Taylor (Sheesh)'s Version: Recreating and Co-creating Taylor Swift through Filipino Drag and Fandom Participation
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
1-1-2025
Abstract
The exclusion of the Philippines from The Eras Tour of 2023–2024 left many fans disheartened, as the country boasts a substantial Taylor Swift fanbase. This spurred fans to campaign for a tour stop through events and social media under the hashtag #WeWantErasTourPhilippines. Taylor Sheesh, a drag impersonator of Swift, has been central to the many fan activities related to this sentiment. Sheesh’s act involves meticulous recreations of Swift’s concerts, leading to widespread media coverage and international recognition. Her drag persona, inspired by Filipino subcultures and Swift’s music, reflects a unique intersection of local popular culture, drag artistry, and fandom participation. In this chapter, we explore the Sheesh phenomenon within the context of Filipino drag and fandom participation, highlighting how Sheesh recreates Swift’s image and how she, together with the Filipino Swifties, co-create this image within the Filipino cultural landscape, blending pop culture and local nuances. Furthermore, we examine the social dynamics of Filipino Swifties, their participatory practices, and the broader socio-political implications of drag in the Philippines, portraying Sheesh as a remarkable embodiment of fan expression, local artistry, and queer culture advocacy.
Recommended Citation
Atis, A., Murad, N. S., Cox, C. A., & Vaswani, S. M. (2025). TAYLOR (SHEESH)’S VERSION: Recreating and Co-creating Taylor Swift through Filipino Drag and Fandom Participation. In McCann, H., Faichney, E., Trelease, R., & Whatman, E. (Eds.), Taylor Swift: Culture, Capital, and Critique (pp. 184-196). Taylor & Francis.
