Demanding Taylor Swift dump Matty Healy? Fan culture is out of control | Shaad D'Souza

Swift's legion of fans may not approve of her rumoured new boyfriend, but she deserves to have a life of her own

Taylor Swift writes about new love like it's a daydream: many of her best songs express the feeling with contented sighs and evocations of fairytale enchantment. But for a small and vocal subsection of her fanbase, news of the singer's rumoured real-life relationship with a fellow musician has been nothing short of a nightmare.

Since it was alleged that Swift is seeing Matty Healy, the frontman of the pop band The 1975, these fans have been up in arms, cancelling orders of Swift's forthcoming album, posting lengthy reflections on Twitter justifying their attendance (or lack thereof) at Swift's current tour, and launching a campaign - #SpeakUpNow - implicitly demanding that Swift break up with Healy. (Swift has not publicly acknowledged the relationship, but Healy has been seen at her concerts and the pair have been photographed together multiple times in recent weeks.)