Taylor Swift Sparks Firestorm Over “Opalite” Necklace: Controversy Explained

It was supposed to be a sentimental merch drop. You know, a dreamy little lightning bolt necklace paired with lyrics from a fan-favorite track. A collectible. A vibe. Another thoughtful detail in the Swiftie universe.

Instead of delight, however, it set off alarm bells. The design? Problematic. The timing? Kind of wild. Just like that, Taylor Swift’s necklace was trending across social media platforms, and not in a good way. Keep reading as the controversy surrounding Taylor Swift’s “Opalite” necklace is explained.

Let’s back up. The song “Opalite” is the third track on Taylor’s 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” According to Forbes, it’s Travis Kelce’s favorite. Romantic, dreamy, full of emotional imagery. But not everyone loved it. According to chatter on social media and The New York Post, some fans said the lyrics felt racially insensitive — and that criticism was already brewing when the necklace showed up in her merch store.

The silver-tone necklace featured a lightning bolt design with clear cubic zirconia crystals, a Taylor Swift charm, and an opalite star. The internet, however, quickly took issue with the lightning bolts looking a lot like SS bolts. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the SS bolts were a hate symbol used by Nazi forces and later used by white supremacist groups as well.

Once the similarities were pointed out … Cue the firestorm. The internet couldn’t unsee it.

The similarities didn’t sit well with a lot of fans. And it wasn’t just the shape of the pendant — it was the combination. A controversial lyric. A charged symbol. All wrapped up in a product launch. For some, it felt like more than a coincidence. On X (formerly Twitter), one individual shared the necklace next to the SS bolts and noted the lyrics along with the necklace was too much to not be intentional. Others seemingly agreed.

If you’ve ever seen Swifties dissect a music video frame-by-frame, you know how deep the fandom goes. Taylor is known for planting clues, weaving symbolism into everything she touches. So, when this necklace hit, it wasn’t just merch. It was a message. Or at least, that’s how it came across to people already side-eyeing the song.

Some fans jumped to her defense. Lightning bolts are everywhere in pop culture — Bowie, AC/DC, even Harry Potter. The pendant, they argued, was just an edgy design choice. No hidden meaning. No agenda. Others said the whole controversy was just the internet doing too much.

On the flip side, however, critics were loud. IBTimes reported that the backlash wasn’t just about symbolism — it was about trust. If Taylor is the queen of detail, how did this make it through? A Reddit user put it bluntly: “You don’t get to be the most calculated artist on Earth and then act like this was an accident.”

Let’s be honest. It probably wasn’t intentional. Taylor has a billion-dollar brand to protect, and it’s hard to imagine anyone on her team trying to slip in a hate symbol.

This wasn’t just about the accessory. It was part of a merch drop tied to a song that was already being called out for its lyrics. Pairing that necklace with a song already facing heat just didn’t sit well with most of the internet.