Unquestionably, Taylor Swift is the queen of Easter eggs and hidden allusions, and her latest music video for “You Need To Calm Down” is no different.
If you haven’t noticed, Taylor’s most recent music video features a plethora of gay celebrity appearances and symbolism—a fact that Twitter users are currently delving into endlessly.
Unnoticed, though, is Tay’s enormous new back tattoo, which is one aspect of the video. Yes, you heard correctly; T-Swizzle made his tattoo debut in the video, and I for one am really like it.
When Tay removes her bright pink fur jacket in the opening scene, she displays a very noticeable—read: massive—back tattoo that extends from the middle of her back to her shoulders. It’s difficult to overlook the striking design, which includes a snake next to an abundance of butterflies: Even though it’s most likely a temporary tattoo, the important thing to remember is that it’s there for a purpose, which is what we’re here to talk about.
Butterflies are a symbol of hope, transformation, and resurrection; these ideas are essentially encapsulated in T-Swizzle’s latest album, Lover. A deeper examination of the tattoo and the arrangement of the design also reveals a lot. The butterflies at the top of the tattoo suggest that Tay is emerging from a transformation and marking the beginning of a new, happier chapter in her life, while the snake at the bottom suggests that it is now in the past.