year at the minimum. Otherwise, you risk being painted in the media as a floozy or a womanizer, and that can translate into a negative impact on your career.
Taylor never did that, which explains why there are so many paparazzi photos of her on dates with Jake Gyllenhaal (whom she only went out with for about 3 months), Styles, Patrick Schwarzenegger, John Meyer, Taylor Lautner, or any of the guys she actually dated for a hot second.
This is what led to headlines and jokes of the type she’s referring to, so it’s actually refreshing to see that Taylor has learned her lesson: privacy should be a priority. Not revealing everything about your personal life might feel like you’re being untrue to your fans, but it will spare you a lot of headaches in your dealings with the tabloid press.