The reputation Era
2017 – 2018
When a musician’s career spans more than a decade, the media tends to cycle through a number of different narratives. In July 2016, it suddenly became a trend to hate Taylor, sparked by a Snapchat video posted by Kim Kardashian, then married to rapper Kanye West. She labeled Taylor a “snake,” triggering the #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty, which became a No. 1 trend on Twitter worldwide. Deeply hurt, Taylor vanished from the public eye in November 2016. For nearly a year, she was barely seen—a disappearance that marked the beginning of her reputation era, named after the album she would release in November 2017.
Beginning of Era
On August 18, 2017, Taylor wiped her social media accounts clean. In the days that followed, she began posting silent clips of a CGI snake. On August 23, she finally broke the silence, announcing the title reputation and unveiling the album’s cover artwork on Instagram.
End of Era
The reputation era officially came to a close with the final date of the “reputation Stadium Tour” on November 21, 2018, in Tokyo.
Associated Album
reputation (2017)
Tour
The “reputation Stadium Tour” heavily featured reptilian imagery; a testimony to the public backlash of 2016 and Taylor’s hard-fought reclamation of self-worth.
Aesthetic
The reputation era aesthetic was dark and edgy. Taylor drew inspiration from a night out in London, pairing sleek black and deep green tones with accents of gold, evoking a sense of danger and glamour. Snakes became a recurring motif, alongside imagery of wine and whiskey, reflecting the era’s mood of revenge, power, and self-reinvention.
Style
During the reputation era, Taylor adopted a tougher, more defiant style built around camouflage, bomber jackets, cargo pants, and distressed denim. Combat and thigh-high boots, dark lipstick, and bangs with wavy hair completed her looks.
Taylor reinvented herself for the first time when she fully embraced pop with 2014’s 1989, a move that placed her at the absolute peak of global stardom—an “imperial phase,” as she would later call it in a 2023 interview with Time. What she couldn’t foresee was that the height of that success would also give her much farther to fall.
Taylor and Kanye West have had a less than pleasant relationship through the years, since West interrupted her acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards after she won the “Best Video by a Female Artist” award for her music video of the hit single “You Belong With Me.” But their long-simmering conflict reached its breaking point in the summer of 2016. After West released a song containing explicit lyrics about her, he claimed Taylor had approved the line, which she denied. The situation escalated when Kim Kardashian, West’s wife at the time, shared edited recordings of a private phone call that appeared to support his version of events. The scandal was tabloid catnip; it made Taylor look like a “snake,” which is what people called her. On August 29, 2016, Taylor only wrote one sentence in her diary:
Taylor and Kanye West have had a less than pleasant relationship through the years, since West interrupted her acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards after she won the “Best Video by a Female Artist” award for her music video of the hit single “You Belong With Me.” But their long-simmering conflict reached its breaking point in the summer of 2016. After West released a song containing explicit lyrics about her, he claimed Taylor had approved the line, which she denied. The situation escalated when Kim Kardashian, West’s wife at the time, shared edited recordings of a private phone call that appeared to support his version of events. The scandal was tabloid catnip; it made Taylor look like a “snake,” which is what people called her. On August 29, 2016, Taylor only wrote one sentence in her diary:
« This summer is the apocalypse.»
The fallout coincided with her breakup with DJ Calvin Harris and a highly publicized rebound relationship with actor Tom Hiddleston. Taylor had reached a level of overexposure she couldn’t control anymore: public sentiment turned. #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter worldwide. “Do you know how many people have to be tweeting that they hate you for that to happen,” she asked in her documentary Miss Americana (2020). On Instagram, her posts were flooded with snake emojis to such an extent that the platform was ultimately forced to introduce a feature allowing users to disable comments entirely. Taylor later described the moment as “a career death,” telling Time, “Make no mistake—my career was taken away from me.”
reputation
Released after a period of immense public scrutiny, reputation is regarded as Taylor’s comeback album.
Songs on reputation
Read Taylor’s foreword for reputation, then dive into the detailed stories behind the album’s songs.
Music Hiatus
In 2016, Taylor took her first extended break in ten years. It left her questioning her future in the music industry.
2016 Was the Apocalypse
To understand what led to Taylor’s “cancellation” in the summer of 2016, it’s important to look at the events leading up to it. In February of that year, Kanye West released a new song, “Famous,” which featured a provocative lyric: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? I made that bitch famous.” The line referenced his infamous 2009 moment at the VMAs, when he stormed the stage as Taylor accepted an award, taking the microphone to declare that it should have gone to Beyoncé. At the time, the world largely sided with Taylor—President Obama even called Kanye a “jackass” for stealing a teenage girl’s moment. From then on, Kanye seemed to cultivate an obsessive focus on Taylor and her career.
When “Famous” dropped, media outlets speculated about Taylor’s response. TMZ reported that Kanye had checked with her first, claiming she approved the lyric. Taylor, however, denied this in a statement via her publicist Tree Paine for The New York Times: “Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single ‘Famous’ on her Twitter account. She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, ‘I made that bitch famous.’”
The situation quickly spiraled into a large-scale he-said-she-said, reaching a breaking point on July 16; National Snake Day. That day, Kim Kardashian called Taylor a “snake” on Twitter and shared a series of selectively edited videos on Snapchat, showing snippets of an illegally recorded phone call between Kanye and Taylor in which they discussed the lyrics to “Famous.” In that moment, Taylor’s world seemed to collapse. Finally, the public had their long-awaited “reason” to cancel her. Immediately, her social media accounts were flooded with hundreds of thousands of snake emojis (and far, far worse comments). She would later reflect in a 2019 interview with Vogue:
When “Famous” dropped, media outlets speculated about Taylor’s response. TMZ reported that Kanye had checked with her first, claiming she approved the lyric. Taylor, however, denied this in a statement via her publicist Tree Paine for The New York Times: “Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single ‘Famous’ on her Twitter account. She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, ‘I made that bitch famous.’”
The situation quickly spiraled into a large-scale he-said-she-said, reaching a breaking point on July 16; National Snake Day. That day, Kim Kardashian called Taylor a “snake” on Twitter and shared a series of selectively edited videos on Snapchat, showing snippets of an illegally recorded phone call between Kanye and Taylor in which they discussed the lyrics to “Famous.” In that moment, Taylor’s world seemed to collapse. Finally, the public had their long-awaited “reason” to cancel her. Immediately, her social media accounts were flooded with hundreds of thousands of snake emojis (and far, far worse comments). She would later reflect in a 2019 interview with Vogue:
«A mass public shaming, with millions of people saying you are quote-unquote canceled, is a very isolating experience. I don’t think there are that many people who can actually understand what it’s like to have millions of people hate you very loudly. When you say someone is canceled, it’s not a TV show. It’s a human being. You’re sending mass amounts of messaging to this person to either shut up, disappear, or it could also be perceived as, 'kill yourself.'»
Taylor tried to set the record straight: “I would very much like to be excluded from this narrative, one that I have never asked to be a part of, since 2009.” But by then, the damage was done. Her reputation had been dragged through the mud by influential celebrities, including some she considered friends, and nearly every major media outlet, from People to USA Today. Taylor was left completely shattered. “I didn’t realise it was like a classic overthrow of someone in power—where you didn’t realise the whispers behind your back, you didn’t realise the chain reaction of events that was going to make everything fall apart at the exact, perfect time for it to fall apart.”
Timeline of the reputation Era
Explore some of the defining moments of the reputation era and dive into the stories behind them in more detail below.
August 18, 2017Beginning of Era
Social Media Blackout
On August 18, 2017, Taylor wiped all of her social media accounts. In the days that followed, she posted silent, short videos of a CGI snake, drawing widespread media attention. On August 23, she announced her next album, reputation, on Instagram and revealed its cover artwork.
November 10, 2017Album
Release of reputation
reputation was released in November 2017, after its lead single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” symbolically saw Taylor killing off her younger selves. She later recalled the public uproar, telling Time: “I thought that moment of backlash was going to define me negatively for the rest of my life."
May 8, 2018Start of Tour
reputation Stadium Tour
One reason the reputation era is widely regarded as a major success for Taylor after all is the "reputation Stadium Tour." Drawing 2.55 million attendees and grossing $345.7 million, it became the highest-grossing concert tour in United States and North American history at the time.
November 21, 2018End of Era
Artist of the Year
At the October 2018 American Music Awards, while accepting “Artist of the Year,” Taylor said: “I always look at albums as chapters in my life. To the fans, I’m so happy that you like this one. But I have to be really honest with you about something. I’m even more excited about the next chapter.”
Running Away to London
It was a bleak moment. “Every domino fell,” she said in an interview with The Guardian in 2019. “It became really terrifying for anyone to even know where I was. And I felt completely incapable of doing or saying anything publicly, at all. […] I was writing a think-piece a day that I knew I would never publish: the stuff I would say, and the different facets of the situation that nobody knew.” Her family, close friends, and fans were deeply concerned. Alcohol, by Taylor’s own admission, became a coping mechanism. That fall, the media pressured her to weigh in on the presidential election. She would have endorsed Hillary Clinton but she knew she was in no position to do so. “I just felt like, oh God, who would want me? Honestly. I just felt completely, ugh, just useless. And maybe even like a hindrance. […] I knew what I could handle and what I couldn’t. I was literally about to break. For a while.”
At first, she tried to keep up appearances. She still made public outings in New York City and Nashville and released “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” with Zayn, which went on to become an international hit. She also fulfilled two major concert commitments she had previously agreed to: one in October 2016 at the Formula 1 US Grand Prix and another in February 2017 at Super Saturday Night before the Super Bowl. After those appearances, however, Taylor disappeared almost completely from the public eye. Magazine headlines began to speculate: Taylor Swift: Why She Disappeared. She would later explain her silence in a 2023 interview with Time:
At first, she tried to keep up appearances. She still made public outings in New York City and Nashville and released “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” with Zayn, which went on to become an international hit. She also fulfilled two major concert commitments she had previously agreed to: one in October 2016 at the Formula 1 US Grand Prix and another in February 2017 at Super Saturday Night before the Super Bowl. After those appearances, however, Taylor disappeared almost completely from the public eye. Magazine headlines began to speculate: Taylor Swift: Why She Disappeared. She would later explain her silence in a 2023 interview with Time:
«You have a fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar. That took me down psychologically to a place I’ve never been before. I moved to a foreign country. I didn’t leave a rental house for a year. I was afraid to get on phone calls. I pushed away most people in my life because I didn’t trust anyone anymore. I went down really, really hard.»
And indeed, unbeknownst to the public, Taylor left the United States in November and moved to London. “I felt alone, I felt really bitter. I felt sort of like a wounded animal lashing out. I figured I had to reset everything. I had to reconstruct an entire belief system for my own personal sanity,” she said in Miss Americana. She was not entirely alone, however. Amid the chaos, she met the largely unknown British actor Joe Alwyn. Though they would eventually split in 2023, he played a crucial role in Taylor’s healing and in helping her find happiness again. Reflecting on their relationship, she said:
« I was falling in love with someone who had a wonderfully normal, balanced life. We decided together we wanted our relationship to be private. Even though it was really horrible, I was happy. But I wasn’t happy in the way I was trained to be happy. It was happiness without anyone else’s input. We were just…happy.»
Taylor’s team and security staff “made it a military-like mission to prevent her from being seen,” at times even concealing her inside a giant suitcase during travel. The public remained unaware of her new relationship for 7,5 months—until The Sun spotted Taylor and Joe having coffee together on the terrace of her Nashville apartment in May 2017.
reputation Street Style
Taylor’s style during the reputation era leaned heavily into utilitarian pieces like camouflage, bomber jackets, cargo pants, and distressed denim. Combat boots and thigh-high boots added a sense of power and control, while her beauty choices—dark lipstick paired with bangs and loose, wavy hair—completed the transformation.
Sexual Assault Testimony
Adding to an already overwhelming year, Taylor’s life was further upended by an upcoming sexual assault trial. Back in 2016, as the incident with West and Kardashian unfolded, she was also preparing for her court case against Colorado radio DJ David Mueller. Back in 2013, she took a photo with him during a meet-and-greet at “The RED Tour” in Denver. During that photo, Mueller reached under Taylor’s skirt and groped her. She privately reported the incident to the station at which Mueller worked, and he was fired. Mueller then sued Taylor for $3 million in defamation; she countersued for a symbolic $1. The media’s coverage was cruelly reductive. Headlines dubbed it “The Taylor Swift Butt Grab Case,” while internet trolls made light of what had happened to her.
In the months leading up to the trial, Taylor was in legal depositions, practising her testimony. On August 10, 2017, she testified in a Denver courtroom about the assault, in front of a room full of people. Reflecting on that moment in a 2019 interview with The Guardian, she said: “You’re supposed to be really polite to everyone. But something snapped, I think”. Taylor refused to be bullied on the stand. Her straightforward testimony was lauded for its fierceness. When pressed why the pictures taken during the assault didn’t show the front of her skirt wrinkled as evidence of any wrongdoing, she said simply, “Because my ass is located at the back of my body.” When pressed on whether she felt guilty about Mueller losing his job, she stated firmly, “I’m not going to let you or your client make me feel in any way that this is my fault. Here we are years later, and I’m being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are the product of his decisions—not mine.” She told Time in November 2017:
In the months leading up to the trial, Taylor was in legal depositions, practising her testimony. On August 10, 2017, she testified in a Denver courtroom about the assault, in front of a room full of people. Reflecting on that moment in a 2019 interview with The Guardian, she said: “You’re supposed to be really polite to everyone. But something snapped, I think”. Taylor refused to be bullied on the stand. Her straightforward testimony was lauded for its fierceness. When pressed why the pictures taken during the assault didn’t show the front of her skirt wrinkled as evidence of any wrongdoing, she said simply, “Because my ass is located at the back of my body.” When pressed on whether she felt guilty about Mueller losing his job, she stated firmly, “I’m not going to let you or your client make me feel in any way that this is my fault. Here we are years later, and I’m being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are the product of his decisions—not mine.” She told Time in November 2017:
«When I testified, I had already been in court all week and had to watch this man’s attorney bully, badger and harass my team including my mother over inane details and ridiculous minutiae, accusing them, and me, of lying. My mom was so upset after her cross-examination, she was physically too ill to come to court the day I was on the stand. I was angry. In that moment, I decided to forego any courtroom formalities and just answer the questions the way it happened. This man hadn’t considered any formalities when he assaulted me, and his lawyer didn’t hold back on my mom—why should I be polite? I’m told it was the most amount of times the word 'ass' has ever been said in Colorado Federal Court.»
In 2017, Taylor was named Person of the Year as part of Time’s “Silence Breakers,” recognizing those who spoke out about sexual assault in the workplace and helped spark the #MeToo movement. Reflecting on the experience, she told Time, “Going to court to confront this type of behavior is a lonely and draining experience, even when you win, even when you have the financial ability to defend yourself. Even though awareness is higher than ever about workplace sexual harassment, there are still so many people who feel victimized, afraid and silenced by their abusers and circumstances. […] When the jury found in my favor, the man who sexually assaulted me was court-ordered to give me a symbolic $1. To this day he has not paid me that dollar, and I think that act of defiance is symbolic in itself.”
Taylor has since had security cameras installed at every meet-and-greet she does, deliberately pointed at her lower half. “If something happens again, we can prove it with video footage from every angle,” she told The Guardian.
Taylor has since had security cameras installed at every meet-and-greet she does, deliberately pointed at her lower half. “If something happens again, we can prove it with video footage from every angle,” she told The Guardian.
Taylor’s Social Media
Over the course of the reputation era, Taylor gradually began to open up again. Following the launch of the “reputation Stadium Tour,” she reconnected with her fans, feeling understood by them. She started sharing more personal updates on Instagram and Tumblr, even participating in livestreams and leaving comments. However, she largely stayed away from Twitter, and her Instagram comments remained closed.
The Old Taylor Couldn't Come to the Phone
After the trial, Taylor deleted everything from her social media accounts, leaving fans worried she might leave the industry forever. But this was an intentional reset. As she announced two weeks later in “Look What You Made Me Do,” the lead single from her sixth studio album, reputation: “The Old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, cause she’s dead!”
The album marked Taylor’s long-awaited heel turn. During her months in hiding, she decided to confront her fears and public feuds head-on. In a bold move, she took full control of the narrative and the “snake” image the media had imposed on her. After all, the snake is a symbol of rebirth. The reputation era was the first time in her career she fully shed the “good girl” image she had once clung to and leaned into the version of herself the media had created. Even with fan support and celebration of her musical return, Taylor and her album were met with skepticism and public backlash. For instance, since it was Donald Trump’s first year in office, she faced criticism for thanking fans for birthday wishes on December 13, writing she had had a good year. “I thought that moment of backlash was going to define me negatively for the rest of my life,” she told Time in 2023. Still insecure in public and distrustful of the media, she limited her interactions with journalists to the bare essentials. She told Zane Lowe in 2019:
The album marked Taylor’s long-awaited heel turn. During her months in hiding, she decided to confront her fears and public feuds head-on. In a bold move, she took full control of the narrative and the “snake” image the media had imposed on her. After all, the snake is a symbol of rebirth. The reputation era was the first time in her career she fully shed the “good girl” image she had once clung to and leaned into the version of herself the media had created. Even with fan support and celebration of her musical return, Taylor and her album were met with skepticism and public backlash. For instance, since it was Donald Trump’s first year in office, she faced criticism for thanking fans for birthday wishes on December 13, writing she had had a good year. “I thought that moment of backlash was going to define me negatively for the rest of my life,” she told Time in 2023. Still insecure in public and distrustful of the media, she limited her interactions with journalists to the bare essentials. She told Zane Lowe in 2019:
«At the very beginning of the album I was pretty proud of coining the term, 'There will be no explanation. There will just be reputation.' And so that was what I decided was going to be the album. And I stuck with it. I didn't go back on it. I didn't try to explain the album because I didn't feel that I owed that to anyone. There was a lot that happened over a couple of years that made me feel really, really terrible. And I didn't feel like expressing that to them. I didn't feel like talking about it. I just felt like making music, then going out on the road and doing a stadium tour and doing everything I could for my fans.»
Before reputation, Taylor had been a regular fixture at public events, but with the album’s release, she largely disappeared from red carpets. It wasn’t just award ceremonies—she was rarely spotted by paparazzi, a stark contrast to just a few years earlier when daily photos were the norm. Interviews became nearly nonexistent, and her social media posts were infrequent. TV appearances were limited to performances: she was the musical guest for Saturday Night Live in November 2017 and gave a surprise performance of “New Year’s Day” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in place of an interview.
Even magazine features reflected this careful distance. Though she appeared on the covers of both British Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar after her comeback, neither included a traditional interview. For Vogue, Taylor contributed an exclusive poem, “The Trick to Holding On,” while for Harper’s Bazaar, she flipped the script and interviewed ’60s icon Pattie Boyd herself.
Even magazine features reflected this careful distance. Though she appeared on the covers of both British Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar after her comeback, neither included a traditional interview. For Vogue, Taylor contributed an exclusive poem, “The Trick to Holding On,” while for Harper’s Bazaar, she flipped the script and interviewed ’60s icon Pattie Boyd herself.
reputation Stadium Tour
In 2018, Taylor began preparing for the larger-than-life “reputation Stadium Tour”—an ambitious all-stadium run in a world where artists rarely fill such massive venues alone. Critics were writing think-pieces, claiming she would fail to sell out. But this is the part where Taylor saves herself: the “rep Tour” was a massive success, becoming one of the highest-grossing tours in history.
As promised, rather than giving interviews or making public statements, where her words were so often misinterpreted, Taylor used the “reputation Stadium Tour” as a way to speak to her fans about the past few years. On opening night, May 8, 2018, in Glendale, she addressed the audience directly and finally broke her silence on the Kardashian-West feud:
«I went through some really low times for a while because of [the name-calling on social media]. I went through some times when I didn’t know if I was going to get to do this anymore. I wanted to send a message to you guys that if someone uses name-calling to bully you on social media, and even if a lot of people jump on board with it, that doesn’t have to beat you. It can strengthen you instead.»
From that night on, she spoke openly on stage about a wide range of topics, from the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community to her experience in the aftermath of the sexual assault trial. Friends occasionally joined her, including Selena Gomez, Maren Morris, and Bryan Adams. Reflecting on the tour in 2019, she told Rolling Stone: “The ‘reputation Tour’ put me in the healthiest, most balanced place I’ve ever been. After that tour, bad stuff can happen to me, but it doesn’t level me anymore.” Over the course of the year, her reconnection with fans helped finally dissipate much of the relentless negativity that had surrounded her.
From a business standpoint, the tour concluded on November 21, 2018, at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, after 53 stadium dates across North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. It drew 2.55 million attendees and grossed $345.7 million, making it Taylor’s most successful tour at the time, the third-highest-grossing female concert tour of all time, and the highest-grossing tour in United States and North American history. A concert film, recorded during the final two North American shows on October 5 and 6 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was released on Netflix on December 31, 2018.
From a business standpoint, the tour concluded on November 21, 2018, at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, after 53 stadium dates across North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. It drew 2.55 million attendees and grossed $345.7 million, making it Taylor’s most successful tour at the time, the third-highest-grossing female concert tour of all time, and the highest-grossing tour in United States and North American history. A concert film, recorded during the final two North American shows on October 5 and 6 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was released on Netflix on December 31, 2018.
reputation Stadium Tour
The “reputation Stadium Tour” heavily featured snake imagery; a testimony to Taylor’s reclamation of self-worth.
Poems
In the reputation era, Taylor turned to poetry as a way to share emotions she couldn’t put into words during interviews.
The Making of a Song
The Making of a Song shows Taylor’s journey through writing and recording songs for reputation.
Historic New Record Contract
In fall 2018, conversation around Taylor increasingly focused on the impending fulfillment of her record contract. Having signed with Big Machine at just 15 and selling around 32 million records since, she was poised for what many speculated could be the largest record deal in history. With her obligations to Scott Borchetta’s label fulfilled, Taylor knew she wanted out. She told Time in 2023:
«The molecular chemistry of that old label was that every creative choice I wanted to make was second-guessed. I was really overthinking these albums.»
She met with Lucian Grainge, the CEO of Universal Music Group, and Monte Lipman, who runs Universal’s top label Republic Records, to talk about signing a deal that would give her more agency. Grainge, one of the most powerful executives in music, assured her, “We will utilize everything that we’ve got as a company for you.” Taylor felt like she’d been given the permission to start over, “Lucian and Monte basically said to me, ‘Whatever you turn in, we will be proud to put out. We give you 100% creative freedom and trust.’” It was exactly what she needed to hear most when the chips were down.
On November 19, 2018, Taylor announced she had signed the deal, effective immediately. While terms were not officially disclosed, Forbes estimated the contract to be worth between $100 million and $200 million. More importantly to Taylor, the agreement allowed her to retain ownership of her future master recordings, which would revert to her five years after each song’s release.
On November 19, 2018, Taylor announced she had signed the deal, effective immediately. While terms were not officially disclosed, Forbes estimated the contract to be worth between $100 million and $200 million. More importantly to Taylor, the agreement allowed her to retain ownership of her future master recordings, which would revert to her five years after each song’s release.
reputation Photoshoot
The album art for reputation was photographed in May 2017 in London by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, with additional shots by Benny Horne. Most images are in black-and-white or feature an orange filter, depicting Taylor with tousled hair, distressed sweatshirts, over-the-knee boots, and a choker necklace. On the cover, newspaper headlines are superimposed over one side of her face. A deliberate nod to the media scrutiny that had defined much of her public life.
Embracing Her Political Impact
After the sexual assault trial, Taylor felt a deep need to break her long-held political silence. As shown in Miss Americana, the decision was met with fierce resistance from her team, who were primarily concerned for her safety—Taylor had already been dealing with severe and ongoing stalking. Beyond personal risk, speaking out also posed a professional one, as she explained to The Guardian:
«I come from country music. The number one thing they absolutely drill into you as a country artist, and you can ask any other country artist this, is ‘Don’t be like the Dixie Chicks!’ I watched country music snuff that candle out. The most amazing group we had, just because they talked about politics. And they were getting death threats. They were made such an example that basically every country artist that came after that, every label tells you, ‘Just do not get involved, no matter what.’»
Still, in October 2018, ahead of the US midterm elections, Taylor publicly endorsed political candidates for the first time, declaring her support for two Democratic contenders in her homestate of Tennessee. In doing so, she also voiced her support for LGBTQ+ rights, gender and racial equality, and spoke out against systemic racism. As she said in Miss Americana, “I think that it is so frilly and spineless of me to stand on stage and go ‘Happy Pride Month, you guys,’ and then not say this, when someone’s literally coming for their neck.”
The response was immediate and overwhelming. Vote.org—linked in Taylor’s political “coming out” post—reported that more than 65,000 people registered to vote within 24 hours, an unprecedented surge even by election-season standards. Dubbed the “Taylor Swift Effect,” the moment underscored her cultural influence. Even though she didn’t manage to turn Tennessee blue in the end, from then on, Taylor continued to encourage civic engagement, frequently urging fans to vote.
The response was immediate and overwhelming. Vote.org—linked in Taylor’s political “coming out” post—reported that more than 65,000 people registered to vote within 24 hours, an unprecedented surge even by election-season standards. Dubbed the “Taylor Swift Effect,” the moment underscored her cultural influence. Even though she didn’t manage to turn Tennessee blue in the end, from then on, Taylor continued to encourage civic engagement, frequently urging fans to vote.
Red Carpet Fashion
Taylor attended very few red carpet events during the reputation era. When she did appear, her fashion choices were noticeably more daring than in the past, often featuring shorter hemlines, thigh-high slits, or plunging necklines. One of the most striking examples came at the 2018 American Music Awards, where she appeared dressed as a literal mirrorball—an outfit widely interpreted as a visual metaphor for fame and self-reflection that would go on to inspire a song.
Here's A Toast to My Real Friends
Just days after making her first political statement, Taylor attended the 2018 American Music Awards dressed as a shimmering mirrorball. By then, she had regained much of her confidence, thanks to the support of her loved ones and her fans. The overwhelmingly positive response to her political coming-out also left her feeling, as she later put it, “200 pounds lighter.”
That night, Taylor won four awards, including “Tour of the Year” and “Artist of the Year.” With a total of 23 wins, she became the most-awarded female artist in AMA history, surpassing a record previously held by Whitney Houston. Accepting “Artist of the Year,” she told the audience, “Every time that you have made me lucky enough to ever get to stand on a stage and have something sparkly in my hands and say thank you, it means something differently to me. […] And this time I just want you to know it represents encouragement and motivation for me to be better, work harder, and try to make you guys proud as much as I can.” That same night, she officially closed the reputation era—an important, painful, but ultimately freeing chapter of her life—with a final message to fans:
That night, Taylor won four awards, including “Tour of the Year” and “Artist of the Year.” With a total of 23 wins, she became the most-awarded female artist in AMA history, surpassing a record previously held by Whitney Houston. Accepting “Artist of the Year,” she told the audience, “Every time that you have made me lucky enough to ever get to stand on a stage and have something sparkly in my hands and say thank you, it means something differently to me. […] And this time I just want you to know it represents encouragement and motivation for me to be better, work harder, and try to make you guys proud as much as I can.” That same night, she officially closed the reputation era—an important, painful, but ultimately freeing chapter of her life—with a final message to fans:
«I always look at albums as chapters in my life. To the fans, I'm so happy that you like this one. But I have to be really honest with you about something. I'm even more excited about the next chapter.»
She went on to play the final dates of the “reputation Stadium Tour” before returning to New York City for a New Year’s Eve celebration with friends, and then back to London. Over the following months, Taylor filmed her role in Cats and began working on new music. She also moved in with her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, settling into a home in London’s Primrose Hill. Filled with quiet happiness and stability, Taylor was ready to turn the page toward a new era, one she would dedicate to her Lover.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the reputation era begin, and what marked the change?
The reputation era began in August 2017, marked by Taylor wiping her social media and releasing “Look What You Made Me Do” on August 18. It signaled a deliberate reset, with Taylor reclaiming control of the narrative and shedding her “good girl” image in favor of a darker, more confrontational approach.
How did reputation reshape Taylor Swift's career?
reputation reshaped Taylor Swift’s career by giving her full control over her narrative, turning public feuds and media scrutiny into a central theme, and shedding her “good girl” image. It also cemented her status as a global superstar, with the “reputation Stadium Tour” becoming one of the highest-grossing tours in history and proving her ability to dominate massive stadium stages.
What aesthetic defined this era?
The reputation era was defined by a dark, edgy, and glamorous aesthetic, with snakes as a central symbol of rebirth and defiance. Visuals often featured black, gold, and green tones, distressed or high-fashion clothing, bold makeup, and imagery that referenced media scrutiny, power, and reinvention.
What were the musical highlights and achievements of the era?
Achievements of the reputation era included the “reputation Stadium Tour,” one of the highest-grossing tours of all time, multiple chart-topping singles, and Taylor becoming the most-awarded female artist in American Music Awards history.
How did reputation influence pop culture?
reputation set a new benchmark for music comebacks by transforming personal and public controversy into a triumphant artistic statement. Taylor’s return—marked by the social media blackout, bold aesthetic, and record-breaking “reputation Stadium Tour”—showed how an artist could reclaim their narrative, turn backlash into art, and reestablish global dominance, influencing how future pop stars approach reinvention.