Taylor Swift said “yes,” and for once, the internet agreed on something: joy. Her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been hailed as America’s answer to a royal wedding, complete with a vintage-inspired diamond ring, a striped Ralph Lauren dress, and flowers galore. But beyond the headlines, what makes this particular love story so magnetic?
Maybe it’s because, in 2025, women are craving romance more than ever. Not just any romance – but the big, sweeping, capital-R kind that looks like it belongs in a fantasy novel.
Why Women Love Love Stories
If you’ve been on a morning train recently, you’ll have spotted them: women hunched over paperbacks with titles like A Court of Something and Shadows or Throne of Flames. Sales of “romantasy” – the romance-meets-fantasy genre – have exploded, thanks largely to TikTok’s BookTok community.
Because, let’s face it, the real world isn’t serving. Wars continue, climate change looms, rights are being rolled back, and the dating pool is dire. As one fan put it bluntly: “Why would I want to read about a mediocre guy ghosting me when I can read about an immortal warrior who would burn down kingdoms for me?”
Enter Travis Kelce. A six-foot-five NFL star who not only publicly pined for Taylor after failing to give her a friendship bracelet, but then showed up, pursued her with sincerity, and ended up with a fairy-tale “yes.” It’s giving romantasy. It’s giving happily-ever-after.
Escapism, But Make It Empowering
Fantasy novels (and celebrity love stories that mimic them) work because they promise clarity. In a world where everything feels complicated, these stories present good and evil, loyalty and betrayal, love and loss, with clean edges. The heroine might fight shadow beasts or political coups, but she always wins – and she always gets the guy.
This isn’t anti-feminist. It’s cathartic. It’s control. It’s a way of imagining a life where your battles matter, your choices matter, and someone – whether fae prince or Super Bowl champ – actually shows up for you. In short, romance doesn’t weaken the heroine; it validates her.
Taylor and Travis embody that fantasy IRL. She’s a billionaire pop star with global influence. He’s at the top of his game. Both are powerful in their own right, but together? They’re unstoppable – not because she needs saving, but because he shows up in full, unembarrassed adoration.
Are Love Stories The Enemy Of Feminism?
Here’s where the discourse always gets messy. Some argue love stories dilute empowerment, painting women as damsels in distress or reducing them to wives and mothers. But dismissing romance outright is as limiting as insisting every woman must have it.
Feminism, at its core, is about choice. That includes the choice to love deeply, to long for partnership, to fantasise about someone who sees all of you. Vulnerability doesn’t cancel strength; it reveals it.
Look at The Hunger Games: Katniss Everdeen’s romance didn’t undermine her rebellion. Look at Mulan: love blossomed without overshadowing her courage. And look at Taylor Swift: she doesn’t suddenly stop being a global business powerhouse because she happens to be in love with an NFL star.
In fact, watching Swift – the woman who turned heartbreak into billion-dollar artistry – fall for a man who celebrates her ambition instead of shrinking from it feels radical. Her story tells us: you can be powerful and adored. You can lead revolutions and want intimacy. You can be feminist and romantic.
It’s A Love Story
In a love-starved culture, women (and men, for that matter) are desperate for connection. We swipe, we ghost, we doomscroll. And then along comes Taylor and Travis – a reminder that, sometimes, the fairytale happens. He pursued her without irony. She let herself be pursued. They both leaned in. It’s ordinary, really. Which is exactly why it feels extraordinary.
We want them to work out not just because they’re famous, but because they represent what so many women secretly crave: a relationship that feels secure, joyful, and rooted in mutual admiration. Not power plays. Not settling. Just love.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce may not slay dragons or topple kingdoms, but their story still feels epic. Because right now, with the world in chaos, what could be more radical than believing in love?
