“Taylor Swift is willing to talk about s*x in a way that she never did before—at least not as overtly.”

Taylor Swift died and was reborn in between 1989 and Reputation. Her cause of death: Shade, receipts, and scandal, presumably. Her method of reincarnation: Revenge, new love, and the scale of the snake that bit her, if the lyrics on Reputation are any indication.

While the differences between New Taylor and Old Taylor are debatable (did Old Taylor record “New Year’s Day” just before her untimely demise? Is New Taylor just including the track on the album in remembrance?), one notable change that everyone seems fixated on is New Taylor’s willingness to talk about sex in a way that she never did before—at least not as overtly.

Of course, the truth is, Taylor Swift has probably been enjoying sex for years, like most adult humans. And, while her past references to her own budding sexuality may not have been as pointed as they are on Reputation, she’s been subtly working in more explicit lyrics for years. This makes sense; her songs are largely autobiographical and most of us become more comfortable with our sexuality as we get older, wiser, and more experienced.

Taylor never made herself a poster child for abstinence like Britney Spears or the Jonas Brothers, but her audience has largely been comprised of tween and teen girls with parents who hold the purse strings and shell out money for Taylor’s albums because she’s maintained a more or less wholesome image. But as her audience grows, so has her willingness to take on sex—and it’s been a process.

Taylor’s debut single was a bittersweet ballad about lost love—but not the kind that ends because of cheating or screaming fights in the rain. No, the relationship in “Tim McGraw” dissolved because life got in the way. But, when it was going strong, Taylor and her love spent a lot of time in a parked Chevy truck. She left it up to fan’s imagination to fill in what teenagers in love might do in such a situation.