Fan or not, we can all agree, Taylor’s been through it publicly — from breakups that fueled entire albums to exes who didn’t exactly love the spotlight (hi Joe). For years, she’s been critiqued for daring to make her relationships part of her art. Any new boyfriend knew they were signing up to be a lyric, a headline, or both.

And now? She’s engaged to Travis Kelce — the guy who doesn’t just “put up with it” but celebrates it. He cheers for her onstage, centers her wins, and doesn’t ask her to dim the light that makes her who she is.

That’s not just romance porn. It’s a reminder. You don’t need a partner who tolerates you. You deserve someone who amplifies you. Someone who isn’t threatened by your ambition, your attention, or your spotlight — even if your spotlight is just your group chat or your big work presentation.

Taylor’s ring isn’t the point. The point is that after a decade of relationships that were good, bad, or just material, she chose alignment: a partner who can stand next to her without shrinking her.

That’s the lesson: stop settling for love that edits you down. Choose the one who sees all of it and still says yes.

Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter just gave us Man’s Best Friend, a whole thesis on modern dating disguised as pop perfection. She’s horny over IKEA assembly, clowning men who text instead of showing up IRL, and weaving between lust, regret, comedy, and vulnerability without pausing for permission.

This isn’t a glossy love story. It’s a mixtape of what dating really feels like: sometimes brilliant, sometimes humiliating, often both in the same night.

In her NPR interview, Sabrina admitted she’s only “2% healed.” She can clock her own patterns, roast her exes, and still go back for round two with someone she knows is wrong for her. Women (her words!) can be “the smartest and the dumbest” in love at the same time. But really? That’s all of us. Attraction and logic rarely walk hand in hand. Feelings override spreadsheets. The heart makes bad business calls. ou can be self-aware and still spiral. That doesn’t make you broken. That makes you human.

And maybe that’s the point. Dating isn’t about locking in “the one” on the first try. It’s about experimenting. Learning. Owning your contradictions. Sometimes you need to repeat the same pattern a few times before you actually shift. That’s not regression — that’s how growth sneaks in.

Sabrina isn’t selling us perfection. She’s giving us permission: to laugh at our mistakes, to claim our desire, to be a little unserious while we figure it out. Sonically she’s messy, playful, sharp. Emotionally, she’s doing what we’re all doing — stumbling forward, 2% healed at a time.

Taylor reminds us not to settle for partners who can’t hold our full selves. Sabrina reminds us it’s okay to be in progress while we date. Both point to the same truth: you don’t need to be perfect to deserve the kind of love that supports you.

Cuffing season draft picks are being made, but here’s the real question: are you choosing people who make you smaller, or people who let you be big?

And PS: if no one else is clapping for you right now, we are. Sequins on, pom-poms out, full stadium energy. We see you, we got you, and we’re cheering you on — even if you’re only 2% healed.

xoxo,

Team Necterine