Following the release of her highly anticipated album Midnights, on October 21, Taylor Swift broadcasted her self-directed music video for the track Anti Hero on YouTube. The video has quickly racked up 1.4 million likes; a figure which will undoubtedly have doubled by the time you are reading this. And, as you would expect, many fans have been asking what are the Easter eggs in anti-hero?
Quirky and slightly fever-dreamlike, the video features multiple versions of Taylor who each grapple with their insecurities. It merges humorous caricatures of the people who have used Swift, with darker themes of self-loathing.
In Taylor’s will in the video she comically declares, ‘There’s no secret encoded message that means something else’, poking fun at her fans who read hidden meanings into everything she shares. Easter egg lovers, however, will be glad to hear that the Anti-Hero video is, in true Swift fashion, packed with hints and references.
See also: Five Reasons Why Taylor Swift Is A Lyrical Genius
The Easter Eggs in Anti-Hero
From Taylor’s daughter-in-law wearing a dress from the 2009 Fearless tour, to Swift smashing up her guitar from the Speak Now tour, the Anti-Hero video features a selection of tour memorabilia and references.
Fans have speculated that the ghosts that haunt Swift at the beginning of the video symbolize various past Taylor eras. One of them wears the cat ears from her ’22’ music video, and another rocks a cowboy hat which could allude to her country style.
Furthermore, in the bathroom scene, you can spot a photo of Taylor’s grandmother who inspired the song ‘Marjorie’.
Throughout the music video glitter gel liquid leaks out of everything from the egg yolks to Swift’s vomit. This reminded me of the glitter gel in Taylor’s ‘The Man’ music video and could be a reference to what she calls her ‘glitter gel pen’ writing. Swift revealed in an interview that her ‘gel pen’ songs are ‘frivolous, carefree, bouncy, syncopated perfectly to the beat’.
How have fans reacted to Taylor Swift’s new song?
Anti-Hero has earned the biggest debut in Global Spotify history with 17.39 million streams, and fans on Twitter are obsessed with the relatable lyrics and iconic video.
“The Anti-Hero music video visualizes my inner self-sabotaging and self-loathing thoughts at midnight. Spot on @taylorswift13.”, one fan confessed.
Another tweeted in response to Taylor’s ‘vote me for everything badge,’ “so where do i sign up because i’ll 100% vote for you for everything Taylor #AntiHeroMusicVideo”.
Taylor’s Anti-Hero video has also sparked a TikTok trend as users are making videos exposing their funny problematic traits.
Read next: The Best Advice From Taylor Swift’s NYU Commencement Speach