Editors Note: This story placed first in the written review on-the-spot FSPA contest at the District Four Workshop on Oct. 23.

With minimal promotion before its release, other than a few promotional photos showing Taylor Swift in various burlesque-esque outfits, catching listeners’ attention for “The Life of a Showgirl,” Swift’s newest studio album, was crucial. Unfortunately, as the first song in the album, “The Fate of Ophelia” does a good job of providing a clue as to what the rest of the album will hold: a concerning shift to dependency from the previously outspoken singer. 

While many surface-level critiques can be made of this song, the most egregious is that of the song’s unifying metaphor: the Shakespearean character Ophelia, who was betrayed by her lover before losing her mind and drowning in a river. While seemingly fitting to Swift’s common thematic notes, it provides a confusing narrative that has potentially problematic implications. 

With lyrics such as: “And if you’d never come for me, I might’ve drowned in the melancholy,” and “You… saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia.” the song suggests the idea that Swift would’ve gone crazy and died without a man to save her; a shockingly abrupt departure from her previous ideals, as she has stated many times that this is not something she agrees with and has written entire songs about how this is a problematic and misogynistic narrative. 

This is emblematic of a greater direction change that her music has been taking since her newest relationship began, that is, beginning to romanticize more traditional views. It seems like the singer is shifting in a way that might not agree with her fanbase, and reinforcing things her haters have said for decades: that Swift is not actually as empowering as she’s supposed to be.

What’s most concerning is that Swift’s audience is comprised largely of young, impressionable girls who are learning from these songs what love is supposed to be. It’s greatly irresponsible for the singer to promote the idea that women need a man to save them from themselves, especially considering that Swift has spoken out against this before. One can only hope that the singer doesn’t continue on this path, as when combined with the many other criticisms she has been receiving recently, it may mark the end of the beginning for her previously curated public image.