An explanation of Taylor Swift friendship bracelets: What are they and why do Swifties create them?
The Eras Tour by Taylor Swift has inspired fans globally to create and exchange friendship bracelets. Swifties share details about the bracelets they’re crafting, the significance behind them, and the rules surrounding their creation and trading.
Taylor Swift previously shared instructions on how to put on her Love Love Love bracelets, and now, nearly 15 years later, Swifties are engaging in a similar tradition, trading friendship bracelets during her current shows in Singapore. The Grammy Award-winning singer, who is set to perform six sold-out shows at the National Stadium, has her fans enthusiastically crafting these tokens of friendship ahead of the concerts starting on Mar 2.
However, just what are these? For the Swiftie community, what do they signify? How even did this pattern start to emerge?
WHAT ARE FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS?
Friendship bracelets, as the name suggests, are tokens exchanged between people as symbols of friendship. Typically handmade, these bracelets are crafted using materials such as embroidery thread, beads, and, in some instances, plastic bands (similar to loom bracelets). The act of creating and gifting these bracelets serves as a tangible expression of friendship and connection.
WHAT KIND OF FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS DO SWIFTIES MAKE?
A quick Google or TikTok search reveals that the friendship bracelets exchanged at the Eras Tour concerts are typically vibrant and colorful. These Taylor Swift-themed bracelets often incorporate song lyrics, titles, and inside jokes within the fandom. While most are made using beads, charms, and string, there isn’t a specific right or wrong way to create these friendship bracelets. For example, TikTok user fatynanana utilizes ribbons in her designs.
The time it takes to craft each friendship bracelet varies, depending on the complexity of the design and the maker’s experience. Swifties shared with crafting each bracelet can range from less than 5 minutes to over 30 minutes. Zoe Yan, a 29-year-old fan, has crafted over 700 bracelets since August last year. Initially making them to trade at the Eras Tour shows, she started receiving requests from Swifties who lacked the time to create their own. Consequently, she established an Instagram account, @imaginarybeads, dedicated to selling these bracelets.
“I’ve definitely sped up after making them for seven months. Now, it takes about four to five minutes for me to make a single bracelet. Due to the overwhelming custom orders, I’ve learned that I can make 60 in a day,” said Yan.
SO DID TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER FANS START THIS TREND?
While they made it popular again, the act of trading bracelets dates back to before the singer even debuted.
The exact origin of friendship bracelets is unknown, but some believe they came from the indigenous people in Central and South America. Trading such bracelets specifically at music events, however, began a few decades ago.
Kandi (pronounced as “candy”) bracelets from the 1990s, for example, were popular among rave and EDM concert attendees. Like the Taylor Swift friendship bracelets, they were often made using coloured and lettered beads.
Ravers would also trade their homemade kandi bracelets after doing a four-part PLUR – which stands for peace, love, unity, and respect – handshake.
HOW DID SWIFTIES START TRADING FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS?
Ask any Swiftie, and they’ll tell you it started at midnight. More specifically, Swift’s song “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from her tenth album “Midnights.”
Sarah Tan, who has been a fan of Swift since her debut in 2006, said Swifties can take things quite literally. As Taylor had sung: “So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it”; her fans listened and made them.
Thanks to the Eras Tour, social media pages have been brimming with fans sharing their creations. While some are posting tutorials, others are encouraging fellow fans to trade with them.
This infectious hype has prompted some to partake in the trend, including 21-year-old Layne Lee, who has been a Swiftie since she was 10 years old.
Lee said she initially didn’t have much interest in the bracelet trend. But after seeing how it gained popularity and became almost synonymous with the Eras Tour, she grew receptive to the idea.
Although she may have started because of FOMO, she believes the friendship bracelets make the concert experience more fun and even help bring Swifties together.
Likewise, Tan said: “This trend has become widespread among Taylor’s fans worldwide, uniting Swifties all around the world…. This also drives concert-goers to put in effort to dress up, and have this ‘pre-concert prep’ before the big day.”
More Singapore Blogs
- What is the limit of Taylor Swift news? Swifties don’t believe in such things
- Carousell suspends the selling of tickets for Taylor Swift concerts to prevent any fraud
- Taylor Swift effect: Six sold-out shows in Singapore result in a 30% increase in regional demand for hotels and flights
- Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
- 10 restaurants in Singapore are offering fans of Taylor Swift discounts, including complimentary ‘Tay’
