Popnography
Alaska Gives Taylor Swift Advice on Reclaiming the Snake Emoji
@theonlyalaska5000 on Instagram
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After Kim Kardashian-West leaked the videos of a phone conversation between her husband, Kanye West, and pop star Taylor Swift, the internet was set aflame.
The video appeared to show Taylor Swift giving Kanye the OK to rap about her in his song, "Famous." But after the song was released, Swift took up arms, claiming that the song defamed her. After Kardashian-West's video went live, Swift's social media accounts were flooded with snake emojis, not so subtly calling her out for being devious and untrustworthy.
Related | Taylor Swift Snakes Back Into the Spotlight With New Album, Reputation
Now, an unexpected source is offering some advice on how to reclaim the snake emoji as Swift's own, a process she already started with her Instagram videos teasing her new album. After Alaska won the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, fans were upset with how many of their favorites she sent home prior to the finale and were quick to unleash their slithering scourge.
"You have to take the tragic and turn it into magic," Alaska told Fader when asked about reclaiming the symbol. "People used to call me a horse face. Then I adopted the horse as my spirit animal. Something that brought me pain and anguish ended up bringing me strength and joy."
When asked specifically about Swift's repurposing of her serpent status, Alaska straddled the line between shade and advice: "The truth is, people who have longevity are able to be aware of their public perception and take it and use it and make it work for them," she said. "So bravo to Taylor. I never stopped liking her and I still do. But if she thinks she's the Queen of Snakes, she is terrible mistaken." Read the full Fader interview, here.