Body Language Expert Reveals What Taylor Swift's 'Cardigan' Video Says About Her Experiences With Heartbreak
Taylor Swift thrilled her fans when she dropped her unexpected eighth studio album Folklore in July 2020. Each song in the collection — including "The 1," "Peace," "My Tears Ricochet," and "Mad Woman" — were incredibly honest (if sometimes veiled) admissions from the star, which gave glimpses into various aspects of her past, present, and possible future.
That's one of the reasons why those who adore Swift were so charmed when they watched her "Cardigan" video. Thanks, in part, to the fairytale-like vibe and magical journey Swift embarks upon while the emotional song plays, it may go down as one of her all-time best videos.
What makes it so good? Well, among the striking, storybook-like qualities are cleverly hidden details and poignant messages from the star. In addition to dropping Easter eggs in her lyrics, there are also some clue in the way she presents herself visually. That's why Dr. Reneé Carr — a body language expert and political and corporate advisor — gave Nicki Swift some exclusive insight into what Swift's "Cardigan" video says about her experiences with both young love and heartbreak.
Taylor Swift may relive the 'high' that comes from young love in 'Cardigan'
During a Q&A with fans just before the "Cardigan" music video dropped on YouTube, Taylor Swift answered questions about the album and touched on the inspiration for "Cardigan." She explained that the "song is about a lost romance and why young love is often fixed so permanently within our memories. Why it leaves such an indelible mark."
Body language expert Dr. Reneé Carr agrees and told Nicki Swift that the romantic feelings and connections we experience early on can leave their mark. According to Carr, from a psychological standpoint, a "first love" becomes permanently affixed in our memory "because of the huge inpouring of hormones and neurotransmitters" that occurs during that time.
Yes, we're about to get a little scientific on you, because when we fall for someone the first time around, the "body experiences a biological 'high' from the surge of endorphin," which causes the "mind to permanently seal-in" memories of the "new and intense" situation. Frankly, according to Carr, it's "the same physiological experience" that takes place "when a person tries a drug and becomes high for the first time."
So what does this — and the way that Swift chose to portray her own experience with young love in "Cardigan" — tell us about the star? Read on because the video seems to reveal everything you want to know!
'Cardigan' delves into a 'broken' relationship
When you watch Taylor Swift's "Cardigan" video, you'll surely notice the dream-like scenery and the star's whimsical style. However, Dr. Reneé Carr — who uses her knowledge of psychology as a political and corporate advisor — revealed to Nicki Swift that there's much more than what first meets the eye.
In line with Swift's admission that the song is about young love, Carr notes that cardigans themselves are "timeless and comfortable." While that can certainly apply to love, there's also a broken piano key in the video, which "is symbolic of the love relationship being broken but the memory of it is still being able to make a beautiful sound," or a "beautiful memory." Carr surmises that while Swift was once "a reliable source of comfort for her lover, she was also discarded and replaced."
And although she "holds onto sweet memories of ... her first lover," he "treat[ed] their moments of passion as only physical and not love." That's why we see a waterfall, which "is symbolic of ... 'falling in love'," before it transforms into "a river of tears." Ultimately, the body of water turns into "a rushing wave of anxiety and insecurity from having been abandoned — with only the safety of a sweet memory to hold on to."
In the end, Swift "is left in the cold by [the] lover who deserted her, and like a cardigan, she pulls out her sweeter memories of the relationship to warm and console her." While that gives us a glimpse at Swift's romantic past, you might wonder what this means for her future.
Taylor Swift wants a 'forever love' that feels like 'her first love'
In Taylor Swift's "Cardigan" video, fans are taken along on a journey through the star's feelings about her early experiences with love. That being said, Dr. Reneé Carr explained to Nicki Swift what this tells us about the singer's current view on her romantic future. "It is no secret that Taylor has had several lovers," the body language expert pointed out. "However, rather than seeing her as promiscuous, it is more probable that she is a hopeless romantic and is continually searching for a forever love who will make her feel the intense love she felt with her first love."
Carr continued by noting that in "Cardigan," Swift's lyrics claiming that "when you are young, they assume you know nothing" apparently "alludes to her experiences of being in love when younger, her longing for that same experience and same feeling again, and her refusal to accept that a fairy tale love is impossible."
Hopefully for Swift, she'll end up with her own real-life happily-ever-after one of these days.