Taylor Swift's Posture With Taylor Lautner Compared To John Mayer Speaks Volumes Now
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Calling all Swifties! Have you streamed Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) yet?
If you’re a fan of the “Mine” crooner, then you know that Taylor Swift is no stranger to detailing the nature of her romantic relationships in Easter egg-laden verses. With the re-release of 2010’s Speak Now, I’m sure the exes the “Mean” singer-songwriter was dating at the time of writing and recording—notably, Taylor Lautner and John Mayer—are shaking in their boots as I pen these words.
While Lautner seems unbothered by the news of the re-release, saying in a May 2023 appearance on Today, “I think it’s a great album. Yeah, I feel safe,” he (and everyone else, TBH) is “praying for John.” In case you forgot, Taylor wrote a beautiful tribute to the Twilight star with the track “Back to December.” Meanwhile, her song for Mayer, who she dated when she was 19 and he was 32, titled “Dear John” (zero points for discretion here) is quite, well, brutal. In the song, Taylor sings, “Don’t you think nineteen’s too young / To be played by your dark, twisted games when I loved you so? / I should’ve known.”
With rumors that the six additional, never-before-heard tracks in her version may or may not offer more insight into her relationship with Mayer, per Elle, it seems more than appropriate to take a stroll down memory lane. Read: Take a look back at the singer-songwriter’s relationship history and body language with her exes.
To find out which of Taylor’s relationships were “Haunted” from the beginning and which really did make “Sparks Fly,” WH tapped body language expert Karen Donaldson to dig into each of the pair’s gestures. Ahead, discover what Taylor Swift and each of her exes’ body language reveals about the story of them.
July to October 2008: Joe Jonas
The OG Joe in Taylor's life was none other than Joe Jonas. ICYDK, the “Better Than Revenge” singer dated the JoBro briefly in 2008 when the two were just teenagers—18 and 19, respectively. She even wrote her Fearless track, “Forever and Always” about him, Women’s Health previously reported.
And, well, like most teen relationships, theirs was pretty awkward, per the pair’s gestures. “This image is more friendly than romantic,” says Donaldson.
Taylor may have been more into the relationship than Joe, Donaldson explains. It appears as though Taylor is leaning in, seeking more of a connection, while Joe doesn’t reciprocate and lean in to meet her, she says. “Both of them have their hands clasped in their laps—again not seeking a connection with each other,” Donaldson adds. “[Moreover,] Joe has a tight lipped smile, which could indicate that he’s holding back his true emotions.”
August to December 2009: Taylor Lautner
Did anyone else forget that Taylor not only dated Taylor IRL but in the movie Valentine’s Day, too? Unfortunately, life didn’t imitate art for too long, but they were a cute couple while it lasted.
“Taylor L looks like he’s totally smitten with Taylor S,” Donaldson says. “A look of adoration is pasted all over his face.” Similarly, “Taylor S exhibits a playful smile that involves her entire face—from eyes to cheeks to mouth—which tells you that she’s truly feeling and enjoying the moment,” Donaldson adds. (BRB, going back to December, too 😢...)
December 2009 to February 2010: John Mayer
It’s safe to say that Taylor and John’s relationship did not end well. (I mean, just listen to the lyrics of “Dear John.”) And perhaps their ‘ship was doomed to sink, if their body language is any indication.
In this image, “John is fronting,” says Donaldson. Translation: His body is fully angled to directly face Taylor. The placement of his “triple T”–toe, torso, and top—signals that he’s fully paying attention to her, Donaldson explains. “Our physical orientation signals our mental orientation and where we truly want to be.” Meanwhile, Taylor only turns her head towards John, “signaling she’s there with him, but he doesn’t have her full attention,” Donaldson adds. In other words, these two were not aligned.
August to October 2012: Conor Kennedy
Did you know Taylor Swift dated a Kennedy? Yep! For a few brief months in 2012, the Red singer-songwriter was connected to the grandnephew of JFK, Conor Kennedy. At the time, he was 18, and she was 23.
While the pair only dated for two months, they did seem to have a lot of fun together during their short fling…I guess. These two are comfortable with each other, says Donaldson. That’s apparent from Taylor standing in between Conor’s legs, which “is a sign of closeness and a desire for one another,” and their heads touching, which is a “tie sign,” a.k.a. a nonverbal public display that shows that two people have a close personal relationship, Donaldson explains.
And while Taylor’s hands at her sides may signify that she is “disinterested,” per Donaldson, at the same time, her other gestures indicate that “she’s feeling him, too.”
October 2012 to January 2013: Harry Styles
Though their relationship was brief, Haylor was all anyone who was chronically online during the era of One Direction could talk about for the four months these two were dating. And it all started with this infamous Central Park stroll in December 2012.
In this image, “Harry and Taylor display more of a friendship than a romantic relationship,” says Donaldson. No one is seeking out a physical connection—no hand holding or linking arms—and they both seem to be in their own little world “as far as where they’re visually focused,” Donaldson notes. “They are disengaged with each other.”
March 2015 to June 2016: Calvin Harris
Before getting together with Tom Hiddleston later in the summer of 2016, Taylor dated Scottish DJ, record producer, and songwriter Calvin Harris for 15 months. While they were dating, the two appeared to have a pretty deep love for each other, per their gestures.
Here, Taylor’s eyes are shut as she hugs Calvin, and when you close your eyes while hugging someone, you shut down your visual sensory input, but heighten other sensory inputs such as touch, explains Donaldson. “Taylor is shutting out the world, telling [onlookers] that at that moment, she only wants to be with Calvin.” She is “deepening her connection with him by heightening the sensation of touch,” Donaldson adds.
Summer 2016: Tom Hiddleston
While brief, the relationship between Taylor Swift and the Loki star was a cultural moment. Apparently, Taylor broke things off because Tom wanted to take things “too public,” as Women’s Health previously reported, but that doesn’t mean the short time they spent together wasn’t meaningful.
Per Donaldson, the pair appear emotionally tied up in this photo. “Tom and Taylor are physically close (little to no gap between them) and they are holding hands, which tells you that they have a strong emotional connection,” she says. Often, you want to be physically near the people you care deeply for, Donaldson adds. Additionally, “it appears as though Taylor feels fully safe and secure with Tom and being led by him—she’s enjoying focusing [her attention] elsewhere while Tom leads the way.”
May 2017 to April 2023: Joe Alwyn
R.I.P to Toe—that’s Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s ship name, btw—as these two were truly OTP.
In this image, “the way that they’re holding hands is quite telling,” says Donaldson. The first thing to take note of, per Donaldson, is the way Joe’s hand is on top. “It’s often said the person with their hand on top is the more dominant one in the relationship,” she explains. The second aspect to take into account: their palm-to-palm connection, maximizing their skin-to-skin contact. This signals that “they are emotionally and intimately close, and want to maintain that level of closeness between them even while in public,” according to Donaldson.
May 2023: Matty Healy
After breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, in April 2023, Taylor Swift seemingly had a brief fling with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy in May. According to Donaldson, their gestures show that there was indeed “a causal connection between them.”
In this image, for one, they’re not walking in sync, “which can signal a disconnection,” Donaldson points out. And while Matty has his hand placed on Taylor’s back, acting as a guide, which may show that “he’s a supportive force in their relationship,” the “I Knew You Were Trouble” singer “does not aim to engage or reciprocate the need for connection,” Donaldson says.
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