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16 October 2023, 14:25
Swiftie Chaos Divides the Internet
"Some of you are straight up being mean to other Swifties when Taylor and her team literally said treat this like a concert."
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert film was finally released last Friday (Oct 13) and the scenes from inside the theatres are absolutely wild.
Across the world, Swifties have been singing along at full volume, screaming the 'Cruel Summer' bridge at the top of their lungs, filming themselves reacting to the incredible visuals, dancing in the aisles – it’s basically like the Swiftageddon club night.
Someone brought a Travis Kelce cut out to one screening, a group of adorable Swifties were spotted doing the final bow alongside Taylor in another, and even Taylor Lautner was there doing backflips at a screening he and his wife Taylor hosted for fans.
In every video, fans look like they’re having an amazing time, but as soon as the videos were shared on social media, it wasn’t long before they went viral and caught heaps of criticism from the general public for their "cinema etiquette".
READ MORE: Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie: Every song cut from setlist and two surprise songs revealed
In one video that has since gone viral on TikTok, an entire theatre of Swifties dressed in their Eras Tour outfits, can be seen jumping around to '22' and rolling on the floor as Taylor sings 'Illicit Affairs'.
While it's not typical cinema behaviour, they're not actually doing anything wrong at all. In fact, the vibes have been encouraged by Taylor and the cinemas themselves. AMC, Cineworld, Odeon and Vue (to name a few) have given the go ahead for fans to dress up, trade friendship bracelets, sing their hearts out and treat the event like an actual Eras Tour concert.
But some people think they're doing a bit too much...
One user commented: “Get the f**k back to your seat. THIS IS NOT HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL."
Another wrote: "At what point does this go from ‘harmlessly having fun’ to ‘everyone wants to be the main character and doesn’t respect anyone else in the theatre’……."
However, others have called out the brutal and unfair criticism of Swifties at the screenings, pointing out that for some Swifties who either weren't lucky enough to get tickets or simply couldn't afford them, this is their Eras Tour concert.
Defending the viral videos, one fan wrote: "Some of you are straight up being mean to other Swifties when Taylor and her team literally said treat this like a concert. Y’all forget that this is the eras tour experience for some Swifties! Of course they are going to dance and sing. If you want silence, watch it at home."
Another added: "Honestly this is fine, it’s fine to do this for a concert movie, not like they’re doing this in Killers of the Flower Moon or something. If you don’t make a mess, go have fun, things are bleak enough."
On TikTok, others have been responding to criticism by sharing one of Taylor's own quotes: "The worst kind of person is someone who makes someone feel bad, dumb or stupid for being excited about something."
Amen! If you're heading off to an Eras Tour screening soon, enjoy it in whatever way you want to! Sing, dance, dress up... Just remember, most importantly, to be respectful to the staff.
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