Taylor Swift's latest wax figure, unveiled this week at the Panoptikum Wax Museum in Hamburg, Germany, has sparked a furious backlash from fans, who have taken to social media to condemn the likeness as a "cruel summer" indeed.
Inspired by the pop star's 2019 iHeart Radio Music Awards look, the figure is a replica of Swift wearing a sparkly purple bodysuit. However, many Swifties have argued that the resemblance ends there, with criticisms levelled at the figure's facial features and its inaccurate depiction of Swift's signature hand-heart gesture.
"WHO IS THAT," one fan tweeted, expressing the collective bemusement of many. Another commented, "They did my girl so dirty ð." The figure's attempt to recreate Swift's iconic hand-heart symbol has also come under fire, with fans pointing out that the figure's fingers are fanned out, rather than tucked in as Swift usually performs the gesture.
"The real atrocity here is the inaccurate hand heart, I'm gonna be sick," one user added on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This isn't the first time Swift has been immortalised in wax. Madame Tussauds has crafted several figures of the singer for its locations across the globe. In 2022, the Dubai branch unveiled a wax figure of Swift in the outfit she wore at the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards. Previously, Madame Tussauds London displayed a Swift figure inspired by her "Shake It Off" music video.
Despite the enthusiastic response to these previous figures, the Hamburg wax figure has been met with widespread disappointment and derision. The Panoptikum Museum is yet to comment on the controversy, leaving many fans questioning whether the figure will be subject to any revisions.
