#tswiftgraphics

according to me, the first part is angrier, while the second part is more relaxed. gold elements can be seen in the covers, which symbolize growth, new beginnings and change. dark is what she was perceived to be and what she was for the first part, in an attacking stance. gold is what she was during the second and has tried to be all through her life, growing, despite of the media portraying her as this dark manipulative heart-breaker. so throughout this album, the dark elements have covered the gold ones, but the gold ones are still visible because she refuses to let the negativity consume her. gold is also mentioned in various songs of this album.

part one: taylor wants to know the truth and take her revenge, not caring about what the papers write. she is honest in a cathartic and almost brutal manner. she disregards any misinterpretations of her music.

In the cover, half of her face is hidden in the dark which implies that there's more to her personality than what was shown in the first part. there is a similar reference in the prologue “we think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the version of them they have chosen to show us”. the snake imagery is repetitive, owning the insult of getting called a snake in 2016. she can be seen wearing a snake ring and a snake crown with spikes, which is seen as a symbol of attack. she also has a sword on her back which might suggest readiness to fight, to retaliate but it is seen she’s wearing the sword on her right shoulder despite being right-handed. this shows that even though she is in attacking stance, she won't use lesser means, like the ones that have been used against her. instead she chooses to take her revenge by her words, her music. the rips in her sweatshirt are gold, which means the hurt that people had caused her throughout 2016, the titles that she had been given and the ugly narrative that people believed was the truth had affected her but not enough to ruin her. it instead made her rise above, to do better without being affected or influenced by an outside opinion or voice, or “shine”. this imagery is also used in the second part.

on the back cover, a rib cage and a heart can be seen. the heart has got cracks but are not visible to the human eye, similar to the lyric in her previous album “the water filled my lungs, i screamed so loud but no one heard a thing”.

part two: this part is more love-centered, loving somebody despite the fears and insecurities in one’s mind that may have ruined their past relations. this part isn’t growing even though it hurts, it’s growing because it hurts.

on the cover, taylor isn’t hiding her face anymore, but a part still remains dark, implying that even though she isn’t bothered anymore, the dark i.e. the negativity still surrounds her and she cannot do anything about it. she is again wearing a crown with spikes because she’s still vulnerable, and trust doesn’t come easily now. she’s seen wearing a choker which is tighter than it should be. this is seen as something that limits her to say what she wants to say. originally, she wanted to make an album centered around finding love but the drama took the centre stage and she can’t do that anymore. she knows what words she wants to sing, but she has to sing something else. her skin can be seen glowing gold.

on the back cover, a similar rib cage and heart to first cover is there. but now, due to the cracks, light has come in and she feels free. butterflies are seen symbolizing resurrection (death or end and new beginnings are referenced in the album) and freedom. this butterfly symbol is also used on the cds and vinyls.