Hello, class. Today in Understanding the Swiftie Fandom 101, we’ll be covering the recent trend of Taylor Swift fans trading homemade (or Etsy-purchased, for the busy/pathologically Not Crafty) friendship bracelets at the Eras Tours.
If you weren’t already aware, yes, Taylor Swift fans are indeed making a thing of wearing, trading and, in at least some cases, even gifting old school, look-like-they-were-made-at-8th-grade-summer-camp friendship bracelets at stops on the Eras Tour. Need more info? Consider this post a one-stop shop for understanding the trend/fandom phenomenon.
Why are Taylor Swift fans trading friendship bracelets at the Eras Tour concerts?
Like most things Swifties latch onto, this trend has its origins in Taylor’s own words—specifically in the lyrics of “You’re On Your Own Kid” from Midnights. The lyric that inspired the trend:
“‘Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned
Everything you lose is a step you take
So make the friendship bracelets
Take the moment and taste it
You’ve got no reason to be afraid”
It’s really not a lot deeper than that. If you want to take a moment and taste it (like the will-be-with-you-for-a-lifetime moment of attending the Eras Tour, for example), that experience can only be enhanced by making friendship bracelets to link you to the others who shared said experience. Hence, friendship bracelets.
What makes a friendship bracelet perfect for the Eras Tour?
While any explosion of beads and colors and creativity will do, most Swifties are including song titles, song lyrics, and other Taylor Swift references in their Eras Tour friendship bracelets.
Some are even incorporating references to viral moments from the Eras Tour, like when Taylor took the time to fully yell at member of security who was harassing a fan during one show.
What are the rules of participating in a Swiftie Eras Tour friendship bracelet swap?
It’s very simple, really.
Step one: Make (or buy—there are lots of options on Etsy if you prefer this route) friendship bracelets.
Step two: Wear those friendship bracelets to the Eras Tour stop of your choice.
Step three: Trade with other Swifties or gift the bracelets to people without bracelets to swap (bonus points if they’re celebrities or people who work directly for Taylor).
Step four: Collect as many as you damn can (see: this Swiftie who went home with more than 400 after the show they attended):
Wait, celebrities? Have celebrities participated in the Taylor Swift Eras Tour friendship bracelet swap?
While there haven’t really been any reports of celebs full-on coming to the show with arms covered in friendship bracelets to trade, some Swifties have managed to involve celebrities in the trend, including Nicole Kidman:
Jennifer Lawrence:
Joe Locke:
And Aaron Dessner:
Taylor’s security guard was even recently photographed wearing a Swifitie friendship bracelet:
So there you have it. Feel free to leave now to start making bracelets if you need to. No judgment.
Kayleigh Roberts is the weekend editor at Cosmo, focused on celebrity news and royals. She’s a Ravenclaw who would do great things in Slytherin. To learn more about her, google “Leslie Knope eating salad GIF.”