If she’s staying true to her song, Taylor Swift is no longer walking through Cornelia Street, now that her relationship with Joe Alwyn has come to an end.
“I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends, I’d never walk Cornelia Street again, that’s the kind of heartbreak time could never mend,” wrote Swift in her 2019 album, “Lover,” which was famously inspired by Alwyn.
Reports from Entertainment Tonight, CNN and People Magazine this past weekend indicate that the accomplished singer-songwriter and her boyfriend, English actor Joe Alwyn, have broken up after six years of dating. Despite the timing of the reports, they say that the couple broke up weeks ago.
The news sent Swifties, the self-proclaimed title of the 33-year-old singer’s most die-hard fans, into a social media frenzy. Memes about the breakup flooded Twitter as fans mourned Swift’s relationship. “Make sure to check in on your swiftie friends this evening,” Twitter user @nextlevelsteph posted to her feed.
For senior Maura Ende, the president of the Swift Society at USC, the breakup heavily impacted her, though Ende admits that break-ups are common occurrences.
“Honestly, I could say that I’ve given up on love because of this breakup, but that’s not true — they are just human beings, and people go through breakups,” Ende said. “It does make me sad that she has to go through this and I love her and her music because they convey feelings and emotions in a way I’ve never heard articulated before,” adding that these things just happen.
Ende also pointed out that Swift breaking up with her long-time boyfriend would fuel the notoriously sexist comments Swift has faced throughout her career.
“I am terrified that Taylor’s singleness will resurrect the classic misogynistic discourse surrounding her love life in the past,” Ende said. “Once again, her love life will be put under a microscope, despite her tendency to keep her personal life private over the past six and some years.”
Some fans were in denial that the longest-running relationship of the singer’s career had come to an end, while others searched for evidence to prove the reports to be true. One popular theory was that Swift confirmed the breakup recently while on her Eras Tour, as she chose to perform “the 1,” a song about regrets with an ex-partner, in place of performing “invisible string,” a song Swifties claim is about Alwyn.
While social media continues to flood with a discussion about Swift and Alwyn’s ending, knowledge of the situation varies from person to person on USC’s campus.
“I actually haven’t heard about Taylor Swift’s breakup yet,” said Cyrus Booth, a freshman economics major from Connecticut. “I guess this is how I’m finding out.”
Despite not having much knowledge about the situation, Booth understood the attention surrounding it. “I think that there are definitely some people who will find this newsworthy,” he said. “Personally, I don’t really care for or pay attention to the love lives of celebrities.”
Tyler Kokes, a freshman political science major from Dallas, echoed Booth. “I didn’t hear anything about it because I don’t really follow celebrity news,” Kokes said.
Though far from being “Swifties,” Booth and Kokes both noticed a musical opportunity behind the breakup. “I know that she has a lot of breakup songs already, so I feel like this will only add to that,” said Booth. “Overall, it sort of gives her more content to work with.” Kokes shared similar thoughts: “She’ll use the breakup as inspiration for new music, which her fans will love.”
Sara Gordon, a sophomore communication major from New York City and a Swiftie herself, has already been mourning the breakup.
“I found out about [the breakup] through TikTok,” she said. “I do think that people think that this is newsworthy given that her and her boyfriend dated for six years, which I think is the longest that Taylor Swift has ever publicly dated someone.”
Gordon brought up the interesting point of the breakup occurring amidst Swift’s popular Eras Tour, and the effect that it could have on her performances.
“I think that this news will honestly benefit her because her fans will show up to her concerts in a way that they haven’t before,” she said. “The Eras Tour is huge, and the fact that she’s fresh off of a breakup will fuel her fans as well as her performances.”
Fans have mourned the breakup by laying flowers at Swift’s old home address in New York City on Cornelia Street.
Swift has not publicly responded to the news.