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What You Should Know About Taylor Swift’s New Back Tattoo

Lisa Marie BasileBy 4 Mins Read
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61909579 1095512460836364 4998575579970968207 n
If you’re a Swifty, you’ve probably been on the edge of your seat for the past few months. With all the bright colors and butterflies (as well as the breadcrumbs Taylor Swift dropped in her sugar-coated single, “Me!”) your wildest dreams are probably coming true. With the recent announcement of Taylor Swift’s new single along with her 7th album, Lover, fans got a look at the songstress’ crazy full-back tattoo: A snake morphing into a swarm of butterflies.
Even though the tattoo itself seems like something that Reputation-era (with all its darkness and edge) Swift would do, it’s perfect for Lover‘s transformative magic, through which Taylor moves from the darkness and into the light. Fans first got a peek at the tattoo when she debuted her new star-studded #Pride single, “You Need To Calm Down.” It features Ellen DeGeneres, Adam Rippon, RuPaul, Billy Porter, Laverne Cox, Adam Lambert, Ciara, Ryan Reynolds, the cast of Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” and more.

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In the video, we see Taylor wearing a pink robe, pulled down past her shoulders — revealing the behemoth tattoo.

What could it all mean, though? And is it even REAL?

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If you have followed Taylor’s recent professional trajectory, you know that Reputation was all about reclaiming her power, leaning into her shadows, and sending a big middle finger to her haters.

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After Kim and Kanye released “receipts” of Taylor allegedly lying about having provided permission to Kanye to refer to her in a song (while Taylor said she wasn’t aware of the scope of the song), Taylor’s reputation took a major hit.

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Around this time, she was also called out for staying mum throughout some intense political upheaval.

But she actually addressed this very issue recently, saying:

 “In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions. I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG…. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country toward people of color is terrifying, sickening, and prevalent.”

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Well lo’ and behold — the brand new, all-loving, politically conscious Taylor surely has emerged…

…from under whatever self-imposed (or record label-imposed?) silence she felt the need to cling to.

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The butterfly back tattoo is likely fake, but it’s pretty symbolic, isn’t it?

While Reputation‘s serpent was certainly a nod toward “darkness,”(while also representing the shedding of the skin of a bad reputation) the butterflies appear to be a celebration of transformation and freedom and speaking out.

But this time, it’s not just about her haters, but political hatred as well.

In fact, she addresses lots of issues in the song. Both the personal and global:

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Not only does she address the haters: “You just need to take several seats and then try to restore the peace/And control your urges to scream about all the people you hate/’Cause shade never made anybody less gay,” she also shares her love for lots of other pop-stars in the video (like Ariana and Adele) and brings Katy Perry on — her decade-old “enemy” — for a hug.

Yes, we can hear fans’ heads exploding everywhere.

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Watch it here:

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It looks like Taylor is embracing equality, forgiveness, transformation, feminism, and joy. And it’s a lovely thing to watch.

But what do the fans think?

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Okay, apparently, they’re flipping out.

And of course they’re finding all the Easter Eggs (Taylor loves some good symbolism, doesn’t she?).

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And people loved the LOVE that Taylor was sharing.

We don’t blame them!

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…Especially when apparent enemies come together and HOLD HANDS in a final act of forgiveness and love.

Of course, we wonder if maybe it was really just the media that perpetuated that rumor?

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But the most important response of all comes from people who needed to hear the message of support and love for the LGBTQIA community.

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Whatever you thought of Taylor before, it’s time to recognize that she is stepping up and sending a message of love and support.

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So let’s hope all the haters out there can take a hint from Swift and morph into something less evil and mean… and into people who spread messages of love.