The countdown is finally over, no more conspiracy theories and texting friends frantically every time a clue drops! Taylor Swift has released the debut video for her new single “Me!” (featuring Brendon Urie), directed by Dave Meyers and Swift. It’s the first single, off her new-as-of-now-untitled album that will be the follow up to 2017’s reputation.

The simple queer undertones in the video create a powerful message of individuality, and will hopefully create a delicious fear and discomfort in the fragile humans who cannot handle such overt expressions of femininity. 

The bizarre internet fanfic musical union between Brendon Urie and Taylor Swift reminds us of the nostalgia, a lot of queer men and women felt growing up on MySpace/Livejournal energized by the confidence and fluidity of Brendon Urie, whether it was when he would tease scene-kid audiences with kissing Ryan Ross at Panic! At The Disco shows on stage or post photos in mascara. Though some tend to erase this, or forget the truth that Taylor’s music has always given a voice to misfits – for that one kid, in that one town who saw too many colors, and details for their own good.

Humans in 2019 can feel so exhausted by never feeling like “enough,” when we are constantly being inundated with fear-based messages that someone could swipe “left” on us, or maybe the risk that our crush might not respond to our thirst-trap we posted to our Instagram story, or the existential crisis that we just might not be as successful as that person we find ourselves hate-lurking on our phones in bed.

In our competitive Instagram-highlight reel world, “ME!” holds up a torch to the fact that we don’t owe anyone an explanation for why we are how we are.  There is something haunting about a simple message of self-care, and accessing your individuality to the point where you can hold a confidence that you are the only-you that will ever exist.  It’s almost 2020, why not get in touch with viewing yourself as a one-of-kind mythological creature as a self-love hack?  It’s nice to have a song about self-empowerment be stuck inside our heads. 

Even if we were never snakes in the first place, we sometimes need to still access our divine will to become the mystical creatures we were born to become. Maybe from Taylor, we can learn – there is more to life than one’s reputation. There are butterflies. 

You can watch the music video for Taylor Swift’s “ME!” below.