Taylor Takeover

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at GCU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

As we settle into fall, it’s hard not to think back on summer, the playlists, the heat, the drama, and realize it all seemed to revolve around one name: Taylor. No matter where you looked, whether scrolling through TikTok, bingeing your comfort show, or catching up on celebrity gossip, there they were. The Taylors weren’t just showing up this summer; they owned it. From Love Island to The Summer I Turned Pretty to the one and only Taylor Swift, 2025 was officially the Summer of Taylor.

The takeover really hit when everyone’s phone buzzed with the same alert: “Taylor is engaged.” Cue instant chaos. Group chats lit up. Someone gasped dramatically. Someone else screamed, “Steven proposed, we lost the plot!” It was the perfect reaction except, of course, it wasn’t that Taylor. Here comes the gentle correction: “No, Taylor Swift, dummy.” That confusion said it all. There were so many Taylors running the show this summer that keeping them straight felt like a full-time job. Over in Cousins Beach, Taylor Jewel (The Summer I Turned Pretty) finally got her moment. Best friend energy? Absolutely. Stirring the pot? Without question. But this season, she wasn’t just Belly’s sidekick she was her own main character, full of heart and heat. For every fan debating Conrad vs. Jeremiah, there was someone quietly (or not-so-quietly) Team Taylor.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Love Island introduced yet another Taylor to the mix, and this time, it was a him. In classic villa fashion, he brought flirty energy, messy recouplings, and the kind of one-liners that live rent-free on TikTok. From the now-iconic “I pick Clarke” moment to the confused-but-honest “I can’t have a kid feeling?” Taylor gave the internet enough meme material to last all season. Love Island has always thrived on unforgettable personalities, and Taylor made sure the name stayed trending long after Casa Amor closed its doors.

And then there was the Taylor. Taylor Swift didn’t just dominate the summer; she was the summer. Her Eras Tour turned stadiums into sparkling cities of sequins and friendship bracelets, with surprise songs that had fans refreshing timelines like they were waiting for breaking news. Even if you couldn’t score a ticket, you probably still caught yourself humming along to many of her trending songs while scrolling on the internet. Swift made nostalgia cool again and gave everyone a reason to celebrate their own eras.

The funniest part of it all? Talking about “Taylor” became an Olympic sport in context clues. “Which Taylor?” became the question of the season. The villa one? The Cousins Beach one? The billionaire with the private jet? Eventually, “Taylor” wasn’t just a name it was a vibe. A symbol of main character energy, each one offering a different slice of escapism. Taylor Swift gave us the anthems. Taylor Jewel gave us friendship and teenage nostalgia. Love Island’s Taylor gave us romance and just the right amount of chaos. Together, they created a kind of pop-culture cocktail sweet, messy, and impossible to put down.

By August, “Taylor fatigue” was real but not in a bad way. More like the kind of exhaustion that comes from trying to keep up with a whirlwind summer that just wouldn’t quit. That “Taylor is engaged” text from earlier suddenly felt symbolic one word, endless interpretations. In the end, the Taylors weren’t just people this summer; they were the plot. Swift made history. Taylor Jewel reminded us why best friends always steal the spotlight. Love Island’s Taylor reminded us that drama, in the right dose, is pure entertainment. So, as we trade bikinis for sweaters and iced lattes for pumpkin spice, one thing’s for sure: the Taylor era will be hard to shake off. And if the phone rings again with news that “Taylor is engaged,” let’s just take a breath before assuming Steven finally proposed. Who knows maybe that’ll happen in the movie adaptation.