Taylor Swift is the narrator of "You belong with me", AND the villain.

You belong with me is probably one of the most popular Taylor Swift songs. Its reputation, however, changed a lot through the last ten to fifteen years, turning from a relatable love song to the "I'm not like other girls" anthem, although, overall, people still have a good memory tied to this single.

According to Wikipedia, Swift wrote the song after she overheard a friend arguing on the phone with his girlfriend. Starting from that moment, she created a fictional narrative inspired by the typical romance films of the 2000s. But what if this story also had a different meaning?

While reflecting on it, I've realized that this song says a lot more about Taylor Swift than it might seem. Not about her artistry, but about her persona.

When Taylor Swift released Fearless, she was eighteen, namely a teenager, just like the characters of the video.

She surely shared some characteristics with the protagonist, such as playing instruments, falling in love, being a caring friend, and being willing to try different styles.

However, she was also a celebrity. She already had some recurring elements in her style, and she definitely wasn't a wallflower, at least not as much as the protagonist of the video.

Speaking of her style during the Fearless era, she was clearly leaning towards the "short skirts and high heels" side rather than the "t-shirts and sneakers" one.

When we think about the contrast between girly girls and "not like other girls" girls, most of us women, including myself, feel unrepresented by both labels.

Sure, we all had a "not like other girls" phase but, actually, we fell in a grey area, as teens. Personally, I was trying to get rid of the "bookworm" label by trying to fit into a more alternative image, since I listened to a lot of metal and rock music. However, during my teenage years, I also experimented a lot with my looks, just like the narrator of You belong with me, and I even wore short skirts and high heels on some occasions.

According to this story, some of you might think that I was definitely more on the "t-shirt and sneakers" side. However, for me, it would mean erasing an important part of my life as a teenager, where I shamelessly enjoyed doing make-up and trying out conventionally feminine looks.

I have never met Taylor Swift, nor do I know her personally, but I am quite confident that she went through a similar process of experimenting, not only because it's a typical teenager behavior, but also because she managed to reinvent herself many times throughout her career. These elements lead me to think that it's quite realistic that such a reinvention process would likely have happened in her personal life as well.

Now, what most non-swifties don't know is that Taylor Swift has always been quite open about her personal interests; even a bit of a geek, you might say.

I'll tell you a few examples: Tim McGraw, the very first track of her eponymous debut album, is named after one of her favorite country artists. Two of her cats are named after characters from TV series she enjoys - Olivia Benson from Law & Order: SVU, and Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy. Swift has also referred to and recommended several books, ranging from popular young adult novels to classics.

By crafting the narrative around her "short skirts and high heels" side, the media erased her geek persona, at least to some extent. This phenomenon is nothing new: young women have always been villanized and falsely represented by entertainment media at some point in their careers.

Ironically, this article started with explaining why Taylor Swift shares some similarities with the villain of You belong with me, and ended with the description of Swift's nerdy, lesser-known side. However, both need to be acknowledged when reflecting on this song.

I hope you enjoyed this article, and, if you want to know more, click here to see all my sources and extra content for further research!