Taylor Swift’s Engagement Proves It’s Okay to Take it Slow
Taylor Swift celebrates with Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs after defeating the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri. (PC: David Eulitt/Getty Images/TNS)
Your English teacher and your gym teacher getting married proves to Gen-Z that it’s okay to take your time and enjoy life.
It’s no secret that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged. On Aug. 25, Kelce proposed to Swift under a beautiful flower arch at his home garden in Lee Summit, Missouri. The following day, Swift announced her engagement on Instagram with the cute caption “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”
Taylor Swift has been a positive influence for women and girls for over 2 decades. Some grew up with her music in the early 2000s, some discovered her later in life, and some became parents and introduced their kids to her music.
As a long-time fan myself, I’ve seen Taylor Swift through all eras of her life, falling in love but having her heart broken, struggling with mental health, experimenting with different styles of music, and discovering and rediscovering herself all over again.
I listened to her songs about Joe Alwyn, her ex-boyfriend of 6 years, and like many fans, I thought he was the one. But then they broke up.
After a rocky rebound relationship with Matty Healy, she found Travis Kelce, the love of her life, and now, at 35, is engaged.
For years, the media speculated when she would get married and criticized her for not “settling down.” Some critics even called her old, claiming her time was running out.
Swift’s engagement teaches us an important lesson: that there’s no right age to find “the one” and get married.
In Western society, there’s an invisible roadmap that young people are expected to follow, and if their lives veer off into unknown territory, they’re criticized. This pressure can come from family, friends, and the media.
Teenagers and young adults are expected to have their first kiss, first date, and lose their virginity early. There’s nothing shameful about waiting to date, but TV and movies often equate not having a boyfriend or girlfriend to being uncool and unattractive.
In real life, that couldn’t be further from the truth. A lot of Gen Z youths didn’t date in high school because of the pandemic, or simply because they didn’t feel ready.
The dating platform Match partnered with the Kinsey Institute and conducted a survey called “Singles in America.” They asked 5,000 people of different ages about their dating experience and history. It was found that 69% of Gen Z respondents said they weren’t ready for a relationship.
Alyssa Townsend, a freshman at Elmhurst University, has yet to be in a relationship, but isn’t stressed over it.
Townsend said, “I haven’t found someone where the connection felt right and genuine.” Not feeling the need to conform to a societal standard, she continued, “I don’t want to rush into a relationship just because of peer pressure.”
Young and middle-aged adults feel the same pressure to get married. If Swift were the lead in a romantic comedy, her breakups would be treated as failures. Her mom would be scolding her that she’s in her 30s and needs to settle down.
Pew Research Center conducted a survey asking 3,600 Americans what they think is the best age to get married, have a child, buy a house, and retire. According to this specific survey, the average age Americans thought you should get married is 26.
If Taylor Swift had gotten married at 26, she probably wouldn’t have had the largest and most successful concert tour in the world in her 30s. That doesn’t mean she wouldn’t have been happy, but her life would’ve been different.
Swift’s example teaches teenagers and young adults all over the world that there’s no time limit on getting married, and your time spent discovering yourself is just as valuable.
