When Taylor Swift releases an album, it’s a cultural moment. And nowhere is it felt more intensely than on TikTok. Whether it be her re-recorded Red (Taylor’s Version) or the brand-new Midnights, her music inspires all sorts of trends on the platform.
Before Midnights arrived, Swift debuted every track title on TikTok, turning the platform into the go-to destination for fans to anticipate the album and concoct theories. As soon as the clock struck midnight on Oct. 21 Swifties ran to TikTok to post their reactions, fan edits, and create new trends inspired by the music of Midnights.
Here are a few of our favorite Midnights-inspired trends on TikTok.
It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem it’s me.
« Anti-Hero » is the first single off the album, and it’s a trove of relatable lyrics about facing your inner critic. If there’s one thing we know about TikTok it’s that users love sharing why they relate to something and personalizing a popular song to their own experiences.
Users have been posting the ways in which, like Swift, they are the problem. Swift exclusively partnered with YouTube Shorts for the #TSAntiHeroChallenge, encouraging users to post why they’re the problem — but the TikTok trend grew organically on the app.
It’s not just the pointed lyricism that has motivated fans to post to « Anti-Hero » on TikTok. Users are also using the music video in which Swift portrays her insecurities as a muse, featuring plenty of ’70s aesthetics. « As professional at overthinking myself I really wanted to create my own version, » 21-year-old Hannah Rose, who posts music-inspired videos under the username @foundinmyphone, told Mashable. « What I love about the music video is how, despite dealing with a deeply sad topic, it has light-hearted, comedic elements that almost make you see how irrational and silly thinking so harshly of yourself is. »
Rose’s brilliant, personalized recreation of the video was viewed over 2 million time, and it even earned a like from Swift herself.
« The whole concept of being your own worst enemy sometimes is such a universal feeling, even when told through the lens of Taylor Swift, who’s had such an extraordinary life. She still captures it so perfectly for everyone, » Rose shared. Rose isn’t the only Swiftie who has made their own version of the music video; she says her FYP is full of other people’s interpretations and recreations. (And Swift, if you’re reading this, Rose is available for any future secret sessions.)
I can still make the whole place shimmer
No one is having more fun than those posting to « Bejeweled. » The second single from Midnights encourages listeners to embrace themselves even when others criticize you. Best believe the Swifties are sparkling in self-love thanks to this track.
There are several trends soundtracked by « Bejeweled. » There’s @mikael.arellano‘s « Bejeweled » strut and shimmer hands that has rightly inspired a wave of copycats. He may have created the most simple, yet iconic TikTok dance to date.
But « Bejeweled » isn’t just for the dancers. It’s also become the score to many transition videos, thanks to 28-year-old Miguel Dotto. He started the trend using the lyric « and by the way I’m going out to tonight » to switch from a pre-going out look to a clip of him out on the town. Since posting, Dotto has been tagged in dozens of videos of other Swifties doing the trend.
What if I told you none of it was accidental?
There’s nothing like a Swift song to get girls on the internet to spill their guts. This time it’s « Mastermind » that’s encouraging people to expose some of their more unhinged tendencies. In « Mastermind, » Swift describes how she schemed to make sure the object of her affection fell in love with her, and TikTokkers are sharing their most outlandish stories about how they schemed their way into someone’s heart.
For example, @victoriabrowne posted a video to « Mastermind » in which the caption reads, « remembering that time I really wanted my crush to invite me over so when we were snapchatting and I asked what he was doing and he replied ‘watching the new OJ Simpson Doc’ I said ‘same! What episode?’ and he said ‘3’ and I said ‘omg me too’ to tee him up to say ‘we should watch 4 together’ which he did…so I went over and had no idea what was going on in the series because I had actually never seen it and now we are married. »
Now that’s a Machiavellian tactic right out of Swift’s playbook.
