She has undergone several aesthetic reinventions over the years: from the curly-haired bohemian teenager to the daring artist with a platinum blonde bob and bold lips.
But a subtle new change in Taylor Swift’s evolution has caught the attention of social media users: her newly upright posture.
On Instagram and TikTok, hundreds of fitness experts and physical therapists have given their opinion on the dramatic difference in the megastar’s standing posture.
Meanwhile, on social media forums like Reddit, fans are discussing theories about the reason for Swift’s hump, with some comparing the hump to that of fictional Lord of the Rings character Gollum.
Social media users and pundits alike have commented on Taylor Swift’s changing stance over the years, pictured above in 2011 and again in January 2024.
Images taken between 2010 and 2015 show the record-breaking 34-year-old sporting a slightly hunched back, while recent photos from the Eras tour (which is said to have netted her more than $4 billion) show a striking transformation.
And what is behind her new, perfect posture?
According to one of the so-called ‘Postural alignment specialist‘, known as Posture Mike on TikTok, Swift, who is between 5’10 and 5’11, has a ’rounded upper back,’ which can cause the head to hang forward, resulting in a hunchback-like appearance.
Extreme cases of this are medically known as kyphosis, in which the normal curve in the middle section of the spine (the thoracic vertebrae) is more curved than normal.
In a video that has attracted a million views, Posture Mike explains that this causes our spine to strain under the weight of our head (equivalent to an 18kg bowling ball), risking damage to the bones and ligaments in the area.
He goes on to suggest exercises to correct poor posture, including lying on your back with your legs elevated and bent at 90 degrees on a block or stool, while breathing deeply from your belly.
“Hold the position for five minutes to allow gravity to gently improve the position of your head,” she said.
In another clip, American physical therapist Tyler Chong offers moves to correct Swift’s hunched back, including tucking her chin in toward her neck and then pushing it out.
“You should feel the muscles in the back of your neck, underneath your skull, activate,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Swiss-based stretching studio StretchingLausanne shared a clip titled “How Did Taylor Swift Fix Her Posture?”, which suggested a series of exercises Swift may have done to overcome her slouching posture.
This included pulling the shoulder blades back to “keep them connected,” lifting the upper body while lying face down on a mat, and stretching the back using the “cat-cow” yoga pose.
Photographed at the 2015 Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift appears to have a rounder upper back.
In 2008, Swift’s stance seems much more rounded than it is now.
Experts suggest the dramatic change over the past decade is largely due to Swift’s intense training regimen, which has strengthened her muscles.
Another factor that could contribute to the star’s change of posture could be the unique sports bra she was photographed wearing during rehearsals for the Eras tour last year.
The bra, from fitness brand Forme, costs $182 (£137) and is designed to “immediately improve upper body and core alignment”, according to Forme’s website.
The brand claims that the product was Designed by an orthopedic surgeon and uses tensioning fabrics to apply pressure to key areas of your body, encouraging you to keep your shoulders back and down.
Taylor Swift modeled the high-tech sports bra that promises to improve posture
However, experts have cast doubt on the role the smart bra played in Swift’s change in posture.
In a video that has racked up 652,000 views on TikTok, physical therapist Dr. Dan Ginader said the bra “wasn’t as helpful as you might think.”
“It’s not strong enough to hold you in that posture,” she explained. Instead, she said the fabric “encourages” the muscles to sit in a certain position, but they will only stay there if they get stronger.
“It’s your muscles that do all the work, not the tissue,” he said.
“It was the amount of training and strengthening work Taylor did in preparation for the tour that did most of the work. The bra was just a gentle trainer.”
