What IS Wrong With Taylor Swift’s Back? Experts Say She’s Had a Posture Change to Beat a ‘Golum-Like’ Hump

She has undergone several aesthetic transformations over the years, from the boho teen with curly hair to the daring artist with a bleached blonde bob and bold lipstick.

But a new, subtle change in Taylor Swift’s evolution has caught the attention of social media users: her new, straighter posture.

On Instagram and TikTok, hundreds of fitness experts and physical therapists have weighed in on the dramatic difference in the megastar’s standing posture.

Meanwhile, fans on social media forums like Reddit are debating theories about the reason for Swift’s slumped body, with some comparing the suspicion to that of fictional character Gollum from The Lord of the Rings.

Social media users and experts alike have commented on the change in Taylor Swift’s demeanor over the years, pictured above in 2011 and again in January 2024

Photos taken between 2010 and 2015 show the record-breaking artist, 34, with a slightly hunched back, while recent photos from the Eras tour – which reportedly earned her more than $4 billion – show a striking transformation.

What’s behind her new, perfect posture?

According to a so-called ‘Specialist in postural alignment‘, who goes by Posture Mike on TikTok, Swift, who is between 5’10” and 6’1″, has a “rounded upper back,” which allows her head to hang forward, creating a hunchback.

Extreme cases of this are known medically as kyphosis, where the normal curvature in the middle portion of the spine (the thoracic vertebrae) is more curved than normal.

In a video that has been viewed a million times, Posture Mike explains that this causes our spine to struggle under the weight of our head, which is equivalent to a 40-pound bowling ball, risking damage to the bones and ligaments in that area.

He then suggests exercises to correct poor posture, such as lying on your back with your legs raised and bent at a 90-degree angle on a block or stool, while breathing deeply from your belly.

“Hold this for five minutes, allowing gravity to slowly change the position of your head,” he said.

In another clip, American physiotherapist Tyler Chong demonstrates movements to correct Swift’s hunched back, including tucking her chin into her neck and then pushing it forward again.

“You should feel the muscles in your neck, under your skull, tensing,” he said.

Meanwhile, Swiss Stretch Studio StretchingLausanne shared a clip titled, “How Did Taylor Swift Improve Her Posture?” which listed a number of exercises Swift may have been doing to get rid of her slouch.

This involved bending the shoulder blades back to ‘keep them connected’, lifting the upper body while lying on the stomach on a mat, and stretching the back using the ‘cat-cow’ yoga pose.

At the 2015 Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift appears to have a rounder upper back

In 2008, Swift’s attitude seems much rounder than it is now

Experts suggest that the dramatic change over the past decade is largely due to Swift’s intensive workout regimen, which has strengthened her muscles

Another factor that may have contributed to the star’s changed attitude may have been the unique sports bra she wore during rehearsals for last year’s Eras tour.

The bra from fitness brand Forme costs $182 (£137) and is designed to “instantly improve the alignment of your torso and base of your body,” according to Forme’s website.

The brand claims that the product designed by an orthopedic surgeon and uses tension fabrics to apply pressure to key body parts, encouraging you to pull your shoulders back and down.

Taylor Swift modeled the high-tech sports bra that claims to improve posture

However, experts have doubts about the extent to which the smart bra played a role in Swift’s change in attitude.

In a video viewed 652,000 times on TikTok, physical therapist Dr. Dan Ginader says the bra is “not as useful as you might think.”

“It’s not strong enough to hold you in that position,” he explained. Instead, he said, the substance “encourages” the muscles to stay in a certain position — but they will only stay there if they get stronger.

“It’s your muscles that do all the work, not the fabric,” he said.

“It was the amount of work Taylor did on training and strengthening in preparation for the tour that did most of the work. The bra was just a gentle coach.”