When it comes to Taylor Swift and her fans, it’s clear that they will go above and beyond for her.
For example, when Swift said she was re-recording her albums, Swifties said, “I’ll listen to Taylor’s Version or nothing.” When she told fans that ‘All Too Well’ was originally written as a 10-minute version, they begged (read: low-key bullied) her into releasing it and then made it their anthem and identity.
So, when Swift said ‘make the friendship bracelets’, Swifties did not hesitate to heed her direction.
Why Are Swifties Making Bracelets At The Eras Tour?
In the album Midnights, Taylor included a song called ‘You’re On Your Own, Kid’ (Swifties use the acronym YOYOK).
The song tells the story of her life growing up, and the multiple moments that the people she thought she could rely on didn’t pull through. The song also has a special meaning as she interpolated lines from the lyrics into her speech when she accepted her honorary degree from NYU.
The message is that you’re strong enough on your own, even when it seems that everything around you has let you down.
There’s a specific section of the bridge that fans love:
‘Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burnedEverything you lose is a step you takeSo make the friendship braceletsTake the moment and taste itYou’ve got no reason to be afraid
You’re on your own, kid
Yeah, you can face this
You’re on your own, kid
You always have been
Swifties decided to take this lyric, about making friendship bracelets and enjoying the best things that life has to offer in spite of the ‘bridges burned’ and ‘lessons learned’, and apply it to their Eras Tour experience.
Plus, Swifties are naturally best friends given their mutual love and affection for Swift.
Friendship Bracelets Get Whacky
When the friendship bracelet trend started, many were doing Eras Tour themed bracelets, for example, pink for Lover, grey for folklore, blue for 1989. However, the references in the bracelets have been getting increasingly niche.
For example, one Swiftie online posted a ‘F—k Jake Gyllenhaal’ bracelet, in reference to one of Swift’s ex-boyfriends whom ‘All Too Well’ was written about. The same sentiment has been thrown towards John Mayer, Scooter Braun, Kanye West and Ticketmaster.
We’ve also seen people do bracelets reading ‘Dibbles’, Swift’s nickname for her cat Olivia Benson, and ‘My Mind Is Alive’, a sentence Swift said when she was high on anesthetic after getting Lasik eye surgery.
As you can see, Swifties are taking this opportunity to spell out some of the most hilarious and devastating moments throughout Swift’s life, much like the song explains.
Swifties Go Overboard On Crafting
If you search friendship bracelets on TikTok, you will see videos of people trading hundreds of friendship bracelets at the Eras Tour concert.
There’s also videos on the best etiquette when it comes to trading, and tips on how to store them when you arrive at the concert (hint: it seems that sloughing them over a carabiner is the easiest way to trade).
Consider this your official go ahead to go nuts in the bead section at Spotlight.
