melicious817
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Latest Posts by melicious817
Buckle up, fam, because I have a theory, comprising a lot of different threads I’ve been piecing together for a while now
Yesterday, TaylorNation posted a bunch of lyrics from different albums on Instagram and Twitter.
I knew that something was up the second I saw this lyric from Speak Now, for two reasons.
1. This lyric is incorrect. It should be “I hope you remember.” This is a pretty big error to make .
2. This is the only lyric that uses multiple fonts. And I thought that font looked familiar…
Because it did. It’s the exact font as “swooping sloping cursive letters” from the Paris lyric video.
I think this is just one part of a lot of Easter eggs and threads pointing to TS 12 as a coming out album.
I’ve been a comingoutlor since the Lover era, and I’ve believed that TS12 will be a coming out album since 2022, when Taylor first told us to meet her at midnight.
Let’s unpack, shall we?
1. Taylor has been hinting at TS12 for a while now, since at least the Karma music video. At the end of the video, we see the clock tick to midnight IN BETWEEN 1989 and Reputation.
2. I remain a karma truther, and I think the Man wall is still relevant here - Karma is on the wall twice, once in black (Karma the song) and once in orange (for the lost album). I don’t think it’s a coincidence that orange Karma is at the 12 o’clock position on the wall.
I do think TS12 will be an orange/lesbian flag album. It might be called Karma, or it could just represent Karma to Taylor - all the years of cages and hiding and hurting, all leading to this moment. It’s been a long time coming, and it’s coming back around.
3. On October 18, 2024, Taylor posted a video on her Instagram of herself in a stadium. She walks 11 steps, stops in front of section A12, pauses, removes her sunglasses (I’ll come back to this) and then takes steps 12 and 13.
I think this video was signaling that there would be a pause after TS11 (which we are currently in) and then TS12 would follow.
Note that she is also holding Olivia, because Karma is a cat!
Now, everyone has been clowning for the AMAs for a while now, and I have been too! Taylor’s website literally spells out AMAs, and there are 12 items on sale for 26% off. (The AMAs are on the 26th this year). TaylorNation also seems to be pointing in that direction.
The AMAs just so happen to fall on the 2 year anniversary of the Karma music video.
This is especially suspicious given Ice Spice’s random video last year where she was not only reading a magazine from 2015 with Karlie Kloss on the cover, but she was also wearing bright orange slippers and had pink and orange vases behind her.
Here is where it gets a little crazy, stay with me.
Karlie has predicted every single album release over the last few years.
On March 16, 2025, Josh posted this:
The Mirror Atlas: An Intro to Taylor Swift’s Reflection
I’ve been fascinated by Taylor Swift’s use of mirrors for a long time and the deeper I look, the more prophetic it becomes. Mirrors in her world are never just props. They’re signals. Symbols. Tools of revelation and concealment. A mirror might reflect a self, or fracture it. It might hide a truth in plain sight... or hold someone else entirely.
Now, nearly a decade after Kaylor, I remain ~unashamedly~ convinced that there is still a story being told. Whether it’s past or present, I don’t claim to know. I’m willing to wait, watch, and listen as it all unfolds. One thing is for sure, it's impossible for me to ignore. When I see a compact mirror in Karlie Kloss’s hand at the 2025 Met Gala, I can’t unsee it. The mirror is a portal—and she opened it on camera.
It’s no secret that Reputation was misunderstood when it dropped. What amazes me is that, even now, most of the fandom still doesn’t seem to get it. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe Taylor only ever meant for it to be revealed in hindsight. And maybe that’s why the rerelease is taking so long... When it comes, it’s going to be just as devastating as the first time watching it go over people’s heads again.
As I explore this, it's important to note that I see the mirror theory and eye theory in the same vein. So, if the visible eye on the Reputation album cover really is Karlie’s (and I believe it might be), then what we’re looking at isn’t just a concept album. It’s lore buried so deep, it’s taken years to even begin surfacing. Yeeeears to really start clicking.
This post is the beginning of a larger project, tracing the moments where mirrors appear in Taylor’s visual storytelling. Not as decoration, but as active participants in the mythos. This is about symbols that shimmer with double meaning—about what Taylor tells, and what she leaves unsaid. These are three mirrors that matter.
We begin in the present, with a mirror held by someone who’s never really left the frame.
1. Karlie Kloss, The Compact Mirror, and Met Gala Moments
On May 6th, 2025, Karlie Kloss posted a carousel of “getting ready” images to Instagram following the annual Met Gala. Her look that night? Glamorous, gleaming, and a little too Reputation coded, especially given who's watching. However, the morning after brought the smoking gun.
In one image, Karlie holds a compact mirror. The reflection shows an eye that doesn’t quite look like hers. It appears softer, rounder. There’s a flash of blonde bangs in the frame.
Peculiar, for sure...
A video in the same post, sped up to near-invisibility, shows nothing unusual at first. But slowed down, the reflection seems to catch the shape of someone else entirely. Some say it’s Taylor. Some say it’s just a trick of the light.
But to those of us watching closely, it’s giving the Call It What You Want Miss Americana clip all over again. Five years going strong.
Even the background audio adds weight. The song playing over Karlie’s video is “U Weren’t Here I Really Miss You” by Cult Member and Mia Martina. Released in 2019, the title alone echoes themes of absence and longing. It’s soft and moody and truly feels like a fever dream. If this was a curated moment, the music choice may be the quietest clue of all.
At the same time, Taylor is currently selling a compact mirror on her official site. It’s etched with the lyric, “Are you ever dreaming of me?” from Delicate.
A lyric about vulnerability, desire, and the terrifying risk of being truly seen. The mirror in Karlie’s hand lives in a video viewed thousands of times. Sure, they're not the same object, but they speak the same language. One asks the question. The other hovers near the answer.
Oh, the compact mirror... This wouldn’t be the first time it's made an appearance in their shared visual universe. In 2015’s Bad Blood—the cinematic music video where Karlie played the knife-throwing assassin Knockout—compact mirrors flash a couple of times.
In one shot, a mirror is held by Selena Gomez's character, Arsyn, and reflects Taylor (her character, Catastrophe) mid-battle. Right after, Arsyn blows smoke off the mirror into Catastrophe's face and she falls, shattering the glass wall behind her. In another moment, Gigi Hadid’s character, Slay-Z, holds a compact that functions more like a weapon than a beauty tool. The mirror isn’t for touch-ups. It’s used to see, to target, to surveil.
For my own entertainment, while we're at it and talking about Bad Blood, I wanted to note what I see as Bad Blood callbacks in two of Karlie's Met looks: 2025 and 2016… go figure.
The Met madness is deep within Gaylor lore and it's something that deserves it's own dissertation. For the sake of chronicling, let's turn our eyes to 2019. On the night of the Met Gala themed Camp: Notes on Fashion, Karlie posted a photo holding a compact mirror with the caption: “Looking camp right in the eye.” It was clever and pointed. For most, it was totally misunderstood. For some, it felt like the photo winked.
Camp, in its purest form, is queer—an art of exaggeration, subversion, and coded visibility. The fact that Karlie chose a mirror to make that statement only deepens the meaning. It wasn’t just a nod to the theme. It was a reflection held up to the gaze itself.
When a motif returns like this: same object, same players, years apart... it stops being aesthetic and starts being intentional. The compact mirror isn’t just a prop. It’s a reflection of things unsaid. When Karlie picks it up in 2019 and again in 2025, we’re not just watching a routine beauty shot. We’re seeing something resurface. A deep portal. A time travel. All the love we unraveled and a whisper that says: I'm still here.
2. Reputation – The Disappearing Act
If there’s an era where mirrors stop reflecting and start breaking, it’s Reputation. The visual and lyrical language of this album is all about distortion, erasure, and strategic self-construction. It’s not about being seen—it’s about being watched. And what better symbol to carry that weight than a mirror?
Let’s start with the cover.
EYE THEORY TRUTHERS, RISE.
The Reputation album cover is a grayscale newspaper layout that blankets half of Taylor’s face. Some believe the visible eye belongs to Taylor, and the obscured one? Karlie’s. (It’s me. Hi.) A theory, sure—but the ambiguity holds. The cover itself becomes a mirror. Or maybe a mask. Either way, it’s hiding as much as it reveals.
I need to make my own Eye Theory deep dive (and I will)... but if you're interested now, there are so many lovely Tik Tok creators that are a total wealth of knowledge :)
Digging into the album, the use of mirrors continues. For the sake of this being an intro, let's touch on a relevant music video from this era.
We’ve already seen the compact mirror show up in Bad Blood, where it’s held like a weapon. But in Delicate, the mirror becomes something more slippery—something emotional. In this video, Taylor isn’t fighting anyone. She’s trying to find herself. And the mirrors in the video don’t reflect a consistent identity. They shift. They vanish. They resist.
Let’s break it down.
00:33–00:36 In the opening hallway scene, Taylor walks with her bodyguards through a grand hotel corridor. She catches a glimpse of herself in a passing mirror, and something strange happens: she and the guards stop, walk backward, then charge forward again. It’s as if the sight of her own reflection interrupts the performance. The self in the mirror is the managed one. The one who turns around? That’s the version trying to break free.
00:44–1:02 In the dressing room scene, Taylor stands alone, making wild faces into the mirror. It’s one of the only moments in the Reputation era where she’s truly unguarded, and it’s with her reflection. She isn’t performing for the world. She’s performing for herself. It’s silly, strange, and a little unhinged. It’s honest.
1:03–1:12 But then, the spell breaks. Three women enter the room. Taylor vanishes. And so does her reflection. The moment she’s no longer alone, the mirror erases her. That is not subtle. That is design.
2:34–2:45 Later, in the elevator scene, a woman stands beside Taylor, smiling, applying lipstick, completely unaware of her presence. Taylor is still invisible. She exists outside the reflection, outside the frame, outside the narrative.
To me, Delicate is one of the most emotionally rich videos in Taylor’s entire visual canon. It’s a meditation on freedom—the kind that only comes when no one is watching. The moves she makes in the video are strange, almost feral. And I think that’s the point. She’s showing us how she behaves when the mirror no longer holds her. When she’s unseen and alive.
There are more mirror moments in Reputation that we’ll get to in the Mirror Atlas, but Delicate stands alone in its depth. It isn’t just a pop video. It’s a reflection of what happens when the reflection disappears.
3. mirrorball – Shimmer, Performance, and Emotional Reflection
If Reputation was about erasure, mirrorball is what’s left behind in the spotlight. It’s one of Taylor’s most quietly devastating songs—soft in delivery, but sharp in what it reveals. This time, she isn’t looking into a mirror or breaking one. She’s become the mirror itself.
In the Long Pond Studio Sessions, Taylor describes mirrorball as a song about performing through pain, about the exhausting need to be “everything for everybody.” She compares herself to a disco ball—beautiful because it’s broken, casting fractured reflections for others to enjoy. “If you break it, it’s just made of a million pieces of broken glass.” That’s the metaphor. And it’s not just poetic—it’s literal.
She didn’t perform mirrorball in a mirrored outfit on the Eras Tour, but that detail only makes her earlier choices more significant. In 2018, at the American Music Awards, Taylor stepped out in a full mirrorball dress. A mosaic of tiny mirrored tiles wrapped around her body. She wore it to accept awards for Reputation, the album that she’s still letting us unravel. The look was bold, but intentional. She showed up shining—reflective, beautiful, unreadable.
In 2023, at The 1975’s concert in London, Taylor made a surprise appearance wearing another mirrored mini-dress. It wasn’t just a callback. It was a performance of an identity. She was stepping into a space filled with speculation, projection, and fantasy—and she wore exactly what the crowd would expect. Not because it was her. Because it was what they wanted her to be.
And that’s what makes mirrorball so devastating. The mirror isn’t something she holds. It’s something she becomes. In the crowd’s gaze, in the fandom’s theories, in the industry’s demands—she reflects, refracts, and never quite settles into her own outline. Even her absence is curated. At the 2025 iHeartRadio Awards, Taylor didn’t attend, but sent a performance clip of mirrorball from opening weekend of Eras. She didn’t appear. The mirror did.
Some may believe otherwise, but to me, this isn’t a song about love. It’s about exposure. About what it costs to be adored, interpreted, and seen only in fragments. mirrorball doesn’t reveal who Taylor is. It reflects who we ask her to be.
And maybe that’s the point. I mean, the last thing we’ve heard from her in months was a clip of mirrorball standing in for her at the 2025 iHeartRadio Awards. Now, there's many buzzing fan theories of all sorts stirring around the 2025 AMAs. If she were to break her silence there, it'd be on the same stage where she first wore that Balmain beauty in 2018. it’s hard not to feel like the loop is closing. The timing is too sharp to ignore.
The End of the Intro, The Beginning of an Atlas
So, given this brain dump, I hope it’s clear that my interest lies in the mirror—not just as a visual, but as a motif woven through Taylor’s body of work. What I've started here is just the beginning, but even with only three moments, the pattern starts speaking for itself.
It’s enough to say with confidence: the mirror isn’t just a flourish. It’s a signal. A portal. A language. And once you see it, it’s everywhere.
This post isn’t a thesis. It’s a foundation. A first pass at something deeper, something still unfolding. The Mirror Atlas will grow—moment by moment, frame by frame—as we trace this reflection through Taylor’s universe.
If you’ve noticed a mirror—literal or symbolic, lyric or live—share it. The comments are open. The story is still being written.
And if you ask me, this mirror trail feels less like theory, and more like an invisible string tying Taylor to… her.
My partners friend went missing if you all could signal boost this!
Can we talk about in the OOTW video when her hands are covered in spiked icicles? Anything she touches she will damage, whether it be herself or others. Does this represent when her hands were tied behind her back and she couldn’t defend herself?
Taylor Swift and the home motif
Cause all I know is we said, 'Hello'
And your eyes look like coming home
The rust that grew bеtween telephones
The lips I used to call home
So scarlet, it was maroon
Now pretty baby
I'm running back home to you
Fresh out the slammer, I know who my first call will be to
Karma is the guy on the screen
Coming straight home to me
I found myself a-running home to your sweet nothings
Wreck my plans, that's my man
You know that my train could take you home
Anywhere else is hollow
And the road not taken looks real good now
And it always leads to you and my hometown
Rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky
And he feels like home
If the shoe fits, walk in it everywhere you go
Have my back, yeah, every day
Feels like home, stay in bed
The whole weekend
As if the street lights pointed in an arrow head
Leading us home
And I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends
When we get all alone
I'll make myself at home
And he'll want me to stay
Take me home
Just take me home
Yeah, just take me home
That nothing safe is worth the drive
And I would follow you, follow you home
I'll follow you, follow you home
Cause you can hear it in the silence
You can feel it on the way home
You can see it with the lights out
Forever and ever, ah
Take me out, and take me home
You're my, my, my, my lover
Alrighty folks, buckle up, because I googled "Taylor Swift Wonderland music video" and have fallen down a as of yet unsolved Eras tour puzzle/ one of the greatest theories I've ever heard!
Reddit Link also included
Her muse ☀️🥰
the kind of desire that dare not use the door: rob sheffield / taylor swift
This this this 💘
(source)
#dreams and wishes
If you see this on your dashboard, reblog this, NO MATTER WHAT and all your dreams and wishes will come true.
Illuminating: Style and its obvious clues
Opinions have been varied on who Style is about, obviously many claim it's about Harry Styles because of their relationship, as well as Dianna because of her James Dean photoshoot.
Even though I knew of Karlie's James Dean photoshoot on Dec 2012, I was still on the fence since the lyrics is talking about the cycle of intense love, crashing down, and coming back to the same person. So if they just met, how can this be about her, right?
However, since Taylor's clues have pointed to the timeline being a public narrative, such as:
First introduced by Bevan with Emma Stone in April 27 2008
Karlie on magazine mentions meeting and talking at the Met 2011 and baking dates
Mentioned Karlie unprompted on her 1st US Vogue Cover (does she do that a lot on print?)
released songs from the rep album such as timeless (confirmed single) and ICSY (sonically/lyrically according to critics) under Speak Now vault (screenshot below)
Karlie wearing an Enchanted gem on her bracelet (come on, how many songs do you have and you picked Enchanted?)
I am inclined to believe they have met longer than the public knows.
Clue # 1 - Style was written and recorded by Feb 19, 2014 while Dianna's InStyle magazine was Feb 2014 and Karlie's was Dec 2012. Not definitive but it's a start.
Clue #2 - might be the most obvious one yet and it's in the lyrics
"You got that long hair, slicked back, white T-shirt"
Both had the slicked back hair, only Karlie has worn a white t-shirt.
Clue #3 - "And I got that red lip classic thing that you like"
from Vogue 73 questions - she rarely wears red but sure it's favorite
Clue #4 - Walking to Style during VSFS 2014 as the King and Queen of chess and Taylor recreating this moment every eras tour?
Clue #5
I mean, can't be a coincidence, right?
A few times in between Karlie was allegedly with Leigh or Toni while Taylor we know has had a few flings as well.
Lyric parallels
"So it goes" is such an iconic line for them and I believe that Taylor has purposely made it a title in one of the rep songs for a reason
There are 13 "so it goes" in the song including the title
"'round and 'round" - While the YAIL reference sounds a perfect callback to the 1st VSFS it could also refer to them circling each other, chasing each other like cat and mouse (Paper Rings), being on different sides of Atlantic (Come back, be Here)
and how many times have we heard Karlie with the phrase "never go(es) out of style"? - this year alone she said it twice while being interviewed.
let me know what you think
it’s just like. maybe she just liked the colors of the bi flag and dyed her hair for fun. maybe she liked the idea of cedar closets and was inspired to write a song about an ex boyfriend. maybe she wore a rainbow dress during her pride speech because rainbows are pretty. maybe she dressed like a pride flag flamingo for wango tango to match pride month as an ally. maybe she said that gay pride makes her her because she’s that committed to allyship. maybe she heard about the connotations of lavender in the 50s and wrote a song about how that mirrors her feelings for her boyfriend. maybe she’s never heard of the “hair pin drop around the world” (stonewall) and just chose something that wouldn’t make much noise. maybe she really just likes singing from alternate perspectives. maybe she forgot to change the pronouns when she covered riptide from a female perspective. maybe she put herself in glass closets in multiple music videos because she feels trapped by herself. maybe she wrote so much about secrecy on reputation because she thought if she was seen with her boyfriend publicly it would ruin the relationship. maybe she wrote so much about secrecy in her earlier albums because she prefers privacy. maybe she wrote about secrecy on folklore and evermore because she was writing fiction. maybe she compared loving her partner to sin that forfeits her good standing with god and the world because she likes to be dramatic. maybe the very first night is about a guy and she just accidentally made the verses rhyme with “her”. maybe she really likes daisies because they’re pretty. maybe connections between cruel summer and closure are accidental. maybe connections between it’s time to go and down bad are accidental. maybe she’s been best friends with all of her lovers. maybe!
………………However,
Posting this thread here bc it perfectly summarizes my thoughts on this theory and I want to reference it later
The Glass Closet: Taylor Swift, Chely Wright, Speculation, and the Industry That Keeps Artists in the Dark
For nearly two decades, Taylor Swift has orchestrated the art of reinvention—from a fresh-faced country prodigy to a global pop powerhouse, from America’s golden girl to a self-proclaimed anti-hero. Each era has been a transformation, each reinvention a shield. Yet, beneath the carefully curated personas, the shifting aesthetics, and the highly publicized relationships, one unspoken question lingers: Who is Taylor Swift, really?
The theory that Swift is queer and closeted—the heart of the “Gaylor” conversation—isn’t about unfounded gossip. It’s about the systems that shape an artist’s image, the forces that dictate what is and isn’t acceptable, and the very real cost of authenticity in an industry that thrives on marketability over truth.
To understand this, we have to look beyond Swift herself. We have to examine country music’s history of closeting artists like the fallout that followed Chely Wright’s coming out and the impossible balancing act Swift has performed for years.
This is a story about control, coded storytelling, and the glass closet Taylor Swift has spent her career trying to break free from—without ever shattering it completely. It's a story of paving the path for a brighter, louder, more colorful future because one thing is for sure...
SHADE NEVER MADE ANYBODY LESS GAY!
The Early Aughts + Country Music Stardom: A Foundation Built on Silence
Country music has long been one of the most traditionally conservative genres in the music industry. With a core audience rooted in Middle America values, the genre has historically upheld white, heterosexual, Christian narratives as the foundation of its storytelling.
Even in 2025, there are only a handful of openly queer country artists, and most of them struggle to receive mainstream recognition. Artists like Brandi Carlile, T.J. Osborne (Brothers Osborne), and Brandy Clark have helped pave the way, but country radio still hesitates to fully embrace LGBTQIA+ voices.
In this world, being an openly queer artist isn’t just risky—it’s career-ending.
And no one embodies that reality more than Chely Wright.
Chely Wright: A Warning from the Closet
In 2010, Chely Wright became the first mainstream country artist to come out as lesbian and it destroyed her career.
Wright was a hitmaker, with #1 songs and major industry recognition. She had everything an artist could want—until she told the truth.
Country radio blacklisted her.
Venues stopped booking her.
Her album sales tanked.
The industry that once celebrated her pretended she never existed.
Her story became a cautionary tale—a stark warning that country music does not embrace queer artists. It erases them.
By 2010, Taylor Swift was already a superstar. If she was questioning her sexuality—or even fully aware of it—she had already been placed in a carefully controlled box.
Unlike Wright, Swift’s departure from country music wasn’t an exile—it was an escape. But that escape wasn’t just about genre. It was about control. It was about building a world where she could reinvent herself while keeping parts of her identity just out of reach.
A Different Perspective: Chely Wright’s Discomfort with Speculation
When The New York Times published an essay on the Gaylor theory, I was surprised to find that Chely Wright herself expressed discomfort with the way Taylor Swift’s sexuality is discussed in public. Wright called the piece “awful” and “triggering”, criticizing the newspaper for engaging in speculation. Given that Chely’s story has long been a major point of discussion in the Gaylor community, her response was jarring. At first, it made me question whether using her experience as a lens for understanding Taylor’s career was appropriate.
But upon deeper reflection, her reaction makes sense. Chely Wright’s coming-out experience was deeply traumatic—she spent years hiding, lying, and carefully constructing a false image to survive in country music. And when she finally told the truth, her career collapsed overnight. For Wright, the mere act of publicly discussing another artist’s sexuality—whether as support or analysis—might feel like the same kind of external pressure she once faced.
However, there is an important distinction: The Gaylor conversation is not about forcing a label onto Taylor Swift. It’s about analyzing the subtext Swift has deliberately embedded in her work. If Taylor wasn’t queercoding her music, this conversation wouldn’t exist in the first place.
It’s also crucial to recognize that the industry forces that once silenced Wright are the same forces that shaped Swift’s career. While Wright may reject this discussion entirely, that doesn’t change the reality that Taylor’s work is filled with coded storytelling—suggesting she is navigating the same strict boundaries but in a different way.
Wright’s response to the op-ed highlights a larger cultural question: Why does queerness still have to be treated as a secret, while speculation about straight relationships is encouraged?
Why Is Speculating About Queerness Seen as Different?
One of the biggest criticisms of the Gaylor theory is that it’s “invasive” to speculate about Taylor Swift’s sexuality. But where is the line between analyzing queer themes in her work and being inappropriate? Why do Swifties who push back against this theory have no problem speculating about her relationships with men?
This is where the double standard comes into play.
Taylor Swift fans have spent years digging into her personal life—analyzing lyrics, finding Easter eggs, and debating which songs are about which boyfriend. Entire media cycles have been built on this:
Is "All Too Well" about Jake Gyllenhaal?
Is she secretly engaged? Was she secretly married?
Was "You Belong With Me" about Joe Jonas?
These questions are not only accepted— they're expected.
But when Gaylors apply the same level of analysis through a queer lens, suddenly, it’s labeled “invasive” and “harmful.” The message is clear: It’s only okay to speculate if the answer is straight.
To me, this is an outdated view to force straightness onto someone while also claiming that sexuality is a spectrum. Given Taylor’s layered storytelling, it feels necessary to allow her to exist on that spectrum—where maybe some of her stories are not what they seem.
As we know, Taylor Swift spent the early years of her career operating under the rigid gender norms of country music, a world where women were expected to sing about heterosexual romance, faith, family, and small-town nostalgia. But as her success grew, so did her desire for creative control—and possibly, her need to carve out a space where she could express herself more authentically, even if only in coded ways.
Her transition to pop wasn’t just about breaking genre boundaries—it was about escaping Nashville’s conservative grip and stepping into a world where reinvention, subtext, and ambiguity could thrive. And she made that clear from the very first song on 1989.
“Welcome to New York”: Taylor’s Break from Nashville & Living In Screaming Color
"You can want who you want / Boys and boys and girls and girls."
This wasn’t just a throwaway lyric. It was the loudest queer-coded statement she had ever made—and it opened the album that marked her escape from country music’s restrictions.
This is also the era that she gave us New Romantics and Out of the Woods with lyrics like, "The rest of the world was black and white but we were in screaming color."
Many Gaylors believe that Red (2012) was already a queer-coded album, with songs about a secret relationship—possibly with Dianna Agron—hidden behind PR relationships with men. But in 2014, she took it a step further:
She stopped centering men in her music.
She built a “girl squad” narrative that celebrated female friendships—but felt, at times, like something more.
She became more private—hiding her personal life while crafting an ultra-public, ultra-marketable persona.
If Red was about testing boundaries, 1989 was about reinvention as a shield. From this moment forward, Taylor would never again present her personal life without layers of control.
Reinvention as Survival: The Dual Taylors
Swift has reinvented herself with every era, but this reinvention isn’t just about artistic evolution—it’s been a survival mechanism.
She constantly presents two versions of herself—the one the public sees, and the one hidden beneath the surface.
This is the essence of the glass closet—where an artist can leave clues, drop hints, and tell the truth without ever being forced to say it outright.
Why Taylor Swift’s Closet Is Different
Unlike Chely Wright, Swift never had to lose her career over her sexuality—but that’s because she never let it become the story in the first place. The longer she hints, codes, and subtextually confesses, the veil gets thinner.
When she says “ME! out now” on Lesbian Visibility Day, people still think it’s a coincidence. When she plays "Maroon" on Karlie's birthday, it doesn't mean anything. Somehow, even when a song with such an obvious rhyme scheme as "The Very First Night" all but hits you over the head alluding to a female pronoun in a love song, Swifties turn the other cheek and deny the obvious.
She has spent 20 years writing about love—but to the general public, that love has only been for men. For those who see through the lines, she has been communicating her real experience the entire time.
Swift’s public relationships always seem to appear when speculation about her queerness reaches a peak. The Summer of Lover 2019? Joe Alwyn’s presence is reinforced. The Midnights era? Enter Matty Healy, a quick PR cycle that fizzled just as fast as it began. And now, in 2024, with The Tortured Poets Department drenched in queer themes? Travis Kelce is front and center. Whether these relationships are real, exaggerated, or entirely contractual, they always serve a purpose—to keep the glass closet from completely shattering.
The Power of Subtext in the Mainstream
In many ways, Taylor has done something radical—she’s embedded queerness into mainstream pop culture in a way that allows it to exist without being outright rejected.
Before her, queerness in the industry was often either completely hidden or presented in a hypersexualized, rebellious way that still played into the male gaze (see: Madonna and Britney’s VMAs kiss, Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl”).
Taylor’s approach is different. Her queerness isn’t a spectacle—it’s woven into love songs, metaphors, and heartbreak anthems, allowing it to be as deeply felt and widely consumed as straight narratives.
For younger artists, this has cracked open the door.
Queer Artists Who Have Benefited from the Shift
Artists who emerged in the post-Taylor pop landscape now have far more room to exist as their authentic selves. Many don’t have to code their queerness the way Taylor does, and that’s partially because her queer-coding forced the industry to acknowledge that queer narratives could be commercially successful.
Examples of artists who have benefited from this shift include:
Kelsea Ballerini – A country-pop artist and close friend of Taylor Swift, Kelsea has been a vocal LGBTQIA+ ally, advocating for inclusivity in a traditionally conservative genre. While not publicly queer, her embrace of queer narratives and shift toward pop mirrors Swift’s own path, signaling a slow but growing evolution in country music.
Girl in Red – Explicitly queer in both image and lyricism, yet embraced by the same industry that would have never allowed Taylor to be this open in 2006.
MUNA – An openly queer pop band that has been able to build mainstream success without needing to obscure their identities.
Billie Eilish – After coming out as queer in 2023, Billie has embraced her identity without industry pushback, reflecting the shifting landscape Taylor helped shape. Her openness marks a new era where pop stars no longer need to rely on subtext or plausible deniability to exist authentically.
Chappell Roan – The most recent example of a queer artist who is making waves in the pop scene—heavily inspired by the theatrical elements of Taylor Swift’s songwriting and world-building.
Would any of these artists have been able to flourish in the mainstream ten years ago? Unlikely. Taylor’s massive, industry-defining career—and the queer interpretations of her work that have never been shut down entirely—helped normalize the idea that queerness doesn’t have to be a commercial risk.
The Unfinished Revolution: Taylor’s Influence on the Future of Queer Storytelling
Taylor Swift’s position in pop culture is unique—she is arguably the most famous person in the world, yet her true identity remains one of the most debated subjects in modern music.
This paradox—existing in a glass closet while simultaneously paving the way for others to live openly—is what makes her influence so undeniable.
Taylor Swift may never fully break out of the closet herself—but she has already blown the door open for others to walk through.
She has spent two decades bending the rules of the industry, proving that queer-coded storytelling is not just marketable but deeply resonant. The next generation of artists doesn’t have to bend the way she did—they can step into the spotlight and tell their stories without hiding behind mirrors and metaphors.
Taylor may be trapped in the glass closet, but the industry she reshaped will never be able to shut the door again.
LONG LIVE THE WALLS WE CRASHED THROUGH!
and one more thing, this was 100% a coming out post (ON LESBIAN VISIBILITY DAY AFTER A 13 DAY COUNTDOWN OF RAINBOW PICTURES) and the fact that people chose to ignore that makes me so sad for taylor
I HAVE FULL CHILLS.
(Performance art explained!!!)
Everything Taylor has been doing since the release of the I Can See You MV which premiered in Kansas City just ONE day before Travis attended Eras Tour for the first time has all been in reference to the plot of "Valentine's Day" - a movie she starred in with Taylor Lautner, who was also in the I Can See You MV.
The film released in 2010, Speak Now era, and the I Can See You MV reveals that the Taylor from this film has been locked away ever since. In "Valentine's Day", Taylor's character notably has a big 13 written on her hand, just like the Taylor in the vault.
We missed all of the signs and never put the pieces together but it was never just a MV. Speak Now Taylor was broken out for the purpose of fulfilling 1 last acting role, an acting role she was already familiar with, the role she played in "Valentine's Day" with Taylor Lautner.
In the film, Taylor has an athlete boyfriend, played by Taylor Lautner, and the two of them are high school sweethearts. Hence, the intention behind So High School.
But here is where it becomes clear this is not just her own story she is trying to tell, because to break the blender, the singer needs the football player, Travis Kelce.
In "Valentine's Day" there is a subplot about a closeted gay professional football player that decides to publicily come out on national TV and retire to choose his male partner over his career.
(AND TRULY HEAR WHEN I SAY THIS BECAUSE I AM IN DISBELEF)
After the closeted football player comes out, he goes home to be with his lover who greets him with a GOLD ROSE.
No you were not crazy to think Ross Travis was soft launching him and Travis with this. That is EXACTLY what is happening here. This isn't an original plot, this is a live remake
Immediately after the Super Bowl, teammates of Travis already begun spreading that Travis may retire. Right on cue. Following the script to a T.
The evidence that Taylor has been publicily playing the role of "Valentine's Day" Speak Now Taylor since July 8th 2023 does not end there though.
Besides Taylor Lautner, SEVERAL other actors/actresses that starred in "Valentine's Day" attended the Eras Tour, which could be a coincidence until we look at when they did.
Jennifer Garner who played Julia in "Valentine's Day" attended the Eras Tour on, you guessed it, July 7th 2023 in Kansas City the day I Can See You MV premiered, 1 day before Travis attended.
Bradley Cooper who played the love interest of the closeted football player attended the Eras Tour WITH Travis Kelce on May 12th 2024, the 87th show. IMDB promoted this article which notably points out Travis being there and how Taylor and Bradley both starred in "Valentine's Day".
Ashton Kutcher who played the character Reed in "Valentine's Day" attended the Eras Tour on June 22nd 2024 while Travis was there, just 1 day before Travis was on stage taking up an acting role for the peformance of I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.
Anne Hathaway also attended 1 day after Travis did. Jessica Alba attended during Karlie's birthday shows in LA August 2023. Emma Roberts went to one of the first shows of the Tour. In which all of the following people played the major roles in "Valentine's Day".
We are still not done.
In the main scene of Taylor and her athlete boyfriend Taylor Lautner, Taylor's character is wearing PLAID, this is why Taylor has excessively been wearing plaid for the past 2 years to the point people started believing it was an album era clue. Nope, she has just been in character, and giving us so many signs to lead back to the film for so long.
And finally, in the ending scene for Taylor's character, she says goodbye to her athlete boyfriend and is seen in an ELEVATOR wearing a RED DRESS. The same color dress Taylor chose to wear to the Grammy's, the main event right before the Super Bowl. Where she wore a T chain that got everyone talking that it was for Travis, it was a farewell.
If you have been following, for the Super Bowl Taylor brought everything full circle with Bejeweled. From the Bejeweled MV release date to the Super Bowl, it was exactly 838 days. She filmed it August 3rd on Karlie's birthday. And the Haim sisters from the Bejeweled MV accompanied her at the game. She also bookended her first Chiefs football game attendance outfit by wearing the same one, except she Bejeweled the shorts. And then just as the prophecy foretold in Bejeweled, she ghosted, leaving the stadium early.
What else happened in Bejeweled though? The elevator scene. Which is EXACTLY how she chose to tease Speak Now TV. The album that gave us I Can See You. And the way she revealed this was by making Speak Now TV the 13th floor (refer back to 13 written on her hand in Valentine's Day)
I am just absolutely floored. This has all been here the whole time right in front of us and it is MASTERFUL planning. Down to the full circle moment that has been going viral with Taylor presenting the award to Beyoncè referring back to when Beyoncè presented to Taylor at the 2009 MTV Awards while Taylor was writing Speak Now. It was yet another clue that Taylor is currently playing the role of Speak Now Taylor from the Valentine's Day film, and she would have already been filming for the movie at this time.
I will not be recovering from this information I truly cannot believe that this is real
esp when it’s a photo from a road trip and in the song she shouts out “trip of my life” 🙈
does anyone wanna hold hands until we feel a little braver
Oop—
Someone might've found this already—I don't remeber, but like... look at it...
There's of course this gem too, just for posterity.
OK, I've been debating over this for ages...
Who of you guys is familiar with Stationhead?
I've been listening almost religiously for months now, and I've got questions.
For those who have never seen this name:
Stationhead is an app that can be linked to your Apple Music or Spotify account and allows streaming playlists, so you can share them with others in real time. It includes a chat function and some other little bits and bobs. Artists--including Taylor--occasionally use it for listening parties, where they stream a specific playlist, and fans go nuts in the chat. All good fun. Taylor Nation has an account they use for those listening parties, and they are usually announced beforehand via instagram, etc.
Whenever there is no active listening party, there's still a Swifties channel. There's a whole syndicate that shares the responsibility of keeping the music playing there. They can stream music simultaneously, but only one gets featured "on air" on the channel at any one time. I can't really determine whether those individual hosts are fans, or what, or how they got into the syndicate. But I did notice two things: 1) Just before a listening party, a certain host called "swiftiesss13" tends to take over the channel. Basically while everyone is gathering and waiting for the main event to start. 2) There also seems to be a default host that plays whenever no one else from the syndicate is active. That would be taylorswifties13 (LOVE the 1989 icon 😉).
Please note, that these are all just my observations. I know nothing about the behind the scenes that are going on. If anyone here knows more or thinks I'm spewing utter nonsense, PLEASE fill me in!
Now.
The thing I feel kinda weird about sharing, but which I really would appreciate thoughts on... So, on that default station, the host taylorswifties13 has been playing the same playlist for several months now. I BELIEVE the most recent changes to the playlist occurred around mid November. Specifically, Nov. 15th, IF I'm not mistaken. I'm going by text messages I sent to my friend back then, and my fuzzy memory/awareness of what came before then, because up until then, I'd been listening for months, but hadn't known what to look for. First of all, let me share the playlist that has been in place ever since then:
Note, that since I have no way of knowing for sure, my staring point of Begin Again is perfectly arbitrary. As for the colour coding, red indicates songs from the The Eras Tour setlist. That's 21 tracks out of 47, so close to half. In addition to that, we have tolerate it, which used to be on the setlist, and Florida!!!, which was part of the TTPD set for four shows (London and Miami). I wasn't sure whether to count the latter as a setlist song, or a surprise song, but I'll mostly count it as a surprise song. The tracks in green, are songs she played on her final leg in USA/Canada. Any tracks with an asterisk (*) were surprise songs during the European leg of the tour. Please don't be too confused by all of my annotating and colour coding; it’s all a bit silly on my part, but maybe it's helpful to someone else..? Dunno.
And here's the "juiciest" bit about it all
...assuming I haven't lost you by now.
If you would please direct your attention to tracks 35 and 36:
Gorgeous (track 34) ends, This Love starts playing, but STOPS just a few seconds into the actual verse. If you look at the progress bar, this is exactly how long the song is meant to play. I once tried following it up by adding this song to my Spotify favourites (which you can do via the Stationhead app), but it only gave me the proper version. Very odd. Anyway, I was so puzzled over this almost straight away, but it took me several more months (last week) to think of checking the runtime. Here it gets a bit so-so.... because it's 38 seconds. But not sharp. It's NOT 39 seconds, but it's also not exactly 38. Still. Very strange, kinda tantalising, not quite precise enough for my liking and YET so UNCANNY. On a stopwatch that doesn't show the milliseconds, it certainly WOULD be 38 seconds... 🤷♀️ If you are wondering about my reaction time: I also isolated the exact snippet of the track in video editor, and it was under 39 seconds. The whole thing is compounded by the fact that the original Fearless plays right after. The original. EVERYONE in the chat keeps complaining about the "stolen" version. Ok. I get it. But also, why does no one else find it weird?! They are raging, but no one is questioning. In a playlist with ONLY TVs, except the two reputation songs which have no TVs yet. In fact, there's ONLY two rep songs and NO Debut songs. The host is otherwise very mindful of their curation.
For me, the odd skip, followed by this odd OG version immediately brought ONE thing to mind:
This was from Karlie's snapchat stories. It entered the lore officially, when Taylor referenced it in her The Man music video, on the graffiti wall.
Why I think it's relevant and it all fits together?
* This Love (a 1989 song, contains lyrics like "this love came back to me" etc) plays for only a short time, which should raise eyebrows on it's own, but arguably, it also runs for 38 seconds. * OG Fearless (rather than TV) is another way to make you stop and think, but it ALSO is the version that actually was out when the mirror thing happened. There were no TVs yet.
ANOTHER ALSO. The "We Are Fearless" mirror thing happened November 16, 2016. Remember when I THINK the playlist changed to THIS?! Mid November 2024 (15th). At first I thought it was 16th, but I live in Australia, so my 16th isn't America's 16th yet early in the morning, which was when I discovered it. (Dang! 🤣) Anyway, close enough? I want to say "take this with the hugest grain of salt" because I didn't quite have my shit together back then. But in favour of this being odd: I knew about the mirror, I didn't know when exactly it happened. When I searched my text history to find the dates for when I became aware of all this, I STILL didn't know when the mirror thing happened. I found that date on my phone first, before googling the video of the mirror writing, which then conveniently came with an actual date. I was shocked. It just fit too well.
Ok, so far so good.
But I'm still at a loss. As I mentioned before, everyone regularly complains about stolen Fearless. NO ONE ever asks why This Love is cut off. I question on the daily whether I'm just going nuts. Isn't it happening to ANYONE ELSE?! But it has to, as the playlist is streamed. It would mess up the entire timing from thereon, if it didn't happen to everyone at the same time. I'd think you don't have to be a Gaylor to find it strange?!
Oh, and a wee bit more Kaylor...
This really is a minor thing, but did you notice track 22? It just so happens to be the Kendrick Lamar version, as in NOT the exact version from the Eras Tour, but the one from that lovely music video, which features our girls boxing their hearts out 🥵 Not very demure, but feels VERY mindful, no?
I have one last thing to add:
I can't exactly send in evidence for this, as the playlist is super long, but y'all are free to waste some time and fact check me if you don't believe it... the entire playlist runs for 3h03 min (and once again a couple of extra seconds, so not perfectly on the dot, but for a whole playlist that's to be expected). What's that in MINUTES, you may immediately wonder? 183. Thank you very much 🙈
BUT WELL...
Let's think critically here for a moment... I'm either delusional, or this playlist does have "KAYLOR" written all over it. Cool. Fun. BUT HOW DO WE KNOW, that this playlist isn't just made up by one of us? Unfortunately, we don't. Or at least I don't. If any of you could elucidate, I'd be totally thrilled! Things that make me have a wee bit of faith:
It appears to be the default playlist on the Swifties channel
The tracks are very mindful of the TV situation, just like playlists that are coming from a more officially official source: NO Debut, as little reputation as possible, but then the odd one out Fearless OG
This is where the surprise songs come into play: the ratio of non-setlist tracks that were actually played during the America leg of the tour as surprise songs is a bit higher than what I'd expect to be chance alone. I've since tried to come up with random lists of songs and compared them to the actual surprise songs to kinda test this. I fell very short with some, came rather close with others, never quite reached the exact same number, let alone higher. I could be totally wrong, but this list of songs, that was first aired just a few shows into the American leg, contains a suspicious number of surprise songs. Almost like the curator knew that some of them would be played. Dunno. I'm aware that this isn't good evidence, but still something I noticed.
To sum it all up.
This has been driving me insane. I don't know if I see patterns where there are none, or if I see them alright, but the source is just another Kaylor having fun with it. Any thoughts, comments, insights would be MORE THAN WELCOME. What do you think? Is this something random, or is Miss Taylor having a jolly good time messing with us?
Kaylor : The Eras Tour
First thread I'll import here is this one: Every Kaylor references on The Eras Tour
On Twitter I update this thread from time to time when I find new things, not too sure how it works on Tumblr 😅 But I'll figure it out!
So here's all the Kaylor references I could find while watching the concert, TikTok and by my beautiful moots on Twitter.
Let's start with a Kaylor classic! Daisies:
There is daisies on the necklace she wears during Lover Era.
Daisies on the ceiling during Love Story (Karlie's favourite song)
Daisies on the piano during the surprise songs.
My personal favourite: Karlie's birthday:
During Bad Blood - wich is Track 8 of 1989, there's a 3 light up on the ceiling.
8/3 = Karlie's birthday
The letter K now:
During Invisible String, you can see the letters KK light up in the audience.
This person found out that if you mirror two Ks, it gives a diamond. Just like the stage.
Sadly I screenrecorded it when I saw it and forgot to take note of who did this, so I can't credit...
Now the 2014 VSFS :
In Bad Blood Taylor on the screen wears something odly similar to what Karlie wore during the 2014 VSFS
Notice the floor that look like a chess game? Taylor recreated it during the Mastermind set.
And during the 2014 VSFS Taylor sang style and walked hand in hand with Karlie, well she does the same with one dancer.
More than that, with Karlie she walked exactly 16 steps.
With the dancer, she walks exactly 16 steps.
But she also points at the dance in the exact same way that she pointed at Karie.
The Eye Theory :
There's also A LOT of eye theory references during the show.
During Delicate
During My Tears Ricochet (PS I don't remembre where I took this picture, so if it's one of you, tell me and i'll credit you)
Also some pointed that the dilated pupils made them think of the Best Best Friends staring contest and Karlie's eyes.
During Illicit Affairs
During Fearless
During Mastermind. At some point the diamond look like an eye.
Other Kaylor Flagging:
During the reputation intro, the hands are not Taylor's, but looks a lot like Karlie's.
At the end of Delicate, the stage looks like a giraffe neck as pointed out by Gaylolore on Tiktok.
In Style when she sings "take me home" New York city appears on the screen with the sun moving toward something.
And there's a golden path illuminated in the streets.
The sun also appears on the screen during surprise songs.
The new Lover necklace has butterflies on it. (In the Best Best Friends video, Taylor described Karlie as a Fairy Butterfly, and there's also the ME! mural...)
The Folklore cabin is a replica of the Castro cabin where both Taylor and Karlie stayed at Big Sur.
Source: Kaylortruther on Twitter
The Delicate performance has a lot or ressemblance to this Caroline Herrera commercial Karlie did.
The entirerity of The Last Great American Dinasty with the Karlie look alike and their interactions.
Ok that's about it for the Kaylor references I could find in the tour visual.
I'll probably do a part two for all the Kaylor Koicidences that happened during the tour too. because there's A LOT.
👼 VSFS Angel Wing Ring Masterpost 👼
ah yes 😌 the ring brought before us unto heaven. so much can be and has been said about it, that i thought it my duty to compile it in one place. here we go…
origins
taylor started wearing the angel wing ring in 2017, though it was likely gifted in november 2016. we say november 2016 because that’s the time when various victoria’s secret Angels posted to instagram about receiving them (only contracted Angels received them, not just any models working for vsfs). its worth noting that from a swiftie canon perspective, taylor was gifted this ring from victoria’s secret management for her appearance in multiple shows.
why it’s a Kaylor symbol
well there are a variety of ways to explain things away if you want to, i’m sure, but if you’ve been around these parts since rep era you will know that this ring has been a definitive kaylor bat signal—something talked about a ton! and taylor surely knows that. but this aside, we mainly associate it with kaylor because of how iconic taylor’s two vsfs appearances were, both of which were with karlie. to be clear, the association does not hinge on an assumption that karlie herself gave the ring, rather that it represents taylor’s time with the show, that was spent with karlie.
separate from this, and arguably the biggest point, is that she wears the ring in the clip where she is strumming Call It What You Want to a certain unseen somebody (who we have speculated and offered reason as to why it is karlie) holding the camera. that aside, that song is so clearly a play on sounds and words that sound like karlie. (karlie what you want, call it what you want, karlie).
another more visual reason why one might associate this jewelry with karlie in particular is that she was the face of Victoria’s Secret Heavenly fragrance, a bottle that came with similar adornments and accessories.
but now to the meat and potatoes of the matter..
here are all the times taylor has been seen wearing the vsfs angel wing ring:
👼 call it what you want home video clip (late 2016-early 2017)
👼 recording sessions with jack for Getaway Car and TIWWCHNT, and recording session with max martin for …Ready For It? (late 2016-early 2017)
👼 reputation promo UPS ad where she’s writing in the diary (released August 25th, 2017)
👼 delicate vertical video (March 30th, 2018)
👼 CATS wrap up party (March 30th, 2019)
👼 stella mccartney lover collab promo photos (August 20th, 2019)
👼 stella mccartney lover collab promo interview (August 20th, 2019)
👼 getting papped walking out of stella mccartney’s studio with the folklore jacket (December 4th, 2019 (kissgate anniversary)
👼 NMPA songwriter icon award speech (June 9th, 2021)
👼 her 32nd birthday party in tribeca (December 13th, 2021)
why is this established timeline significant?
so for me, to see that this ring has been quite consistently worn since rep era, so far all the way up to the very end of 2021, *and*, often on special occasions at that, gives me a certain peace of mind. if one is to believe that a ring from an event where taylor was both introduced to karlie and one where she walked down a runway hand in hand on stage on prime-time tv together with her, is something associable with karlie, then the following would seem puzzling:
how could taylor be wearing this ring on days or during times where the memory of karlie might be upsetting to her. footage of the recording of rep era songs, footage for rep era promo, an official music video right before tour, to an event she went with with her beau after rep era ended, footage at the start of lover era played during a livestream even where she had to give a talk—footage taped not too far after her masters were bought by scooter, during an award acceptance speech in mid 2021, to her own birthday party just this past year, etc etc… why wear a ring that is obviously symbolic of a time with someone that would now be triggering, to places and occasions where you need to keep your shit together?
times being as they are, i will limit conveying the scope of what i feel, but i find it worth saying that for me? all these crafted narratives and stories over the years asserting that karlie has been an upsetting presence in taylor’s life? the whole cornucopia of them? well they can all take a hike!
I wanna know about the significance of the "the lakes" as in the lake district in England and how apparently karlie went there and tweeted about it, somewhere in 2017? 2018? And in the picture she tweeted, there were two swans in the background making a heart shape and that was one of the imagery used for lover album's merch? Not sure if you've talked about it before but I just wanna know more about it, thanks!
hello! i suspect this post may be of interest to you:
i don’t have an individual writeup about the picture you’re mentioning but i do have the goods— here is the photo of karlie by a lake in england, which we assume because she posted from london that week, as she was hosting the British Fashion Awards on december 4th.
separate from the england question but while i have you here i thought id just share some other 2017 tidbits— karlie firebuilding in april 2017
and then her friend derek (who she has affectionately called her ‘brother’ over the years) sitting her down for an interview in october of 2017 where he also points out that she knows how to build a fire.
rep was of course released on november 10th 2017 where ciwyw has the lyrics “built a fire just to keep me warm” and “trust him like a brother” so you can see here just the sort of brand name playfulness from karlie, who’s always somehow able to preview taylor’s upcoming lyrics a little bit earlier than any normal person would be able to preview.
A gaylor reading of the TTPD Prologue
*I do not claim to know the sexuality of Taylor swift. I simply think interpreting her lyrics from a gaylor perspective is more interesting and leads to interpretations of her music I personally find more impressive and complex.*
At this hearing
I stand before the fellow
Members
Of the Tortured Poets Department
(Ok so we are establishing that Taylor is a member of the tortured poets department and she is talking directly to the other members. This is important because it sets the whole context of the album. She is a tortured poet, and this album is for other tortured poets. Why is she tortured though?)
With a summary of my findings
A debrief, a detailed rewinding
For the purpose of warning
For the sake of reminding
(She wants to warn us about something by reminding us of what’s happened so far. Got it.)
As you might all
Unfortunately recall
I had been struck with a case
Of restricted humanity
Which explains my plea here today
Of temporary insanity
(To me, restricted humanity reads as fame. Taylor talks regularly about feeling caged by fame and like she’s not treated like a person. So fame has been restricting her humanity and it’s made her do something crazy.)
You see, the pendulum swings
Oh, the chaos it brings
Leads the caged beast to do
The most curious things
(Pendulum swings = what goes around comes around, time keeps on moving…. The word “curious” here is very interesting to me, because that’s a word so commonly associated with being in the closet- as well as its connection to Wonderland and the line “don’t you know what becomes of curious minds”. Taylor has done “curious” things before in her time in the spotlight. The cage is still her fame.)
Lovers spend years denying what’s ill fated
Resentment rotting away
Galaxies were created
(Lovers is an interesting word to use here because of the obvious connection to her past music! Now, why are the lovers Ill fated? Were they destined to not work out, and if so, why? What’s keeping them apart?
Resentment rotting away- Taylor’s resentment, or both of theirs? The obvious interpretation of this section of the poem is it’s about her and Joe’s failing relationship. But if we’re taking the gaylor perspective here- I think this section could very well describe being in love with someone you can’t be with, and the resentment that builds up as you see them move on with their life and even get married and have kids.
Galaxies were created reminds me of the lavander haze music video where Taylor created galaxies in her lovers back, and also of the Mastermind vinyl in her room in Lavander Haze with the constellations on it. To my ears, these galaxies are the stories she’s creating for the public. Her public romances, her relationships with the men she’s bearding with. She’s the one who put her and Joe’s constellations together in Lavander Haze, she’s the mastermind who’s created these galaxies.)
Stars placed and glued meticulously by the ceiling fan
(The galaxies are fake! She’s created them from her room, or her prison. She’s meticulously crafted these romances or stories with these men, but they’re not the real thing. )
Tried wishing on comets
Tried dimming the shine
Tried to orbit his planet
Some stars never align
(What is she wishing for? Could be her and Joe to work. Or it could be freedom? Or to be like everyone else? Or to be with her lover? Tried dimming the shine- the shine of what? To me this line is very easy to interpret from a gaylor lense. “Tried dimming the shine,” to my ears, implies dimming down who she really is, dulling the truth, hiding her true colors. Why couldn’t she orbit his planet when they were in a relationship for 6 years? It could certainly be it was a toxic relationship, could it also be that the “him” doesn’t matter, she can’t make that relationship work because it’s with a man? Regardless of the reason, she tried to make this relationship work but couldn’t. The stars never aligned. I also think it’s interesting That we’ve already discussed that the sky is fake, she meticulously created it next to her ceiling fan. So does she have control over these stars? Could it be that she never wanted the relationship, that’s why those stars could not align, because she, the one meticulously placing them, did not line them up? Was the end of the relationship part of a plan?)
And in one conversation
I tore down the whole sky.
(Again, the sky is fake, it’s the meticulously crafted relationships she’s created with these men or in this case Joe. In one conversation, she ended it all. I do think conversation is a notable word choice here, it implies civility and almost a sense that the moment is casual. This was not a fight, not a devastating breakup, they had a conversation and she tore up the whole story she created, or ended their bearding relationship.)
Spring sprung forth with dazzling freedom hues
(This is possibly the most gaylor line of the poem in my opinion. It also reminds me of the line in Ivy where she says “spring breaks lose, time is near.” I think it’s relevant that in gaylor lore, the summer around Lover is when we thought Tay was going to come out, but it got ruined by the masters heist, so we’ve regularly referred to that summer as her “sparkling summer.” The summer when she wore bright colors and rainbows and released Me! This is not the same spring, obviously, but I do think summer has significant metaphorical meaning in the Taylor verse one way or another. So, back to where we were, Taylor ends her bearding relationship with Joe and spring breaks forth in beautiful freedom hues. She’s not at all sad about the end of this relationship, it’s freedom.)
Then a crash from the skylight bursting through
(Interesting! Something real. If the ceiling galaxies represents fake relationships, is something crashing through the skylight representative of something real? Real emotions… I also think this ties in with the lavander haze music video, where she tears down the walls to discover galaxies of koi fish outside.)
Something old,
Someone hallowed,
Who told me he could
be brand new
(I’m not gonna lie, this is one of the harder lines to interpret from a gaylor perspective, it does seem obviously Rathew Healy coded. But, let’s break it down anyways. It’s notable that this section is a play on the wedding phrase, “something old something new something borrowed something blue.” Which of her possible muses has gotten married? I can think of one. Something old seems to reference a past relationship, it could also be a reference to something that’s been with her all along, a feeling, or a secret, that she’s always had. Someone hallowed- empty, this person is a shell. He told her he could be brand new. I think there are a few ways to interpret this. The obvious seems to be that a past relationship came back and told her he could be different this time. Could it also be that old feelings came up and crashed through her skylight, or through her constructed relationships, and she needed a new shell, or puppet, to conceal them? Was the shell saying he could be brand new offering to be whatever Taylor needed him to be?)
And so I was out of the oven
And into the microwave
(Taylor was preparing something, she was getting ready for something, but she had to rush it.)
Out of the slammer
And into the tidal wave
(The obvious interpretation is that the slammer is her relationship with Joe and the tidal wave is Matty, hence guilty as sin. However, what she’s saying at the core here is that as soon as she’s free, she’s in danger. Freedom will drown her. )
How gallant to save the empress from her guilded tower
Swinging a sword he could barely lift
But loneliness struck at that fateful hour
Low hanging fruit on his wine stained lips.
(Now I actually do believe this section is about Matty! He “saved” Taylor, took on a bearding relationship with her, but he couldn’t handle the responsibility. I think it’s very telling that she says loneliness struck. If they were in a real relationship, one that was a close and intense and passionate as she describes throughout this album, why is loneliness what tore them apart? Why were they lonely if they were twin flames? To me, the answer that makes the most sense is they were not. This relationship was not real, either. She got out of the prison of her bearding relationship with Joe and into the tidal wave of chaos that was a bearding relationship with Matty, but they were still both lonely in the end. And that loneliness drove him to say something drunkenly she couldn’t forgive. What low hanging fruit did he reach for? What nerve did he strike?)
He never even scratched the surface of me.
None of them did.
(This seems extremely telling from a gaylor perspective. NONE of them. Not a single one of these men truly understood Taylor. I do think it’s worth noting that Travis songs are on this album, and she does not say, ‘none until him,’ or even include Travis in this prologue. none of the men have scratched the surface of her, period.)
“In summation, it was not a love affair!”
I screamed while bringing my fist to my coffee ringed desk
(She’s screaming at us that this album is not about a love affair, and none of what happened was real love or romance. Her desk is coffee ringed because she’s been there a long time, writing, trying to explain herself.)
It was a mutual manic phase.
It was self harm.
It was house and then cardiac arrest.
(Her and Matty were a mutual manic phase. Why was that relationship self harm? It certainly could be bc Ratty is a terrible person and that relationship was toxic. It could also be that ALL of her relationships with men, or at least the ones referenced in this prologue, were self harm. She’s forcing herself into situations that hurt her for the sake of fame. The relationship was house arrest because she was trapped and then cardiac arrest because her heart died, there was no emotion or passion.)
A smirk creeps onto this poets face
Because it’s the worst men I write the best.
(She writes the men!! She is saying right here, she is the writer of the stories, the mastermind behind the galaxies. She’s smirking because she’s tricking us and she knows it. She knows she’s going to be misunderstood, she knows something we don’t.)
And so I enter into evidence my tarnished coat of arms
(Okay so she’s entering these things into evidence. Time to revisit the beginning. What is this evidence of? What is she warning us against? Is this evidence of her plea of insanity, or evidence to support her warning? At this point in the poem, what exactly is she warning us against? In my opinion, she’s warning us against idolizing her or trusting her at face value, she’s warning us against worshiping her relationship so she’s saying over and over, “this is a story I’ve constructed and now it’s torturing me.”
A coat of arms is a family sigil- it could also be seen on a shield. So Taylor’s coat of arms is something that protects her and identifies her- is it her brand? The public Taylor? It’s tarnished, is that because her reputation was tarnished with Matty? Is she saying, my tarnished brand is evidence this is torturing me?)
My muses, acquired like bruises
(She paid a price for each muse in her songs. Each one of these relationships she’s written about hurt her in some way. I also think it’s notable that bruises are visible signs of injury- we all see the bruises, we all define her by them. I think it’s obvious to see how her muse bruises are evidence she’s being tortured.)
My talismans and charms
(Talismans and charms reminds me of Easter eggs. Hidden symbols and messages and codes. Gaylors regularly use symbolism and Easter eggs as evidence that Taylor is not happy, she’s being tortured.)
The tick tick tick of love bombs
(The love bombs could certainly be love bombing in relationships- I think it could also mean love bombing from fans, and how it’s going to blow up in everyone’s face.)
My veins of pitch black ink
(Interesting for a few reasons. She’s dark and bitter on the inside, she doesn’t feel like she bleeds the same as everyone else. And, she has to bleed to write. She has to suffer for her art.)
Alls fair in love and poetry
(All of this, all the lies, all the constructions, everything I’m doing is fair because it’s for the sake of love and my art. This poem, and this album, is a warning against getting swept up in the stories of her relationships, because they’re constructions that she’s made for her art.)
Sincerely,
The chairman of the tortured poets department
(She’s not only in the tortured poets department, she’s the chairman. She’s in charge. She’s the head tortured poet. SHE IS BEING TORTURED FOR HER ART and we’re misunderstanding her.)
Or, you know, maybe it’s just about how she went insane and dated Matty Healy and now she wants to be seen as tortured and edgy.
If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read!
This was entirely for my own enjoyment, but if anything resonates with you or if you have another complex or unusual reading I’d love to hear it ✨
Travis Kelce & Golden Roses—Oh, We’re Keeping Count.
If you’re not spiraling yet, congratulations on your rose-colored glasses.
If you are spiraling, welcome aboard. Let’s get into it. 🌹
1. The Fit
Travis Kelce arrived at the biggest game of his career in a full rust-brown Amiri suit, paired with a shimmering, deep-V shirt and—pay attention—a golden rose brooch.
2. The Golden Rose: A Valentine’s Gift for… Who?
First, let's begin with Valentine's Day 2024. It was Travis and Taylor's first time celebrating the holiday as a couple. While Taylor was in Melbourne for The Eras Tour and Travis was absent, he adorned her with gifts. One of the gifts being... a golden stemmed rose.
So, in 2024, this was a romantic gesture of love to Miss Americana on Valentine's Day, right? Glad we can agree. Let's fast forward to February 9th, 2025.
It's time to talk about the golden rose brooch on Travis’ lapel.
While Travis was wearing one gold rose, his “best friend” Ross Travis posted a photo from the Super Bowl of a nearly identical golden rose sitting on his lap. This time, the entire rose is fully gold plated, a bit of an upgrade from last year's Valentine's gift, if I do say so myself. This rose will never wilt.
The picture above on the right was the only story Ross Travis posted that night.
Just guys being dudes? Or is there more to this?
If you swapped out one of these men for a woman, we wouldn’t even be having a debate—everyone would be freaking out over what an obvious romantic gesture this is. It was taken as a romantically sweet gesture when Taylor received one last year...
And we’re not done yet.
3. So, Why Isn’t Mainstream Media Talking About This?
Because there has only ever been ONE openly queer active NFL player.
For an industry that thrives on hyper-masculinity, it’s no surprise that this golden rose exchange isn’t making headlines. The NFL isn’t exactly known for celebrating queer relationships, and speculation around a player’s sexuality isn’t something sports media is going to touch unless it’s explicitly acknowledged.
But just because they won’t talk about it doesn’t mean we can’t see it. It doesn't mean they aren't showing us.
4. The Taylor Swift Connection: A Golden Rose, A Valentine’s Emoji, and a 2017 Throwback
Back in 2017, Taylor launched The Swift Life app, which included a set of custom Swift-themed emojis (affectionately called Taymojis).
One of the emojis in the Valentine’s Day pack was a golden rose—identical to the one Travis and Ross wore.
And the caption under that emoji?
🫡 “This will last forever.”
Yes. You read that correctly.
Every emoji in that pack was love-themed. "I <3 U." "Look out! You might catch feelings!" "Kisses!" And then we have this golden rose, captioned as something eternal.
The timing? This rose exchange between Ross and Travis happened five days before Valentine’s Day.
Now, I’m not saying Taylor had a hand in this… but I’m also saying we’ve seen too much to ignore it.
I can see the rose given to Taylor in 2024 as a symbol of temporary love, while the rose in Ross' lap at the 2025 Superbowl seems to symbolize forever, according to Taymojis and the fact that the rose is completely frozen in gold.
5. The Reputation Era Callback & Call It What You Want
This isn’t just about a golden rose and a well-tailored suit—it’s about timing.
At this same game, Taylor wore her infamous T chain, a direct reference to Call It What You Want. That alone was enough to make us dig. But when we zoom out and look at what era she’s teasing, things get even more interesting.
We are on the cusp of Reputation (Taylor’s Version), and Taylor has already warned us that the vault tracks are going to be fire. 🔥
And let’s be honest—Gaylors have been saying for YEARS that if Taylor was ever going to use a vault track to say something explicitly sapphic, Reputation TV is the place to do it.
Why? Because Reputation wasn’t just about damage control. It was about narrative control. It was about hiding in plain sight. It was about creating an image that served a purpose, while the truth stayed in the shadows.
So what if this rollout isn’t just about reclaiming her masters?
What if it’s about reclaiming her true reputation—not the one the public crafted one, not the one she had to play along with, but the one she’s been teasing at for years through hidden meanings, visual cues, and layered storytelling?
She’s nodding to Call It What You Want.
She’s doubling down on Reputation-coded imagery.
The golden rose, a symbol of permanence and love, reappears in a way that directly connects to her own past branding and gifts from Travis.
If 1989 TV was about nostalgia and reinvention, Reputation TV could be about revision and revelation.
And that, my friends, is why this moment feels bigger than just a suit, a rose, and a Super Bowl flex.
6. Final Thoughts: “Best Friends” or Something More?
If any of this had happened between a male athlete and a woman, the entire internet would be calling it romance, just as we saw in 2024.
But because it’s happening, now, between two men, we’re supposed to pretend it’s just a meaningless fashion moment?
Let’s be real:
The golden rose was a choice.
Ross Travis posting the exact same golden rose was a choice.
The Taymoji connection is insane.
The timing with Reputation references makes this undeniable.
At the end of the day, whether this is romance or just another hidden narrative, it’s very clear that this is more than just a suit.
And if you’re still not convinced? Well…
🌹 Call it what you want, I guess. 🌹
@ariel-seagull-wings @the-blue-fairie @thealmightyemprex
This one piece of evidence is enough for me
Can we talk about how if Taylor had phrased it "lesbian pride makes me me!" they'd still be arguing "SHE JUST SUPPORTS LESBIANS!"
There is literally 0 logic to thinking it's not an identity statement, yet they find a way.
If you're not trans like myself then are you really going to say trans pride makes you who you are just because you're an ally???
Who you support does not correlate with personal identity. Something cannot make you who you are unless you are that something. This isn't a complicated concept
I think it's just one of the biggest proofs that it has never mattered what Taylor says or does, and that is why hairpin drop was dismissed when it has 0 other meaning and she doubled down to use it again 2 years after non-stop discourse about it.
It's simply 1 of 2 things:
1. They know Taylor is queer but will always force an act that they don't believe it simply because they don't want her to be or for that to be normalized.
2. They genuinely will not recognize anything explicity queer as queer because of that deep dislike towards the community even if it stems from internalization.
At this point there is simply not anyone that doesn't have homophobic views that cannot see at the very least that the Lover era was a coming out. I do not believe it.
The same song that she said "gay pride makes me me" about is a song about herself, her own love, characterized by queer pride, music video released on lesbian visibility day, and then you further pair that with all the promo posts for it being captioned the date of lesbian visibility with the pictures solely using the lesbian flag colors as the theme. Nobody is confused, it's just hate.
Burn baby burn?
Hey Taylor…have you ever tried ✨this one✨?
🧡🩷🤍