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On July 16, 2024, X account @Poo_Crave published a post (archived) alleging that pop star Taylor Swift had shared an Instagram story with a photo of herself at age 12 watching New York City’s Twin Towers burning on 9/11:
🚨 Taylor Swift shares a throwback photo of herself from September 11th, 2001: “12 year old me watching 9/11… what a good time 🤍 “
 (X user Poo_Crave)
At the time of this writing, the post had received around 6.2 million views, 3,700 reposts and 72,000 likes.
However, this item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with an account that, in its bio, describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:
Spinning in a whirlwind of pop parody chaos & craving those c****y retweets!Â
As Snopes confirmed when we previously reported on the photo, the image was taken by Los Angeles-based photographer Ari Abramczyk. Abramczyk confirmed to Snopes that the woman in the photo is one of her former roommates.
Aside the fact that Abramczyk has been confirmed to be the creator of the photo, there are other signs that the screenshot Poo Crave shared did not depict an authentic Instagram story posted by Swift, but was instead likely created using one of the many Instagram story mockup generators available online.
For one, the story does not appear on Swift’s official Instagram account, nor does it appear on any of the fan accounts dedicated to reposting everything Swift and her immediate circle share on social media.
Also, Swift was not 12 years old on Sept. 11, 2001. Born on Dec. 13, 1989, she was still 11 on the day of the attacks.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.
“Celebrate Taylor Swift’s Birthday by the Numbers: 3 Pet Cats, 27 Vault Songs and Everything Else Between 1 and 34.” Peoplemag, https://people.com/taylor-swift-turns-34-celebrate-the-pop-icon-achievements-by-the-numbers-from-1-to-34-8414706. Accessed 16 July 2024.
Hardinges, Nick. “Photo Shows Woman Watching Twin Towers Burn During 9/11 Attacks?” Snopes, 11 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/twin-towers-911-photo-woman-watching-on/.
Instagram Story Mockup Generator. https://mockupduck.com/mockups/instagram-story/. Accessed 16 July 2024.
Mikkelson, David. “Why We Include Humor and Satire in Snopes.Com.” Snopes, 15 Aug. 2019, https://www.snopes.com//notes/why-we-include-humor-and-satire-in-snopes-com/.
Caroline Wazer is a reporter based in Central New York. She has a Ph.D in history.
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