Welcome back to Good Life, a newsletter about navigating our modern culture and staying sane in the process. This week, we talk about Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and marriage.
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By now, you might have seen the viral video of Taylor Swift celebrating Travis Kelce’s 13-yard touchdown catch from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. It was Travis’s first touchdown this season and the first since the two got married in July.
Ever since they started dating, NFL broadcasters have made a point of covering her reaction to almost every play. Sunday was no different. Cameras cut to Taylor in the suite right after Travis scored. She jumped up, pointed at her wedding ring, and yelled: “That’s my husband!” Then the internet went absolutely crazy.
Someone who ironically goes by Shiny Happy Person (@HRH_SHP) on X took issue with Taylor’s reaction.
“She’s a middle-aged woman acting like a child. Everything about her screams high school, and this isn’t the only example. It’s like she got stuck there, in the bleachers, yelling “that’s my man” while everyone around her cringes,” she wrote.
When I clicked into SHP’s profile, I expected her to be some raging leftist feminist who was single with no kids. But according to her bio, not only is she a self-professed “MAGA Republican,” but she is also a married mother. How could someone with a seemingly traditional view on life hate the fact that Taylor did more to promote positive marital relationships than anything the right has produced in years?
You don’t have to be a Taylor Swift fan to love what she did for marriage. I’ve been mad at Taylor since before it was cool on the right. Not to sidetrack from the point here, but I was just a girl when she left country music for the pop world. As a lifelong country fan, it’s not easy to get over that kind of betrayal.
Regardless, she’s also had a bit of a redemption arc in recent years. The moment she started dating Travis, I cautiously hoped it would mark the beginning of a cultural shift in which monogamy, marriage, and having children became “cool” again. The right tries its best to encourage young Americans to embrace traditionalism, but without the help of mainstream entertainment, our efforts are often futile. It’s hard to tell women to settle down and have kids when literally everyone else in the world is selling them on a different life.
Then there’s Taylor, who never shied away from showing her growing love for Travis. She went to his games, made a big deal about supporting his career, and immediately ran into his arms after her shows. It’s exactly what the right has been begging for, but in the most unlikely of places. Taylor is not conservative by any means, and she certainly does not subscribe to our political views. However, the service she is providing the right by publicly loving a muscular jock and not some malnourished leftist twink is immeasurable.
It tells millions of young women to look for a strong man too. That it’s okay to settle down, get married, and dream about having his children.
When the camera showed her pointing to her ring finger, screaming, “That’s my husband!” All I could think was that this is the perfect example of how a wife should support her husband. Our culture has become so obsessed with attacking men that it’s more common to see a wife publicly making fun of or belittling her husband than it is to see her enthusiastically claim him and highlight his wins.
There is this idea that men don’t have emotions, which, if you have ever been married, you know is far from the truth. It’s just that women tend to outwardly express our emotions more freely. In fact, I have found that when a man truly loves you (whether it’s your father, brother, or husband), his emotional stability seems completely contingent upon how the women in his life see him. Do they respect him? Do they love him? Do they appreciate his work?
Men who feel deeply loved by their wives are more likely to be successful. They buy into the marriage and family. They’ll work until their dying breath to keep their families safe and happy. They need us to point to our ring finger, letting the world know we claim them. Not everyone will marry a famous NFL tight end, but that doesn’t mean his wins are any less important.
I remember when the girls were little, and my husband had closed a deal that he had been working hard on for almost a year. It was a monster. I was completely engrossed in newborn diapers, potty training, and toddler-year antics, and I would have had every right to do a simple celebration. But I knew that if I ever wanted him to know how much I truly appreciated his sacrifice, he deserved my all. So despite my overwhelming exhaustion, I deep-cleaned the house before he got home. I showered everyone, from me to the dogs. I went out and bought a bottle of champagne that we probably couldn’t afford. That night, he came home to a decorated home, his favorite meal on the table, and his little girls running into his arms like a conquering hero.
He keeps that bottle on the shelf in his office behind his desk. Every time he’s on a video call, it’s in the top left corner. It’s a little reminder of what he’s fighting for every day at work.
My life is infinitely happier and calmer when I love him well. I don’t have to worry about much because he’s willingly slaying my dragons for me. He goes out of his way to make my life easier. He is more likely to tell me to sit down and rest after a long day than he is to look at me and ask me to help with something. He protects my peace, and all I have to do is love him. This is what SHP is misunderstanding about Taylor’s touchdown reaction.
It’s not cringe to celebrate your husband like you’re still dating in high school. It’s actually the bare minimum required for a healthy marriage. Your husband wants to see that you think he’s impressive. He needs you to celebrate his work efforts. And if you give him this little thing, you’ll be surprised by the fruit that grows from that tree.
Please send any questions or comments about the newsletter to goodlife@dailycaller.com
Heard It Through The Grapevine:
Geoff Ingersoll explains American exceptionalism in a way only he can. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, which might turn into a Substack piece for Saturday. Still, Geoff hits the nail on the head with: American Exceptionalism At Work
If you have heard about the gay bar in Massachusetts, Amber Duke explains the absolute insanity that ensued when the owners decided to finally end the mask mandate recently. It’s equally hilarious and mind-blowing that the left is trying to market itself as the rational one of the two sides. WOKE 1 AIN’T DEAD YET
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I wish NFL cameramen -- no doubt at the behest of the networks -- didn't do so many cutaway shots of Taylor Swift. The game is on the field, not up in a skybox suite. That said, Taylor stands by her man, and I gotta like her for that.
Right on, girl! I love your article, and I agree with all of it.