Inside wild theory Taylor Swift is purposely turning opinion against her ready for Reputation

As usual with any Taylor Swift album release, the die hard Swifties and even more casual fans can’t help get swept up in the crazy theories that swirl around every album dropping. Nobody was expecting Taylor Swift to announce her 11th album The Tortured Poets Department at the Grammys this past Sunday – most fans were braced for the announcement of Reputation (Taylor’s Version). This week has seen a lot of Taylor Swift discourse regarding her Grammy win, another album quick after the last, the continued Swiftian domination and private jet debacles and lawsuits. Even fans are getting a bit overwhelmed. But one theory suggests Taylor Swift is handling all this intentionally for the looming Reputation, and it’s a bit wild if true.

Reputation era

When Taylor Swift released Reputation in 2017, she was in her “villain era” – thanks to the discourse at the time penning her as fake-feminism following the 1989 Girl Squad era and a public feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in which the latter two tried to portray Taylor as fake – saying she consented to the Famous video by West which was later proven to be edited. Nonetheless, at the time people bought it – everyone thought Taylor was calculated and fake and an America’s Sweetheart image she had up until then was tarnished.

For the Reputation album era, Taylor Swift retaliated by leaning into her new villain persona in the eyes of the press, using snake motifs and having lead single Look What You Made Me Do sound drastically different to the persona she previously used in her music.

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Obviously, since Reputation Taylor Swift has had public favour turn back towards her gaining huge critical acclaim and becoming the biggest artist in the world bar none. With her re-release projects, Reputation once again looms but Taylor Swift up until recently was far more beloved than she was back then.

Taylor Swift ensuring she’s overexposed and that the discourse turns against her ahead of re-releasing Reputation. Her mind.

— Mike (@michaelcollado) February 6, 2024

The theory

With tides towards Taylor Swift particularly this week feeling like she’s falling slightly out of public favour, one theory is that she is doing it on purpose ready for when Reputation (Taylor’s Version) releases later this year. It’s a bit wild, but makes a lot of sense – and Taylor is very clever. The theory suggests she’s purposely trying to over-expose herself to get discourse changing direction once again.

It would explain why The Tortured Poets Department and its tracklist feels almost intentionally cringe. I actually can’t help but find myself believing this.

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Related articles recommended by this author:

• All the glaringly obvious signs Taylor Swift’s new album is about Joe Alwyn

• All we know about The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift’s upcoming 11th album

• Said as a Swiftie: The over-saturated dominance of Taylor Swift has finally got too much

Photo by Luke Jones on Unsplash