Lip readers have gone viral decoding Taylor Swift. How she got around it at the Grammys

Taylor Swift made history at the 2024 Grammys, becoming the first artist to win album of the year four times.

She also made a fashion statement with a practical purpose. Swift, wearing a black and white dress that seems to reference her surprise album, also brought along a lacy black fan.

Swift was photographed speaking to people at her Grammys table, including producer Jack Antonoff (whom she called one of her "best friends" in an acceptance speech), with the fan covering her mouth.

If you tuned into past awards shows or NFL games this season, you might have a guess why she brought the fan.

OK, tell me: Why did Swift bring a fan?

Swift hasn't publicly commented on the design choice. However, it likely goes back to this year's Golden Globes, held Jan. 7, and other notable attempts of fans attempting to read Swift's lips.

This has become such a phenomenon that "Saturday Night Live" poked fun at it in a January sketch.

At the Golden Globes, Swift and her friend Selena Gomez exchanged a few whispers, paired with vibrant expressions. Online, fans went practically feral trying decode their conversation. The prevailing theory was that the conversation had to do with Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet, also attending the awards.

On Jan. 9, Gomez finally revealed what they were actually talking about in the comments on an E! News post with a headline about the rumors.

She clarified, “Noooooo I told Taylor about two of my friends who hooked up. Not that that’s anyone business."

Lip readers have also tried to decipher what Swift is saying from the box at NFL games, where she's often seen cheering on boyfriend Travis Kelce. She seemed to shout, "Come on, Trav!"

Swift prevented lip reading at Grammys by bringing a lace fan, which covered her mouth whenever she spoke.

What do fans have to say about the fan?

Fans were having a field day with Swift's maneuver.

One fan on X wrote, "She said no lip syncing trolls tonight."

"It’s over for the lip readers," another wrote.

The conclusion? It was a savvy move — even "iconic."

She had more mysteries that evening: Swift announced a new album was coming while accepting the award for best pop album.

Her outfit — a black-and-white ensemble that included a strapless Schiaparelli gown with a thigh-high slit, black opera gloves — at first seemed to hint at the re-release of her 2017 album, "Reputation."

The fan reminded people of the fan used in the music video for "Look What You Made Me Do."

While the rest of her outfit had style and symbolism, the fan had style and purpose.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com