Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Taylor Swift embodied this phrase as she released her good-girl-gone-bad song, “Look What You Made Me Do.”
Whether you love or hate Swift, every adult woman I know can relate to the motive behind this tune. Long gone are the days of Romeo-and-Juliet, true-love-can-conquer-all, green-eyed-to-the-world romantic melodies. Once you have been burned too many times, the love songs stop playing.
Perhaps it is the loss of innocence; the day arrives when you realize the Disney Princesses are nothing more than a bunch of liars. Your straw that breaks the camel’s back of childhood may not even have anything to do with love. Instead it could just be the sad realization that everyone in the world has their own agenda and that you are more likely to meet the wicked witches in the world than you are singing, helpful dwarves who just want what is best for you.
So, look what you made me do. You made a girl who looked for the best in everyone see people for who they really are. You created another cynic. Whether it was your intention or not, you pushed a girl to the point where she is no longer a doormat. For better or for worse, that evil person in your life is the one who makes you find your backbone and your voice.
“Nice guys finish last” was always a depressing sentiment to me. The older I get and the deeper I dive into the rat race of adulthood, I am becoming that angry girl Taylor sings about. She is vengeful and out to help karma get a kick-start on those who have wronged her.
I get you girl.
There have been people in my life who I thought were my closest friends, people I trusted with everything only to have my confidence blow up in my face. It has caused me a great deal of distrust in other humans. Swift was singing the lyrics to my experience with adulthood when she said “I don’t trust nobody and nobody trusts me, I’ll be the actress starring in your bad dream.”
This, my friends, is adulthood in a nutshell.
My advice is to try staying above it. It is easier said than done, but the less trouble you can invite into your life, whether by being in a toxic relationship with friends or lovers, the better off you will be and the greater chances you will have of keeping that Disney innocence.
If you find your angry, vengeful side coming out of the ground to reek havoc on those who have wronged you, take a step back and try to evaluate who is in your life that is making you feel that way. It is up to you to decide if they belong there or if you should be putting so much value in their worth. Karma is a bitch, and now so is Taylor Swift.
