16 Shady References You DEFINITELY Missed in Taylor Swift's New Music Video
From Snapchatgate to Tom Hiddleston.
Taylor Swift premiered her much-talked about videofor her latest single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” at the MTV VMAs on August 27th, and it was … something. While we haven’t exactly figured out exactly what we (or Kim, or Katy, or Kanye) made Taylor do, we do know that the video was rife with references to Tay’s past, from the mountain of former Taylors to the snakes slithering around her. Whether you like the song or not — and we’re still on the fence, TBH — you can’t deny that Tay put some serious thought into the video, and that she’s hella clever. There’s a ton to unpack, and while we have a feeling it’ll take more than a few viewings to totally take it all in, we put together some of the more obvious references we’ve noticed so far. How many did you catch?
2/17Some Twitter users are convinced Taylor’s diamond bath is a reference to Kim Kardashian’s robbery, where she was tied up in a bathroom and robbed of her jewelry. If so, this is pretty cold.
3/17Is this a nod to “Blank Space”? Taylor “eats” diamonds in one scene, and is seen dancing in a mansion that looks exactly like the one from her 1989 single.
4/17Obviously, Taylor reclaimed the snake in preparation for her album announcement after Kim’s fans spammed her social media with the snake emoji after Snapchatgate. She’s surrounded by the slithering creatures and wears snake rings, too.
5/17Taylor’s sipping on some hot tea during the snake scene. Hmm, wonder what that’s about.
6/17When she’s seated on her snake-infested throne, Taylor’s hand rests over a carving of “Et tu, Brute,” a la the famous line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
7/17The internet has noticed that Taylor looks a lot like her supposed foe Katy Perry in the car crash scene. Like, we did a double-take. She’s also clutching a Grammy, which is an award Katy doesn’t have. Cold, Tay!
8/17OK, so the use of a cage is a pretty obvious reference to the pressures of fame and the constant scrutiny Taylor’s been under the past year, but we can’t be the only ones who got a flashback to Miley Cyrus’s pop hit of yore, “Can’t Be Tamed,” are we? That said, others also pointed toward Lindsay Lohan's "Rumors" as a potential inspiration.
9/17There are more than a few moments in the “Look What You Made Me Do” video that reminded us of Lemonade (which you may have remembered, spurred accusations of copying that were later denied by director Joseph Kahn). That said, there are a lot of similarities to Bey's work, from the “Formation”-esque dance sequence to the baseball bat Tay is clutching in one scene, à la “Hold Up.”
10/17The word “squad,” which is basically synonymous with Taylor and her friends at this point, flashes on screen in a scene alongside cats that look a lot like Taylor’s cats Meredith and Olivia. Taylor’s seen presiding over a huge army of young, pretty women, an obvious nod to her crew of model BFFs — and the accusations that she cultivates her squad.
11/17Taylor’s dancers were wearing “I <3 T.S.” tank tops, just like Tom Hiddleston did during Taylor’s 4th of July party in 2016. Oh, and there are eight dancers, which, as some Twitter users pointed out could be a reference to each of her eight high-profile ex-boyfriends?
12/17During the bridge, Tay is seen standing atop a mountain of her former selves, including the ballerina from “Shake it Off,” the VMA-winning Taylor who was interrupted by Kanye, the ringmaster from the Red tour and more. So meta.
13/17Towards the end of the video, the lineup of Taylors gangs up on one another. There’s even a reference to Taylor’s iconic “surprised face,” which she was often criticized for making at awards shows.
14/17The “country” Taylor starts to cry after being called “fake.” She cries teardrops on her guitar. “Teardrops on my Guitar” was one of Taylor’s first singles. Seriously, there’s no stone left unturned in this video!
15/17One of the Taylors makes a reference to “getting receipts” on her phone, adding she’s “gonna edit this later.” That’s a clear shoutout to Kim’s Snapchat if we’ve ever heard one.
16/17At the end, one Taylor speaks the infamous words Taylor wrote after the Kim and Kanye drama. She’s also wearing the same outfit Tay wore when Kanye interrupted her VMAs win in 2009. This feud will never end, will it?
