It happens in life that two ideas occur separately but simultaneously, shedding light on each other in the process. In meditating this week on how the pandemic has increased introversion and a desire for privacy in many people—which might make them feel wrong in keeping to themselves— a random article on Taylor Swift, published this past week in Vogue, highlights an empowering benefit to guarding one’s privacy.

In reflecting on how Swift and her boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn, have managed to keep their 5-year relationship entirely private and out of the press, writer Michelle Ruiz muses on the joy of not sharing in our hypersocial age—when confessional culture is the new norm, and the world, now greedy and entitled to knowledge, demands to know everything:

‘How delightful to be coy. Imagine, in 2022, leaving a little something to the imagination! It’s giving Julia Roberts-decamping-to Taos-with-Danny Moder energy. Like Roberts, Swift has reached an echelon where she doesn’t need to use her romantic relationships for publicity or image-crafting. Privacy: it’s also a power move.’

A mighty thought.