Taylor Swift referenced a lesbian magazine publication during one of her elaborate stage setups for her Eras Tour opening weekend.
Taylor Swift made a splash (literally) this weekend when she performed two nights in a row at the State Farm arena in Glendale, Arizona. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter’s Eras Tour pays tribute to each phase of her 17-year career – which means fans are getting everything from her debut album to her recent release, Midnights. During Swift’s captivating three-hour concert, the singer dazzles the audience with elaborate stage performances, including diving into the stage and climbing a silver ladder into a puffy white cloud.
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The ladder visual caught the eye of one TikTok user, @invisibletheme (Tess), who pointed out the origin of the image. It closely resembles the cover of a magazine publication called The Ladder. The magazine was the first nationally distributed lesbian publication in the United States.
“I’m being so real right now. I can’t be realer right now,” The TikToker excitedly said in the video. The image comes after Swift dives into the stage and before she performs “Lavender Haze.” The user also pointed out how Swift uses clouds and ladders throughout the song.
????| Taylor climbing the ladder up into her little cloud for Lavender Haze pic.twitter.com/t2RVfj4w1e
— Taylor Swift Updates ????️ (@swifferupdates) March 19, 2023
“Ignore the pink, orange, and purple shirt she is wearing in the next visual,” Tess joked in reference to the lesbian flag. “It’s not relevant.”
The Ladder started publishing in 1956 and continued to print until 1972. The name for the magazine actually derived from the image of figures climbing a ladder into a cloud, which was used as their first cover. The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), the first lesbian organization in the U.S., used the publication for communication.
Where’s the TikTok Video?
Update: the TikTok video, originally published by @invisibletheme has been removed from TikTok.
Swifties know Taylor to be a mastermind who frequently hides easter eggs and messages in her music. In fact, some of the “All Too Well” singer’s recent releases have sent queer fans spiraling because of its “obvious” LGBTQIA+ subtext. Though Swift denied being queer in 2019 and has been in a relationship with British hottie Joe Alwyn since 2016, fans are speculating whether the sapphic symbolism in her Folklore album is about her own sexuality.
i’m sorry but betty, that’s it, thats the tweet pic.twitter.com/nHyPl3hBCP
— tahlia (@tahliamaddisonn) July 24, 2020
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