While scrolling through social media in bed one evening, I came across a post of a somber-looking Taylor Swift from the 1989 era. All cat eyes and red lips, signature blonde bob dusting her chin. In the background, the song “Maroon” from Swift’s Midnights album played as she stared in the mirror to take off her makeup.
Except it was not Taylor. It was Ashley, one of the many Taylor Swift impersonators and lookalikes on SwiftTok – the portion of the app devoted to unpacking the singer’s lyrics, debating music video Easter eggs and posting lookalike content.
Ashley (@noitisashley13) is arguably the most well-known. The 29-year-old married mother of two has more than one million followers on TikTok, and adorable cats that look just like Swift’s. The resemblance to the superstar is so uncanny, Swift’s own mother has commented on their similarities. There’s also Julie (@juliiieanne), a 24-year-old who lip-syncs Swift’s songs to her 316K followers while wearing ornate, sparkling costumes that are incredibly similar to the ones Swift has worn on tour. There’s the tattoo
