Theories about the theme of Taylor's next album first started bubbling up after her star-studded New Year's Eve party in 2018. The costume party encouraged everyone to dress up as their childhood heroes, and Swift opted to go as Ariel from The Little Mermaid. While it could have meant nothing, fans quickly began to notice that this wasn't the first time Swift had donned mermaid gear.
In the magazine for her Reputation album, Swift wore a camouflage jacket with a mermaid motif, and in the blooper reel for her Reputation stadium tour, she sported a t-shirt with two mermaids.
Since mermaids often symbolize love and beauty, fans began to wonder if her next album would be a romantic one. While Reputation took on a darker theme with dis tracks about frenemies and the death of her reputation, it could be that her next album will have a lighter tone now that she has discovered who her "true friends" are and found happiness with boyfriend Joe Alwyn.