END OF TOE (AKA TAYLOR AND JOE)

Chloe Park, Reporter

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn before their alleged break-up.

In the beginning of April, Swifties around the world were utterly shocked when they heard the latest news on Taylor Swift and her current boyfriend Joe Alwyn’s relationship status. Swift and Alwyn have reportedly split after six years together. Many fans were stunned at the unexpected news, while Swift is currently on her Eras Tour all over North America.  The news of the famous couple quickly spread all over different news sources, including CNN and other reputable websites.  

The supporters of the couple are still in disbelief of the breakup.  Many fans were flooding social media with so-called evidence of the two still together.  One of the most speculated evidence amongst fans was the famous necklace that Swift wears and has Alwyn’s initial “J” on it.  Some individuals have said that Swift still wears the necklace, while others have argued that it is a different necklace.  The necklace has a particular meaning to some Swifties as it is in Swift’s song “Call it What You Want” that has the lyrics “I wear his initials on a chain not because he owns me, but he really knows”.  The very immediate response of fans when they heard the news was very dramatic. Many even commented that they have lost faith in true love.

Swift and Alwyn reportedly started their relationship in October 2016 and met for the first time at the Met Gala.  They have kept their relationship very private opposed to some of Swift’s past lovers, such as Tom Hiddleson or Calvin Harris, but opened up a bit to the public starting in 2020.  

While many predictions revolve around the reason behind the break-up of the couple, some say that it was a result of differences in personalities (PEOPLE).  Many others have predicted that Alwyn was pressured by Swift’s tremendous fame and popularity and a loss of self-esteem.  In response to this rumor, Ruby Feng, a sophomore IB student had to comment: “I feel like if you started dating ‘The Taylor Swift’ you should be aware of how famous she is and what comes in return of being in a relationship with her.  I hope the reason they broke up is not because Joe felt that he wasn’t good enough for her, though.”  Like Feng, many students do not favor this prediction out of the many. 

The breakup has affected many students at Seminole as well.  Some still refuse to believe the “Toe,” a short name fans came up with combining Swift and Alwyn’s first name.  The break-up was especially felt amongst students who were attending Swift’s concert in the coming week. It has been five years since Swifties even had a chance to see Swift at a concert, so many students had mixed feelings on how this would possibly affect the concert.

Hasini Munugeti, an IB sophomore and a great fan of Swift says her thoughts on the break-up: “When I first started seeing news about it, I was so shocked, it was really unexpected too.  I think I found it even more upsetting because the day I found out was so close to the concert of hers I was going to. I really liked them as a couple because they really suited each other. I saw a lot of TikTok on whether they really broke up or not, but I still think they did not break up, and I will not believe it until one of them publicly announces that they have broken up or if one of them starts seeing another person.  A lot of my friends actually do not want to believe it either.  We need real proof before coming to the conclusion that the Toe era has ended.”  To the end, Munugeti expressed her denial of their break-up.

Whether or not the rumors are true, the best thing fans can do is not speculate too much. When both are ready to deny or confirm rumors are up to them, and they deserve their privacy. Well we wait for either of them to speak about the news, viewers can continue to enjoy the Eras Tour and, if they got tickets, plan their outfits.