By Erin Ponce
Literature and music allow vulnerability to serve as a window into the depths of personal identity, revealing how individuals confront and defy societal norms. Taylor Swift’s “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me” and Emily Dickinson’s Wild Nights – Wild Nights! Are two pieces that, despite their differences in form, era, and audience, intersect through similar themes of self-revelation, empowerment, and the defiance of traditional expectations surrounding femininity. Swift’s song adopts a conversational assertive tone, using direct and familiar language to challenge stereotypes that constrict female identity. Dickinson’s poem, on the other hand, employs fervent lyricism, portraying vulnerability as an almost transcendental experience that unveils the self’s passions and desires. Through these contrasting uses of tone–Swift’s conversational assertiveness in “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me” and Dickinson’s fervent lyricism in Wild Nights – Wild Nights!–both works transform vulnerability into a potent form of self-revelation, showcasing how shifts in voice and intensity can redefine emotional exposure as a powerful declaration of identity.
In “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me,” Taylor Swift uses a conversational tone to challenge assumptions about female vulnerability, positioning herself as assertive yet relatable. Lines such as, “I’m just a little old me but you’re scared to let me be,” demonstrate Swift’s ability to subvert expectations by reclaiming language that is diminutive. The specific use of, “little old me” is colloquial and self-deprecating, often used humorously to make an individual’s significance seem less. However, Swift’s repetition of this phrase frames it as a sharp critique of societal norms, revealing the paradox where society underestimates women while simultaneously fearing their autonomy. Her tone here is approachable and unguarded, yet it carries a defiant edge, suggesting that vulnerability, particularly in women, is not a weakness, but a powerful trait capable of unsettling those who attempt to impose constraints.
Swift continues her tonal assertiveness in, “Why are you so afraid of the parts of me that you can’t change?” This rhetorical question acts as both a direct challenge to the audience and a moment of introspection, inviting listeners to consider the discomfort that people often project toward those who are unapologetically themselves. Swift portrays her critics as channeling their insecurities into their reactions to her wording. In addressing the audience directly, she creates a sense of immediacy that strengthens her message. This approach not only makes her personal struggle feel relatable, but emphasizes the idea that vulnerability is an integral part of identity. This reframing of self-empowerment, asserting that her openness is a choice, not a flaw.
In another line she voices, “You might see me as soft but don’t think I won’t push back,” highlights the tension between societal expectations of femininity and the reality of self-empowerment. Swift acknowledges that she may be perceived as “soft” which is often associated with women and connected to emotional pliability or weakness. Nevertheless, her following assertion that she will “push back” opposes this perception, suggesting that emotional openness does not preclude resilience. With her conversational, nearly casual tone, Swift dismantles the idea that sensitivity and strength are mutually exclusive. Instead, she posits that vulnerability is a nuanced form of power, one that allows her to confront societal norms on her own terms. This technique changes the value of emotional exposure in a contemporary context, where embracing vulnerability is increasingly seen as an act of courage and authenticity.
In contrast to Swift’s modern, grounded tone, Emily Dickinson’s Wild Nights – Wild Nights! Employs a fervent lyricism that transforms vulnerability into an ecstatic, almost mystical experience. Opening with the lines, “Wild nights – wild nights! Were I with thee,” Dickinson establishes a tone of intense yearning and urgency. The repetition of “wild nights,” combined with her selected punctuation, the exclamation marks, signals an unrestrained emotional outpouring.
This language defies the subdued, restrained expression expected of women in The Victorian-era expectations of propriety and restraint dominating the women in 19th-century American society. During Dickinson’s time (1830-1886), women were confined to the domestic sphere to adhere to the cult of true womanhood which is characterized by piety, purity, and submission among domesticity. Female poets were typically limited to sentimental, religious, or domestic themes written in refined, decorous language. Public expressions of female desire were considered scandalous and threatening to the established social order.
By beginning her poem with such intensity and the explicit expression of sexual longing, Dickinson disrupts the era’s conventions. Her passionate, even ecstatic tone to articulate female desire represents a departure from the demure femininity of her era. Rather than portraying vulnerability as a quiet submission, she portrays it as an overwhelming force that propels her into an emotional and spiritual realm, transforming potential weakness into transcendent power.
The central image of a turbulent sea further accentuates Dickinson’s fervent tone. The lines, “Futile–the winds–To a Heart in port–” depict vulnerability as something untamed, a force that resists external attempts to control or suppress it. Here, the natural world aligns with her emotional openness, where “winds” may rage, but ultimately fail to move a “heart” that has found its anchoring. This image of “a Heart in port” presents vulnerability as a source of stability more than fragility, a place of security from which she can explore her desires without fear. Dickinson’s choice of nautical imagery–common in poetry though rarely used by women to express personal longing–underscores her defiance of social constraints. Her intense lyricism turns vulnerability into a declaration of inner strength, suggesting that her emotions are both a personal truth and a form of resistance.
Further intensifying the exploration, the line “Rowing in Eden–” elevates her vulnerability to a spiritual experience. The biblical allusion to Eden, a symbol of innocence and paradise, imbues her emotional exposure with a sense of purity and freedom. This imagery conveys that vulnerability allows her to return to a state of unfiltered authenticity, where societal restrictions cease to exist. By portraying her yearning as the aforementioned representation, Dickinson redefines her desires as something sacred and powerful, connecting vulnerability to a broader, close to cosmic understanding of self. The fervent, approaching ecstatic tone in these lines suggests that vulnerability is not merely a facet of identity, but a pathway to personal liberation. Through this lyricism, Dickinson reveals her emotional depth is a source of transcendence that defies expectations of the time moving away from the perception of it as a weakness to be hidden.
Swift’s and Dickinson’s contrasting use of tone reflect the unique societal pressures of their respective contexts, highlighting how each artist uses vulnerability to challenge and redefine the female experience. Swift’s conversational assertiveness in “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me” is emblematic of a contemporary movement to embrace emotional openness in the pursuit of empowerment. Her tone is accessible and familiar, fostering a sense of resonance that guides listeners to question modern stereotypes about strength and sensitivity. In a cultural context that increasingly values authenticity, Swift’s tone affirms that vulnerability and resilience are not opposites, but complementary qualities that shape a fuller sense of self. By illustrating her vulnerability within the casual tone of everyday conversation, Swift makes her emotional openness feel both intentional and defiant, a reclamation of personal agency.
Building upon this modern approach to vulnerability, Dickinson’s fervent lyricism, sets itself apart in revealing vulnerability as a transcendent force that operates outside the constraints of her society’s expectations. While Swift’s tone dares listeners to confront their biases, Dickinson’s tone overthrows societal norms by elevating her emotional exposure to a near-spiritual level. Her passionate, rhapsodic language embodies a type of emotional freedom rarely permitted to women of her era, presenting vulnerability as a form of power that faces external judgments. By choosing a tone that is fervent and intense, Dickinson suggests that her desires and vulnerabilities are valid as well as profound, placing her emotional depth as a defiant statement of autonomy. This fervent lyricism takes vulnerability from a private state into a bold declaration of selfhood, transcending societal expectations of redefining what it means to be a “vulnerable” woman.
Both Swift’s shifts in tone and Dickinson’s lyricism display how vulnerability can serve as a medium for empowerment. In Swift’s work, the fluctuation between playfulness and seriousness mirrors a modern understanding of vulnerability as a source of connection and resilience. Her tone oscillates, reflecting a balance between personal insecurities and strength, challenging the view that one must hide vulnerability to appear strong. Swift’s conversational assertiveness allows her to voice her insecurities openly, demonstrating that vulnerability is not a disparager from her identity but a means of self-empowerment. Her tone suggests that by embracing emotional exposure, individuals can cultivate a deeper, more resilient understanding of themselves.
Dickinson’s unwavering intensity, however, suggests that vulnerability itself can be an almost rebellious experience. Her fervent tone, steady and resolute throughout the poem, positions emotional exposure as a strong declaration of identity. For Dickinson, vulnerability is more of a sincere expression of her innermost self than a moment of self-doubt. This steady intensity reveals that vulnerability can be an act of defiance, an assertion of personal truth that resists societal impositions. Her lyricism allows vulnerability to become a timeless expression of self that transcends the constraints of her time, allowing her to explore her identity on her own terms. Taylor Swift’s “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me” and Emily Dickinson’s Wild Nights – Wild Nights! both redefine vulnerability as a deliberate claim of selfhood that confronts established views of femininity. Swift’s conversational tone reframes openness as a controlled and resilient stance, effectively countering contemporary stereotypes that correlate sensitivity to weakness. Meanwhile, Dickinson’s fervent lyricism poses vulnerability as an intense, transcendent, experience that opposes the traditional narrative of her era. Together, these works illustrate how vulnerability, in distinct ways, serves as an intentional response to societal constraints on female expression, ultimately situating emotional openness as a valid form of self-representation and resistance. Despite their contrasting approaches, Swift and Dickinson exhibit vulnerability as a subtle yet powerful form of empowerment, each shaped by the cultural expectations and historical context of their respective eras.
Works Cited
Dickinson, Emily. “Wild Nights – Wild Nights!” Poetry Foundation,
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44087/wild-nights-wild-nights-269.
Swift, Taylor. “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me.” The Tortured Poets Department, Republic Records, 2024.
