Taylor Swift's TIME Covers Are So Reputation-Coded

In true Sagittarius fashion, Taylor Swift is starting her birthday month booked and busy. Even before the clock struck midnight on Dec. 1, Swift released another “From The Vault” Midnights song and walked the red carpet at Beyoncé’s Renaissance documentary premiere in a bedazzled Balmain gown.

Today, Swifties everywhere woke up to yet another surprise: The singer was announced as TIME magazine’s Person of the Year. And the magazine accompanied this major reveal with three iconic cover issues full of Reputation Easter eggs — and I’m simply not OK.

With all these incredible drops coming before her 34th birthday, I’m not emotionally ready for whatever she has up her sleeve once Dec. 13 rolls around.

Taylor’s Reputation-Esque Cover

As soon as the TIME interview dropped online on Dec. 6, Swifties quickly dove into the in-depth interview. The tell-all covered all the bases (and then some): She touched on the six-month-long rehearsal process for the Eras Tour, the mental toll the drama with Kanye West took on her, when she and Travis Kelce actually started dating, and even dropped a subtle hint toward Reputation (Taylor’s Version) that has the internet in a tizzy.

Swift promised that the upcoming vault tracks would be “fire,” and even though we didn’t get an exact release date (fans think it’s coming sooner than we think), a connection between her TIME cover’s imagery and the original 2017 album’s goth glam aesthetic became very clear.

In the first setup, photographers Inez and Vinoodh captured Swift in a moody black bodysuit and matching tights — an obvious homage to the record’s penchant for noir numbers.

Her hair was also styled in its natural curl, except the bangs were pulled back. To any normal Swift fan, this is just a coincidence. But devoted Swifties remember on the original album’s cover, her hair was also curly and slicked back in a similar style. If you haven’t learned by now, nothing is an accident with Swift.

Her Bejeweled Mini Dress

It should come as no surprise given her reputation (pun intended) for keeping her fans on their toes, but the Rep callouts didn’t stop there.

In another shot, Swift changed into a crystal-embellished mini dress from Area complete with a balconette bodice and a plunging neckline — quite the sultry departure from the 1989-esque preppy ensembles she’s been wearing lately.

In fact, the mini’s deep gray shade perfectly aligns with Reputation’s color palette which consists of grungey hues like black, gray, and the occasional addition of sparkly silver (see her “Look What You Made Me Do” music video).

Always Dropping Clues: “From the wet, wavy hair to the black bodysuit and studded bra tops, Taylor Swift’s TIME Person of the Year shoot truly looks like a tribute to her Reputation album, albeit a more mature take on that aesthetic.” — Jake Viswanath, Bustle Entertainment Writer

Like all other Swifties, I’ll be patiently awaiting the arrival of those “fire” Reputation (Taylor’s Version) vault tracks.