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Let’s go undercover and find out what Swifties think.
It started three weeks ago when Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift dating rumors turned into a small, simmering chatter. I knew the only way to get real information about what the Swifties thought of Kelsey was to go undercover to the source, turn over every stone, and meet them on their turf.
Joining was easy, but ingratiating myself with Swifty was going to be one of my most difficult tasks. It was like that moment in a mafia movie where the main character was caught and had to put on a wire. There is always a tense scene in the restaurant where they are afraid of being discovered and are very wary every time they scratch their chest or move awkwardly.
It’s time to enter.
Step 1: Change your username and avatar.
I knew that in order to start this process, I needed to use my long-time Discord username rather than create a new account. Creating a new account without a posting history will be problematic, and Swifties are smart enough to see that.
After about 27 seconds of thinking and Googling, I settled on my new look.
I was the fun Swifty. I had to choose my favorite Taylor album and I chose 1989which I quickly realized was something of a personality trait in the world of Swifty.
Step 2: Melt the ice
Having established my identity, I started #taylor-discussions to get the ball rolling.
What alarmed me was that in mid-September no one knew who Travis Kelce was. He was an enigma in Swift’s world. That’s when I realized I might be in the wrong place. No, not the wrong Discord, not the wrong channel. I foolishly thought #taylor-discussion was for discussing Taylor, when in fact it was for introducing myself to other Swifties. Where are you going In fact talking about Taylor is one of these three channels.
I had no idea what that meant. I needed a Taylor Swift-based Rosetta Stone to hide their fancy tongue. Was I Meredith, Olivia or Benjamin? What secrets did these three channels keep?
Oh, never mind, those are just the names of her cats.
It turned out that “Meredith” was for talking about Taylor, “Olivia” was for talking about tours, and “Benjamin” was for photos or videos of Taylor. I can’t verify if this is true, but each of the cat channels had their own little sub-clicks.
I went to Meredith and asked something else and they thought I was talking about Travis Scott.
There was still a lot of confusion regarding who Travis Kelce was. I needed to rethink my plan.
Step 3: The Waiting Game
Over the next week, I looked at SwiftCord from time to time. Just to say “lol” or agree with what someone said. I needed to shake myself off to be accepted by the hive before more information could be gathered.
Step 4: Anarchy
When news broke that Taylor was going to see Travis play at Arrowhead, the Discord lit up like a Christmas tree. A few days earlier they had no idea who this man was and thought it was Travis Scott, but now it was Kelsey’s World in Discord. Many people were in favor of a possible alliance, but others were wary.
Most people were just happy that Taylor was happy.
I also learned that there is a group of gay Taylor fans called the Gaylors who were particularly excited about Swift x Kelce.
When a blurry image of Taylor leaving Arrowhead Stadium in Travis’ Chevelle appeared, it sent them into a tizzy.
It was something out of a fairy tale.
Even the usually slow #taylor-theories were discussing Travis Kelce and whether there were secret messages behind their relationship.
What have I learned from Swifties?
Nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to Swifty’s passion. I don’t care if you spend thousands every year on season tickets, clothing and decor to represent your favorite team – Swifties invest the hell out of every second of their day listening to, discussing or thinking about Taylor Swift.
As for Travis Kelce, they really like him. There is a sense of expectation that Taylor will make this relationship more public than those in the past, which in turn will give Swifty more insight into Taylor’s personal life.
Finding out about Kelsey meant digging All he’s done this in the past. Every big play, every person I’ve met. They absorbed every headline. Swifties love that Travis took a knee during the anthem in 2017 because it shows the same commitment to social justice as Taylor. They are obsessed with the fact that he has a good relationship with his mother. They think his dedication to football shows drive and determination, something good he can bring to a relationship.
The sage wisdom of the Spice Girls taught us, “If you want to be my lover, you have to hang out with my friends.” Well, for Travis Kelce, if he wants to be with Taylor, he’ll have to collaborate with the Swifties—and so far, he has their approval.
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