Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images.

Swift and Kelce, individually and together, live their lives on that sheet of glass, subject to intense scrutiny and the subject of endless gossip and conspiracy theories. Earlier this year, much of America even suspected Swift of being involved in a deep-state conspiracy to rig the 2024 election. More recently, earlier this week, photos of a fabricated PR plot circulating online reportedly outlined the couple’s relationship blow by blow leading up to a planned breakup. Kelce’s team released a statement saying Vanity Fair that the documents were “completely false” and that “we have engaged our legal team to initiate proceedings against the individuals or entities responsible for the unlawful and damaging falsification of documents.”

It’s a damned-if-she-does, damned-if-she-don’t scenario, with detractors finding ways to criticize Swift no matter what she does. By donning her jeans, Swift is making a statement of her own, referencing It Couples past and hoping the public and media have learned their lesson in how they treat them?

Taylor Swift after the Kansas City Chiefs’ 17-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game on January 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.Rob Carr/Getty Images

Whatever Swift is communicating with her ensemble, it’s undoubtedly a stark contrast from her previous choices for spectators. The last time the Chiefs took on the Ravens, in the January 2024 AFC Championship game, Swift was there again, dressed in a fluffy red sweater, her hair down and wavy, tousled and sweet, leaping up to Kelce for an on-court congratulatory session after the team’s victory. On Thursday, that gregarious Swift was nowhere to be seen, snapped holding hands with Kelce after the game, shielded by his own shades and hat, a united front heading out to take on the dads, Brads, and Chads of the world.