The hidden message behind Taylor Swift's 2022 VMAs look

As any loyal Swiftie knows, Taylor Swift never does anything by accident — or by halves for that matter. So when she made a surprise appearance at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards red carpet, we were immediately searching for hidden clues in her look.

Being no stranger to bold beauty looks (just take a peek at Taylor Swift’s beauty evolution), we always expect Swift to do the most. And she did not disappoint at the VMAs.

Dripping in diamonds, Swift strutted her first red carpet since November 2021. She completed the look with a diamante floating eyeliner alongside her signature winged eye and bold red lip. Bring the drama, girl.

Swift is known for dropping ‘easter eggs’ in her Instagram posts, music videos and even on stage. For example, Swift posted a candid selfie back in 2020 with the caption “not a lot going on at the moment” then hit us with the announcement of her surprise ‘Folklore’ album shortly after.

So we were quick to notice the similarities between her bejewelled VMAs dress and her outfit in the “Look What You Made Me Do” music video. Fans are already speculating that Swift is hinting the re-release of her 2017 album ‘Reputation’ and that “Taylor’s Version” may be coming sooner than we thought.

We got even more excited when we saw Swift’s pre-event TikTok post, depicting her transforming from a ‘Folklore’-era aesthetic into her VMAs look. It’s giving ‘Reputation’-era and we are SO here for it.

Swift began re-recording her albums in 2020, launching with ‘Fearless’ followed by ‘Red’ and blessing us with “All Too Well (10-minute version) (Taylor’s Version)”, which is nominated for five awards at the MTV VMAs including Best Longform Video and Video of the Year. 

Ever since, fans have been anxiously awaiting ‘Reputation (Taylor’s Version)’. The album was her spiciest release yet, with Swift hitting back at critics and referencing the (then) ongoing beef between her, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.

Could this be the easter egg we’ve all been waiting for? Keep your eyes peeled on her Insta and TikTok ‘cause we’ve got a feeling that we know what we’ve made her do…

UPDATE 30/8/2022: During her acceptance speech for Video of the Year, Swift took the opportunity to thank her fans – and drop the launch date of her 10th studio album.

“You guys, I’m just so proud of what we made, and I know that every second of this moment that we wouldn’t have been able to make this short film if it weren’t for you, the fans,” she said. 

“And I had sort of made up my mind that if you were going to be this generous and give us this, I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand new album comes out October 21st. And I will tell you more at midnight.”

Come midnight, Swift took to Instagram to announce her new album ‘Midnights’ with the caption “Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight.”

So what does this mean for the re-recording of ‘Reputation’? Only time will tell. But we’re still holding out hope that the next Taylor’s Version will be blessing our ears sooner rather than later.

Want more beauty inspo? Peep the rest of the 2022 MTV VMAs looks.