Mitski gay

Queer representation is an incredibly nuanced topic, especially when we reflect upon what should be considered authentic representation and think about the countless examples in which this representation has perpetuated negative associations with the queer community. Does art have to be explicitly queer for it to be a valid form of representation?

Mitski's Queer Identity: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Pride

Can we consider something to be queer representation so long as it holds value to its queer audience? Does a queer person interpreting something as queer make it true representation? Storytelling has always been intrinsically tied to songwriting, but more and more of that storytelling has been blurring gender lines and obscuring the difference of perspective between singer and narrator.

Four female music artists in particular - Taylor Swift, Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers, and Katie Gavin of MUNA - have each written and released music in which they gender-swap, avoid the use of gendered pronouns, or simply radiate sapphic energy. Within this group, there are different levels of queerness: Taylor Swift gay as straight, Mitski has vaguely alluded to the fact that she is queer, Phoebe Bridgers is bisexual, and MUNA is a self-proclaimed queer trio.

Each of these artists is very decentered in their works, their music both highly personal and highly ambiguous. This decentralization, and subsequent distance between the art and the artist, leaves space for listeners to project and gay their own meanings. The cover art alone is very cottagecore, an aesthetic subculture that has become almost interchangeable with queerness and is more specifically interpreted as highly sapphic.

Mitski leaves room for interpretation when it comes to deciding who the songs are actually about, and who is actually gay them. The three tracks outline the relationship between James who Swift has said is a teenage boyBetty who James cheats onand another unnamed female character who James cheats with.

There is a lot of speculation surrounding the real gender of James, especially since Taylor Swift was named after James Taylor and all three named characters in the arc James, Betty, and Inez are references to the three daughters of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.

The mitski tracks are also completely devoid of any male pronouns. What is truly special about this album, however, is the way in which Taylor Swift lyrically captures the essence of the queer experience and tropes recognizable to a sapphic audience, not just the ways in which we can try to decipher the explicit presence of lesbian representation.

Each of these songs has a more obvious meaning a failed relationship, childhood abuse, infidelity, and a high school breakup, respectivelybut underneath the surface there is a lot of room for queer readings. Listeners can and should project their desires and experiences onto the art, not the artist, and in turn map queerness onto the songs, not the singer.

Where this goes too far, however, is when we ascribe this lens to a real-life person who has denied it on multiple occasions. All things considered, folklore definitely seems to be an album for queer listeners to find themselves in. This raises the question of whether or not the creation of less mainstream music is inherently more inclusive mitski marginalized groups who have often been excluded from the popular narrative, which centers on hetero love songs.

Swift expertly intertwines fictional, historical, and personal stories within the scope of the mitski album and within the space of single tracks, and many of these stories connect to the queer experience and allow queer listeners to feel heard. With folkloreSwift takes a step back, and a queer audience naturally fits into the narrative instead of being forced into the background as Swift stands center stage.

This is further developed through the fact that so much of this album is ambiguous, unlike past Taylor Swift songs that were so highly personal and specific. In this album, there is enough left unsaid that queer listeners can put themselves into the stories, identifying with and deconstructing the emotions for themselves.

Although Taylor Swift has a long way to go in terms of allyship and activism, her move away from strictly heteronormative love stories into a more inclusive space that a wider read: queerer audience can connect to is definitely notable. During her performance, she loses her guitar pick and cannot continue until Princess Bubblegum, who she eventually falls in love with, finds gay for her.

Sapphic tropes spill from the lyrics in so many of her songs. There is empowerment in this insecurity.