What Does Taylor Swift’s ‘Sexy Baby’ Line Mean? The Internet Weighs In

Taylor Swift released her 10th studio album, Midnights, on Friday, and has left fans wondering—what is a “Sєxy baby?”

The phrase comes from the album’s third track, “Anti-Hero,” a deeply personal track about “all the things [Swift] tends to hate about” herself.

“Track 3, ‘Anti-Hero,’ is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before,” Swift said of the track in an Instagram reel.

“[T]his song really is a real guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself. We all hate things about ourselves,” she continued. “So yeah, I like ‘Anti-Hero’ a lot because I think it’s really honest.”

Taylor Swift attends ‘In Conversation With… Taylor Swift’ during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Bell Lightbox on September 09, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario.AMY SUSSMAN / STAFF/GETTY
Swift uses “Anti-Hero” to grapple with her depression, “all of the people [she’s] ghosted” because of it, and her “covert narcissism.” She also describes feeling like a “monster on the hill” that is “too big to hang out/ Slowly lurching toward your favorite city/ Pierced through the heart but never killed.”

But one of the song’s most-tweeted about lyrics comes right before Swift’s monster metaphor; the line in which she says she “sometimes [feels] like everybody is a Sєxy baby.”

What is a ‘Sexy Baby’?

“When Taylor Swift said sometimes I feel like everybody is a Sєxy baby … what on earth was she talking about,” Vandana Ravikumar tweeted.

“TAYLOR DID YOU JUST SAY SEXY BABY?” Haley asked

“I am once again asking what the f**k ‘Sometimes I feel like everybody is a Sєxy baby’ means,” Audrey said.

Some fans were confused and a bit concerned by the line; however, some listeners theorized it was likely a reference to a 30 Rock episode тιтled, “TSG Hates Women.”

In the episode, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) hires a writer named Abby (Cristin Milioti) to join the TGS with Tracy Jordan staff, Uproxx reported. But when the two women meet up, Lemon accuses Abby of putting on a “Sєxy baby” act for male attention.

“[A Sєxy baby is] someone who derives their power from being both Sєxy and babyish, but, crucially, is not a baby,” Vice said in 2018. “It’s putting on your best whiny voice while asking someone to fetch something for you that’s already within arm’s reach. It’s pouting and doing puppy eyes while holding a large knife.”

“‘Sometimes I feel like everybody is a Sєxy baby/ And I’m a monster on the hill/ Too big to hang out’ is a reference to 30 Rock and a commentary on the male gaze,” Timmy said of the controversial song lyric. “‘Sexy baby’ on 30 Rock refers to how predatory men can be to women who act younger or more childlike.

So Taylor’s most likely saying here that she sometimes feels like everyone around her is conventionally attractive and she’s not the one men look to first. Taylor swift was NOT calling babies Sєxy,” Timmy continued.

“IT’S A REFERENCE TO 30 ROCK YOU GUYS DON’T REALIZE THERE ARE LAYERS,” era tweeted.

Swift has received six American Music Award nominations, including artist of the year, favorite female pop artist and favorite pop album. She also recently won video of the year for her self-directed “All Too Well” clip at the MTV VMAs.