Taylor Swift’s big Disney+ announcement is now caught in the crossfire of controversy. As she unveiled The Eras Tour concert film and her new six-part docuseries The End of an Era, Swift also introduced fresh merchandise, including a silver-tone necklace that has set the internet ablaze for all the wrong reasons.
While fans flooded timelines with celebration for the Disney+ premiere, slated for December, others fixated on the pendant’s design. The piece, adorned with crystal accents, an opalite star, and a Taylor Swift charm, was quickly dissected across forums and comment sections. According to What’s Trending, accusations flew that the design resembled the Sig rune once used by Hitler’s Schutzstaffel, or SS.
Others came to Swift’s defense, insisting the lightning bolts are lyrical callbacks, particularly to lines like “dancing through the lightning strikes.” Swift’s team has remained silent on the issue, prompting further speculation. While the controversy simmers, Swift’s fashion statements and album achievements are shining brighter than ever.
Taylor Swift’s Seth Meyers Interview Look Wows with ‘Showgirl’ Easter Eggs
Taylor Swift’s press appearances for The Life of a Showgirl have all been love letters to her new album, but her Late Night with Seth Meyers look might be the most cinematic yet. For the October 8 interview, she stepped into the studio as delicate modern Ophelia, wrapped in florals and fragments of The Life of a Showgirl
Wearing a custom jacquard floral set by Wiederhoeft, Swift traded street-style plaid for a strapless bustier and matching micro-mini skirt, both embroidered with lilac-pink blooms (per Marie Claire). Even her shoes whispered references: Aquazzura heels with sequin petals echoing Eldest Daughter and Fate of Ophelia.
But what really stole the scene was her jewelry. Among the opulent layers was a choker necklace by David Morris, glittering with 26 carats of onyx, 264.38 carats of tourmaline, and 16.13 carats of white diamonds. Swift wore it like armor, channeling the metaphors of Opalite, a song about finding light after darkness, where the opalite gemstone represents daybreak, and onyx, the night.
And yes, her lightning bolt necklace made another appearance. Fans dissected the look online, tracing each accessory back to a Showgirl track or lyric. The oversized Guita Mortinger studs, rings by Nicole Rose and Le Vian, and her signature Artifex Fine diamond ring all made cameos.
Taylor Swift Reflects as Life of a Showgirl Tops Charts with 4 Million Albums Sold
Despite the necklace debate shadowing headlines, The Life of a Showgirl is racking up numbers that even Taylor Swift herself is struggling to process. In an Instagram post, she looked back on her first album launch in 2006, stating:
I’ll never forget how excited I was in 2006 when my first album sold 40,000 copies in its first week. I was 16 and couldn’t even fathom that that many people would care enough about my music to invest their time and energy into it.
She added:
Here we are all these years later and a hundred times that many people showed up for me this week. I have 4 million thank you’s I want to send to the fans, and 4 million reasons to feel even more proud of this album than I already was.
Let the numbers speak for themselves (per Rolling Stone’s data):
Fans also flocked to theaters for The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, where they were treated to the music video premiere for The Fate of Ophelia, lyric videos, and Swift’s commentary on each track. She ended her note with a classic bouquet toss (via Instagram):
Thank you for going out to celebrate this project in the movie theaters, investing in vinyl, streaming, watching the video, buying CDs, reading the poems I wrote inside the packaging, and immersing yourselves in The Life of a Showgirl. I’ll cherish this feeling forever. Just wow. Thank you for the lovely bouquet.
Despite the digital standing ovation, the lightning bolt necklace continues to stir questions about symbolism and intention. So, what do you think? Was the lightning bolt necklace just a misunderstood accessory or a tone-deaf design choice that slipped past the Swift team’s radar?
Her Eras Tour concert film and The End of an Era docuseries are both set to stream on Disney+ starting December 2025.
