What is Lavender Haze about? TikTok alleges Taylor Swift wrote sapphic poetry book under June Bates pen name

Released on October 21, 2022, Taylor Swift's new album, Midnight, is now making a splash on TikTok, although not for reasons you might expect.

The first track of the album, Lavender Haze, gained significant attention from netizens after a TikToker speculated that an eponymous book of poetry might also have been written by Swift herself under the pen name June Bates.

However, there seems to be no confirmation regarding the same. As a matter of fact, prior to the release of Midnight, Swift had said that Lavender Haze is about her relationship with her boyfriend Joe Alwyn, whom she has been dating for over six years now. In a video posted by the singer on Instagram, she talked about the meaning and origin of the phrase:

“I happened upon the phrase 'lavender haze' when I was watching Mad Men. I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool. And it turns out that it’s a common phrase used in the ’50s where they would describe being in love. If you're in the ‘lavender haze,’ then that meant you were in that all-encompassing love glow. And I thought that was really beautiful.”

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Are June Bates and Taylor Swift the same person? Speculation intensifies as Swift explains the meaning of her song

While there is no concrete evidence to suggest that Taylor Swift is the author of The Lavender Haze: Sapphic poetry, netizens have now started coming up with various theories to confirm the same.

Many have pointed out that the collection of poems was released on October 21, just three days before the release of Swift’s album. The fact that the anthology shares its name with the opening track of Midnight has also led many fans to ponder over any supposed connection between the two. The similarity between the poems and the song lyrics has further intensified this speculation.

At the same time, the fact that people could not find a lot of information on June Bates has now become one of the many reasons why many think that Bates does not exist, and it is actually Taylor Swift writing under a pen name.

Another supposed connection drawn by Swift fans highlights that June Bates' bio mentions how listening to Taylor Swift is one of her hobbies, thereby hinting at a plausible relation between the two.

Moreover, the price of the book has also come under scrutiny. It retails for $12.99, which is almost $13, and 13 is said to be Taylor’s lucky number.

The Book "Lavender Haze" is being speculated to be written by Taylor Swift. (Image via Amazon)

So far, there has been no official statement from the publication house or Swift regarding this matter.

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“This song is about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff”: Taylor Swift posts explainer about Lavender Haze

In an Instagram video posted by Taylor Swift, she spoke about the song and its meaning, saying how social media enables the world to spin stories about "public figures," especially their love lives. According to the singer, Lavender Haze is about ignoring such stories.

“I think that a lot of people have to deal with this now, not just like ‘public figures,’ because we live in the era of social media, and if the world finds out if you’re in love with somebody they’re going to weigh in on it. Like my relationship for six years we’ve had to dodge weird rumors, tabloid stuff, and we just ignore it. So this song is about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff.”

Moreover, if the lyrics of the song are closely heard, it can be estimated that Swift is talking about Alwyn and his ability to handle media scrutiny "beautifully." The lyrics go as follows:

“I've been under scrutiny. You handle it beautifully. All this sh*t is new to me. I feel the lavender haze creeping up on me, Surreal. I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say, No deal.."

The song also refers to Swift's engagement rumors in the following lyrics:

"All they keep asking me is if I'm gonna be your bride. The only kinda girl they see is a one night or a wife.."

Other lyrics in the song address dating in the public eye, while repeatedly bringing up the constant scrutiny that comes with it.

At the time of writing this article, Lavender Haze had managed to garner over 2.7 million views.