What Does the ๐ Snake EmojiEmoji
A Japanese word (็ตตๆๅญ) meaning 'picture character' โ small graphical symbols used in digital communication to express ideas, emotions, and objects. Mean?
The ๐ emoji โ officially named "Snake" โ depicts a green or brown serpent, often shown coiled or in an S-curve. Snakes carry some of humanity's oldest symbolic associations: danger, deception, cunning, wisdom, and transformation. In digital culture, the snake emoji has come to primarily represent betrayal and treachery โ and then, in one of internet culture's most dramatic reversals, became a symbol of pride and power reclamation.
The story of ๐ online is inseparable from the story of Taylor Swift.
The Traditional Symbolic Meaning
Before we get to the internet drama, the snake's cultural symbolism is worth understanding:
Negative associations: - Treachery and betrayal (the Biblical serpent) - Deception and manipulation - Hidden danger ("a snake in the grass") - False friendship โ someone who pretends to be an ally
Positive/neutral associations: - Transformation and renewal (shedding skin) - Wisdom and cunning intelligence - Medicine and healing (the caduceus and Rod of Asclepius) - Fertility and life in many ancient cultures
In digital communication, the negative associations dominate. Calling someone a "snake" is a serious insult โ it means they are secretly treacherous, a fake friend, or a two-faced manipulator.
The Taylor Swift / ๐ Saga
Here's where the snake emoji earns its place in internet cultural history. In 2016, the Taylor Swift vsVariation Selector (VS)
Unicode characters (VS-15 U+FE0E and VS-16 U+FE0F) that modify whether a character renders in text (monochrome) or emoji (colorful) presentation.. Kanye West/Kim Kardashian feud reached its peak when Kim Kardashian posted recordings of a phone call that contradicted Taylor Swift's public statements.
The internet's response was immediate and overwhelming: Taylor Swift's social media accounts were flooded with ๐ emojis. Her Instagram comments became a sea of snakes. It was a coordinated emoji-based callout โ the digital equivalent of dunking on someone with a single visual symbol.
At the time, it was seen as a decisive public humiliation. Taylor Swift went off social media for nearly a year.
The Reputation Era (2017): Then something unexpected happened. Taylor Swift came back โ and she owned the snake. Her album "Reputation" featured a giant snake in its promotional imagery. The entire rollout was dripping in snake iconography. She had taken the symbol meant to shame her and turned it into her brand.
The message was clear: you tried to use this to define me, so now I'm defining myself with it.
"Look What You Made Me Do": The lead single from Reputation leaned into the snake persona explicitly. The music video featured actual snakes. Taylor Swift had alchemized a targeted insult into an aesthetic identity.
Since then: - Taylor Swift fans (Swifties) use ๐ proudly as an in-group symbol - Snake merchandise became part of the Reputation era's iconography - The emoji's appearance in Swift-related content is often celebratory, not attacking
Using ๐ as an Insult (Still Common)
Outside the Taylor Swift context, ๐ continues to function primarily as an accusation of betrayal or treachery:
"Can't believe he told her ๐" "She smiled to my face the whole time ๐" "Watch out for that one ๐"
In these contexts, calling someone a snake is accusing them of being two-faced โ acting friendly while working against you. It's one of the most stinging interpersonal insults in digital communication because it attacks trustworthiness rather than competence or character in a more obvious way.
It's also used in political commentary, celebrity drama, and any context where someone is accused of calculated deception.
The "Snake Friend" Affectionate Use
In some close friend groups, ๐ is used affectionately between friends who enjoy a certain kind of chaotic, morally flexible, or dramatic energy. The "we're all snakes here" use is ironic โ embracing the snake identity as a joke about collective troublemaking.
"We stayed out until 3am and lied about where we were going ๐" "Plotting world domination with the girlies ๐"
This use is usually clearly playful and framed as an inside joke.
Herpetology and Literal Snake Content
Of course, actual snake content exists on the internet too. Snake keepers, herpetologists, and people who genuinely love reptiles use ๐ completely literally โ to represent their pets, their passion for reptiles, or information about snakes.
"Feeding day for my ball python ๐" "Found this beautiful corn snake on a hike ๐" "Species ID help please ๐"
In reptile communities, ๐ is simply the animal emoji for the hobby. The dramatic internet meanings are irrelevant context.
Platform Differences
The snake emoji varies in design across platforms:
- Apple: Green serpent in a loose S-curve, scales visible, pink/red tongue flicking out
- Google: Similar green snake, slightly different posture
- Samsung: More vivid coloring, slightly more cartoonish
- Twitter/X: Clean design, clearly a snake in S-curve
Most platforms render a green snake, which aligns with the common visual shorthand for the animal regardless of that actual snakes come in many colors.
Political Uses
The snake emoji appears in political contexts as an accusation of political betrayal โ voting against constituents' interests, flip-flopping on positions, or appearing to support something while working against it. Politicians and public figures are frequently called snakes on social media when their actions seem to contradict their stated values.
The Philosophical Dimension: Transformation
Some use ๐ to invoke the snake's positive symbolic meaning โ transformation and shedding the old self. This is a less common but real use:
"Shedding my old skin this year ๐" "Transformation is a process ๐"
This usually signals an intentional reference to the snake's mythological symbolism rather than the betrayal meaning.
Common Combinations
- ๐๐ โ Knowing, devious, plotting
- ๐๐ โ The snake is winning (Taylor Swift era vibes)
- ๐๐ โ Unbothered snake energy
- ๐๐ค โ "Look What You Made Me Do" energy
- ๐๐ฟ โ Literal snake in nature, or forest creature
- ๐โ ๏ธ โ Warning: this person is a snake
- ๐โจ โ Reclaiming the snake identity with sparkle
How to Tell Which Meaning Is Being Used
Accusation/insult: Usually directed at someone specific, appears in a critical or angry context, often appears without other snake context
Taylor Swift / fan culture: Appears in music-related conversation, paired with other Swift iconography, used by known Swifties, celebratory tone
Literal snake: Appears in reptile-keeping, nature, or biology contexts
Ironic self-identification: Between close friends, clearly playful tone
Explore More on EmojiFYI
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