Why DID Taylor Swift go from ultra-private to embracing passionate PDA? ‘There’s something about Travis that makes me be who I really am in a relationship without stressing myself to do so’

Taylor Swift went from being ultra private in her relationship with Joe Alwyn to flaunting her passionate PDA with Travis Kelce practically everywhere – and now, relationship experts have revealed why the sudden 180 may be a sign that she and the athlete are the real deal.

Ever since the singer and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, both 34, started dating in September, they’ve been extremely open about their romance.

Taylor was spotted cheering Travis on at many of his football games, hanging out with his family, wearing his merch, running onto the field to kiss him following his team’s wins, uttering the L-word to him on camera, and most recently, sharing a video with him on her TikTok account.

It’s certainly a stark contrast to the way that the Cruel Summer songstress acted in her previous romance with British actor Joe, 32.

Over the course of their six-year relationship, the hitmaker and the movie star hardly ever talked about one another in interviews and did their best to hide from cameras when they were out together – and they certainly never shared social media posts with each other.

Due to the very different approaches, some have wondered if Taylor and Travis constantly flaunting their love for the entire world to see is a red flag – but according to a series of love gurus, the two stars’ public affection may actually act as proof that their relationship is stronger than ever.

New York-based dating coach Megan Weks told DailyMail.com exclusively that the couple’s incessant PDA makes it ‘clear’ just how ‘comfortable’ Taylor and Travis feel with one another.

She added that it seemed like the pop sensation could really ‘be herself’ around him – something that was ‘stunted in previous relationships.’

‘Taylor is definitely not overcompensating by being public with Travis. What she’s doing is being herself, something which felt stunted in previous relationships,’ Megan dished.

‘She’s never felt so supported and liberated to be exactly who she is within a relationship, and it shows.

‘She’s shining, she’s vulnerable, she can melt into this relationship, she can lean on him. She has someone to call and share the intimacies of public life with, and he’s here for all of it.

‘In Taylor’s TikTok shared with Travis in it, you can clearly see how comfortable they both are, and how genuine and funny they can be together.

‘People are analyzing, and picking things apart because these two are superstars – that’s it. They aren’t part of a “PSYOP” to sway an election, or anything else – they are in love.’

Thalia Ouimet, a VIP matchmaker and author from New York, shared a similar sentiment.

She said it was obvious how ‘secure’ Travis made Taylor feel, and that it didn’t seem like they’re ‘showing off’ at all, but rather, just so ‘in love’ that they couldn’t help it.

‘As a matchmaker and dating coach, I see this relationship being so public because Taylor is confident in her relationship and Travis makes her feel secure,’ she told DailyMail.com.

‘She isn’t at all showing off, in fact she just [seems] in love. We all know that feeling of thinking we found “the one” and wanting to share it with the world.

‘Taylor is experiencing a very public relationship and coming out on top. They are both secure and family-oriented and want the same things. Only time will tell if this love will be forever.’

Relationship expert Brock Olsen, who hails from Chattanooga, Tennessee, suggested that Taylor and Travis’s over-the-top affection seems like a ‘conscious effort’ on her part to ‘make sure’ that she’s ‘controlling the narrative.’

‘[It seems like she’s making] a conscious effort and consistent decision to make sure that whenever her and Travis are seen together that they are controlling the narrative and putting on a positive display of the relationship,’ he explained.

‘Being a professional athlete with the type of fan base that he has, guarding and maintaining a reputation is of the utmost importance in terms of marketability, which is something Taylor understands quite well.

‘So since neither one of them are able to hide the relationship, they are both fully committed to leaning into it and showing what positive PDA and what a healthy relationship should look like.

‘They are both running with it. It’s basically David and Victoria Beckham 2.0 and I think we’re all here for it.’

Betsy Chung, a clinical psychologist who ‘specializes in helping people achieve and maintain healthy relationships,’ pointed out that sometimes, when people start showcasing their love everywhere, it could be to ‘make another person jealous.’

But she added that the change in Taylor’s behavior could have to do with ‘the dynamics of the relationship’ or ‘the preferences of the other partner.’

‘Or maybe she wanted to see what it’s like to approach a relationship differently,’ she theorized.

‘Sometimes we might show more PDA because we can’t keep our hands to ourselves, while other times we might show more PDA to make another person jealous.

‘There are many different reasons, we might approach relationships differently, but the most important is that both partners are on board.

‘And [there’s] nothing wrong with wanting to bask in the spotlight of being the proud girlfriend of a major athlete.’

Taylor and Joe first crossed paths at the 2016 Met Gala, but due to their extreme secrecy, it’s unclear when they officially start dating.

It wasn’t until more than a year after their meeting that they were photographed together for the first time in 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The couple went to great lengths to keep their relationship out of the public eye during the six years they were together – and they would even sometimes don disguises to make outings together undetected, according to US Weekly.

In October 2018, Joe spoke about it to British Vogue, explaining, ‘I’m aware people want to know about that side of things. I think we have been successfully private.’

Taylor also revealed in 2020 that she was drawn to Joe because of the sense of much-needed normalcy and steadiness that he brought to her life.

‘I cannot control if there are 20 photographers outside in the bushes and what they do and if they follow our car and if they interrupt our lives,’ she said.

‘I can’t control if there’s going to be a fake weird headline about us in the news tomorrow.

‘I think that in knowing him and being in the relationship I am in now, I have definitely made decisions that have made my life feel more like a real life and less like just a storyline to be commented on in tabloids.

‘Whether that’s deciding where to live, who to hang out with, when to not take a picture – the idea of privacy feels so strange to try to explain, but it’s really just trying to find bits of normalcy.’

News hit the web in April 2023 that she and Joe had split. She was then linked to Travis in September following a brief stint with The 1975 singer Matty Healy.

Since they got together, Taylor and Travis have not shied away from the public eye when it comes to sharing the intimate details of their romance.

He has revealed everything from the adorable story of how they met – he tried to give her a bracelet with his number on it at one of her shows, and when that failed a mutual friend helped get them in contact – to what really goes on during their dates.

They’ve also packed on the PDA numerous times on camera. Most recently, they were seen getting intimate during an after party following the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win against the San Francisco 49ers.

The couple were caught dancing romantically, serenading each other, and smooching after her song Love Story came on during the bash.

In the years before she dated Joe, Taylor was linked to many other big stars like Joe Jonas, Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhaal, Calvin Harris, and Tom Hiddleston.

And while she certainly wasn’t as public with them as she has been with Travis, the singer didn’t try to hide her past lovers like she did with actor Joe either.