Team Pick: Taylor Swift Becomes Tegan & Sara’s Erotic Third, Many Lesbians Rejoice

feature image via rollingstone.com

Vanessa and Lizz’s Team Pick:

LISTEN UP EVERYONE. This video is the most amazing thing to exist on the internet. There is literally nothing bad about it. It’s Tegan and Sara and Taylor Swift. Together. On stage. Singing “Closer.”

Let’s review: Tegan and Sara are perfect humans and they deserve more mainstream recognition. Whatever your opinion of Taylor Swift, you have to admit she looks smoking hot jumping around on stage in leather shorts while singing all I think of lately, is how to get you underneath me. Um, okay Taylor, when/where/how?. (That was not rhetorical. Taylor: call us.)

Vanessa watched this at work and is now uncomfortably distracted. Lizz watched it at home then emailed the team to let us know, “I think I just had my first orgasm from not touching myself.” So watch this in private, is what we’re saying. Then hit play again and again and again, and thank us later if you can even remember your own name by then.

You know you love it.

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Vanessa

Vanessa is a writer, a teacher, and the community editor at Autostraddle. Very hot, very fun, very weird. Find her on twitter and instagram.

Vanessa has written 404 articles for us.

123 Comments

  2. my name is riese, i am the editor-in-chief of this website and i do not approve of this message

    • A-camp panel on whether or not Taylor Swift is a feminist?
      (Oh god that could get so ugly and also so entertaining.)

    • This makes me feel similar to when LL Cool J rapped about forgiving white people for slavery on that “Accidental Racist” song. I wish I could sit him and Taylor Swift down and give them both a history lesson.

      Probably because Tegan and Sara is what I listen to when I’m feeling feminist-y and angst-y. I’d rather Taylor Swift not be a part of that. Ah well…

    • thank you for letting us all be our own people and for loving me in spite of my deep, never ending, pure, unadulterated love for taylor swift

      • I DO heart you Vanessa!

        And I think I get it… I will never not love Miley Cyrus even though I know I probably shouldn’t.

      • can we fangirl over taylor together?

        red is a fantastic album and her singing has really improved overall.
        also, those shorts….enough said.

    • I respect the humans who like what is going on in that video, but I had to hold in the vomit to get through 2 minutes of it. It’s just SO WRONG.

      • My feelings too. But ever since T&S sold out they seem to be a lot less discriminating about who the associate with. Not surprising I guess. It’s sad though.

    • I thought there had been a coup…

      On another note, hand to hand combat over Taylor Swift at camp would be glorious. Enough to make me try to get to 4.0.

    • Riese if you’re allowing fangirl posts/articles then consider this my formal request for a review on 3rdeyegirl & Prince or maybe just an article on why everyone should be obsessing over Prince.

      • I was totally avoidant of identifying as feminist when I was her age, there’s totally good reason to believe she’ll improve over time in that regard. People are always evolving.

    • Just as I was thinking “What would Riese think of this?”

      WHAT IS WRONG WITH WORLD?

      “I used to be with it, but then they changed what “it” was. Now, what
      I’m with isn’t it, and what’s “it” seems weird and scary to me.”

  4. Ugh, I think I lost a little bit of respect for Autostraddle just now. I’m going to go re-read Riese’s epic takedown of Taylor Swift just to make myself feel better.

    • no reason to lose respect for autostraddle — if you wanna lose respect for anyone, lizz and i take full responsibility! we knew what we were getting into when we team picked this…but i can’t fight my love.

      taylor 4ever <3

        • …I can’t fight this feeling anymore, I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for…

          (My brain likes to play word-association games. Usually involving my parents’ 70s and 80s pop albums.)

          (Also I 100% support owning your TSwift feels!)

    • OMIGOD THEY BROKE THE HIVEMIND OF AUTOSTRADDLE.

      WHAT WILL WE DO NOW WITHOUT OUR CULTISH LEADERS TELLING US WHAT TO LIKE.

      THIS.

      IS.

      THE.

      END.

  5. I;m seeing them in september in New Orleans. This video made me wet my pants in anticipation. Oh and I have goose bumps. GOOSEBUMPS!

  8. Oh man.
    I never know if I want to BE Tegan or be WITH Tegan.
    Both, both is good.
    Damn.
    Those pants.

    • YES. Everyone keeps talking about the pants and whatnot but I’m like…uhm Tegan’s arms are the only thing that kept me watching this video.

  11. I also have to say that Sara’s dance moves in this video were very validating for me and my lack of dance moves.

    Also I love this.

  13. I am on the side of supporting all that is happening in this video. Especially Tegan’s pants.

    • I read that as “Especially what’s in Tegan’s pants” and was like damn, what do you know that the rest of us don’t and how do I get there.

      • Haha, yes, I can see how you could read that. Sadly, not true. I’ve always dug the reserveness of Sara but damn if those pants aren’t trying to sway me.

  15. Tegan looks so f-king cool I want to disappear into the ground and Taylor’s dancing looks so much like my own so if I squint it’s like I’m dancing onstage with Tegan and really, what else could I ask for from the internet.

    • to clarify I am like 99% of the time on Team Sara but as a seeing woman I just can’t deny how amazing Tegan is here.

  16. my sense of humor is largely based in contrast and absurdity, so this pretty much had me rolling around laughing the entire time.

    there is no way that sara approved of this lol. but i approve for the sake of everything that tegan is in this performance.

  17. I laughed when I read the title of this post because of History, but also it made me feel kind of happy and optimistic that here is a place where people can peacefully co-exist with diametrically opposed views. I am filled with a new hope for the future, like one day maybe it will even be possible for there to be posts about bisexuals without flaming.

    Also, I know it’s only Wednesday, but I think it has already been a really stellar week on Autostraddle this week. I wish I could comment on all the posts, but I’m just going to say I blanket love them all, and well done to the whole team, and please keep doing great things.

    • this is the sweetest comment, thank you! we love you!

      also i share your hope re: bisexual comments, together we will build the bisexual change we want to see in the world

  18. UGH. T&S’s actual-real-peopleness just made Taylor Swift seem like more of a corporate barbie doll. I stand with Riese. I wish the Quinns hadn’t sold out so hard, I love The Con

    • I don’t know, Taylor seemed like just as much of a real person to me, just one with a different look and personality :)

      Taylor Swift is a guilty pleasure of mine. I find some of her past statements problematic, but I can’t help but like and respect her. And I’m not going to criticize Tegan and Sarah for selling out: it’s great that they are now the type of artist that can be mainstream enough to perform with Taylor Swift. It’s a real sign of progress.

        • OH MY YES! I have been trying to pin point what my issue with Taylor is…. she’s like a blonde Jenny Shecter. That;s it.

  19. I’m just going to take this as Taylor upgrading her social circle instead of the other way around. Hanging out with T&S can only do her good!

  20. So I was talking to a straddler about this right before I saw this article. This video makes me really confused.

    And then she said she’s on team Tegan because obviously Tegan’s a top and I was like SUDDENLY I REALIZE WHY I’M ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE ON TEAM SARA.

    I just needed to share that realization. Carry on.

  21. I have to disagree with everyone it seems about Taylor’s shorts. I am thoroughly disappointed with how they are being filled out. But I’m an ass girl so….

    • I really loathe the comeback of high-waisted shorts so that did nothing for me as well.

  22. i had to stop watching after she said something about it being her “favorite album,” but i’m so glad lizz had a touch-free orgasm bc those are magical and extremely validating.

  23. May have popped over to Autostraddle just to see if there was any mention of this.

    Because, my word, Taylor on the second verse did things to me I did not know were possible.

    Vanessa and Lizz, I support you. Hell, I’ve got a T-Swift lyric tattoo. No shame in my game.

  24. Yeah I gotta say I am totally down for T & S getting this kind of exposure (and exposing TSwizzle’s fan base to the hot gayness that is them), but TAYLOR SWIFT. REALLY? DID THEY REALLY HAVE TO? Christ on a bike.

  25. Tegan’s pants do take my mind off how much I hate that song, but I wish we could just see her in her pants and hear some good music come out of her again circa anything pre-Heartthrob. Gotta admit, Taylor steals the vid here and that song coming out of her is a little more palatable, though still painful. I’m just pining for all the great T&S music that was. The first time I heard “Nineteen” I ran out and bought a guitar……

  26. “Hello. I’m here for the Tegan and Sara VIP fan experience.”

    It wasn’t actually called that, to my knowledge.

    – T. Swift

  27. I’m reading lots about Tegan’s pants…where is the love for Sara!!!

    On the Taylor issue, I have no idea how this happened…but ok, whatever..I won’t lose sleep over it or any repsect for T&S..

    Sara is my biggest crush ever!!!

    Oh, and since this is my first post on AutoStraddle…Hi there!!! :)

    • i love sara, but i’m not in love with her pants in that performance i’m afraid…
      also i’m not sure if i love this video or if it scares me a little bit, there’s something about taylor swift that makes me feel like she would take them backstage and suck their blood or something

  29. I like T&S and don’t get why people are so angry about them singing with TSwift. It gets them into more mainstream audiences. Is that really so bad? I mean isn’t that what artists want? To sell albums and fill stadiums? I am probably wrong and that is ok with me lol.

    Side note: I am seeing TSwift in 2 weeks in Minnesota and wish this would happen again at that show! Wishful thinking, eh?

  30. I feel like I’m about 10 years too old to understand/appreciate Taylor Swift. I know a lot of [younger than me] women who love her, but I don’t get it.

    Also I will confess to liking Tegan & Sara’s music but having no idea which one is which.

    I do think it’s cool that an audience of probably mostly tween/teen/young adult Taylor Swift fans were screaming over Tegan & Sara.

  31. If this was Tegan and Sara’s goal all along, then I feel a little duped. ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$)

    Also, as a member of the 30-something club, I find it a little awkward to see fellow 30-somethings running around the stage with Taylor Swift before a crowd of teenagers. Part of this is just imagining myself in their shoes, but still, it’s weird, right? This isn’t to suggest that one forfeits the ability to do young/fun stuff in one’s 30s, but this seems like something a younger artist would do to increase visibilty, not the behavior of a very established artist with an already giant fan base and some creative integrity.

    • i guess i don’t really understand why anyone would feel “duped” by this. i don’t think t&s’s “goal all along” was ever to like, monetize the love of queer girls everywhere. i think their goal was to make good music that meant things to people. and they have. but if in doing that they blow up and get recognized by other musicians who they respect and admire for whatever reason (even if those reasons are tied up in money) then why is that bad? when genuinely good art is presented to the mainstream and does well, i feel okay. when awful shit is manufactured specifically to sell to a certain group of people, i feel kind of shitty. i don’t think that’s what’s going on here — i just truly don’t believe that from their inception as a band t&s were plotting to one day dupe us all by “selling out” and performing with taylor swift. i think they’ve worked really hard, produced really good music, and now they are cashing in on some big opportunities. and i don’t think that’s bad.

      and yeah, i guess performance in general is a weird thing. i mean taylor is entering her mid-twenties and her fans are still really young. but that always happens. performers are often older than their audiences. sure i guess they don’t have to jump around, but that’s taylor’s brand and they agreed to perform with her and maybe they liked the chance to be kind of goofy for a second also. that doesn’t take away from their creative integrity! i’m almost 25 and i still like to do that. i may still enjoy it when i’m 30. i dunno…i mostly stay away from the “intellectual discussion” of a video like this because truly in my heart i just love it because it’s fun and i like all three performers and i think they’re all sexy in their own ways and the song is great and everything just feels light and happy and wonderful, but your comment got me thinking about some of the larger “issues” people may have with this video. i’m trying to understand but i think i just don’t really get it. maybe when i’m older! (that’s not sarcastic, btw — i really mean, maybe at age 25 this seems great but maybe when i’m 30 this will no longer seem great. i hope that’s not the case though…)

      • In response to your last comment, about maybe you’ll feel differently when you’re older…

        When it comes to music aimed at a younger demographic, I think you have to be at the right age at the right time to get into it. I don’t get Taylor Swift because when her first album was released I was 26 and just didn’t relate to a 17-year-old girl singing about her boyfriends or whatever. If you were 16 or 17 or 18 when TSwift first hit the scene, though, I can totally understand why you love her/her music.

        Also, I think a lot of the music we like when we’re kids and teens and 20s ends up being music we always like no matter how old we get. Like, I loved New Kids on the Block when I was a kid and I went to their concert a couple summers ago and loved it and screamed like a 12-year-old girl when Joey McIntyre sang “Please Don’t Go Girl.” (30-somethings, please back me up here on my Joey Mac love.)

        So, you will probably always love Taylor Swift, because her music was important to you during your so-called “formative years.” If that makes any sense.

  32. Disclaimer: I’m a professional musician that has been doing this a long time, and I’m starting to feel gross about the music business in general.

    It makes total sense from a business standpoint for them to try to cater to a mainstream audience. It is one of the only ways to make a sustainable income playing music. They need to save up enough money for when they are 50 and don’t tour anymore and have to put their kids through college. I get it. It just grosses me out that the music business has progressed in this fashion. Not to overblow Tegan and Sara’s artistic credibility, but can you imagine a credible cult figure from a different era doing a similar thing in a different time? Kate Bush joining Tiffany or Debbie Gibson on stage? David Bowie joining David Cassidy?

    The goal of most musicians/songwriters I know is not to be a “pop star”, but to build a devoted following so that, creatively, you are free to make whatever kind of music you want because your fans will always love you. You get to play theaters and stay in nice hotels and pay your bills and it’s great.

    Once you are on a major label and catering to teenagers, you have a responsibility to make purely commercial music. I guess my point is that they could have gone down a different road. They had choices, and they made this one.

    As for the performance aspect, a huge part of Tegan and Sara’s appeal was that they were so earnest. I think anyone loses some sincerity points once they join Taylor Swift on stage. Some people don’t care about that, but I do. Maybe duped is the wrong word, but it’s the only one I could think of at the time.

  33. Just to be clear, though, I LOVE POP MUSIC and I really like a lot of the Heartthrob. The Taylor Swift thing just sheds a different light on it.

    • George Michael is everything to me when it comes to pop music so, yeah I love pop mucis too. Taylor Swift just gives me feelings of gas mixed with confusion. It’s a strange combo but then Tegan in those pants, everything makes sense again.

      The only good thing I hope comes out of this, this, vid is Taylor Swift fans like Tegan and Sara and begin to question some things…you know what I mean.

  34. Why all the dislike for heart throb? Is this the only example of T&S selling out or is there more/something else?

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