She’s on top of the world after being named Global Top Artist of the Year by Spotify and raking in hundreds of millions of pounds on her record breaking Eras tour: But not even Taylor Swift can avoid being called cringe by Gen Z – who have blasted her for using an ‘uncool’ emoji.

The pop superstar, 33, recently commented on a post by actress Mariska Hargitay, who revealed she’s named her new cat after Taylor’s song ‘Karma’. ‘Karma is a Cat @taylorswift Meet Karma. My Cat. [cat emoji] #MeAndKarmaVibeLikeThat #AndIKeepMySideOfMyPawClean #KarmaIsACat’ Mariska wrote.

Taylor then commented about it being a ‘full circle moment’ as Taylor’s cat is called Olivia Benson, after Mariska’s Law & Order character. ‘Are you serious?!!!! Nothing has ever come more full circle [full circle emoji] LOVE THIS SO MUCH!! [cat emoji],’ Taylor replied.
While the comment seemed innocuous to many, Gen Z were quick to blast Taylor. ‘No one in history has every used the full circle emoji,’ one wrote.

‘I can confidently say this is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone use a full circle emoji, she’s so dorky, I love her,’ wrote another. ‘I can’t defend this millennial anymore,’ said another. ‘The full circle emoji??? She’s such a millennial,’ added another. ‘The full circle emoji is killing me,’ said another. ‘Her and Travis’s conversations will be so parent coded,’ said another. Another branded her a ‘soccer mom’ while one person said ‘she’s a 60 year old woman in the body of a 33 year old’.

However, many came to her defence saying there’s nothing wrong with the comment. ‘I’m freaking out because I see nothing wrong with this comment, but maybe that’s because I’m 32,’ wrote one. ‘This is how we text! We never had these fun symbols growing up, we must use them!’ wrote another. ‘Are emojis millennial now? Are we going back to emojicons??’ said another. The name is a direct reference to Taylor’s song Karma, where she sings ‘Karma is a cat’.

The honour comes nearly a decade after the 12-time Grammy winner adopted an adorable Scottish Fold cat, whom she famously named after Hargitay’s Law & Order character Olivia Benson. Taylor is also mother to two other fur-children – Scottish Fold cat Meredith Grey (after the Grey’s Anatomy character) and Ragdoll cat Benjamin Button – adopted in 2011 and 2019, respectively.

The love between the two women is clear to see, with Mariska watching Taylor at the Eras tour, and Taylor often gushing about her love of Grey’s Anatomy. ‘Still in the afterglow of the most magical night. Deepest gratitude to @taylorswift for your poetry and wisdom,’ Mariska – who boasts 2.9M Instagram followers – gushed. ‘You inspire us and connect us to our #delicate tenderness, joy, hope, strength – and most of all – our wish to live and love courageously. Thank you, Taylor, for all you do and all you are. Thank you.’

Hargitay famously joined the Pennsylvania-born blonde onstage at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia back in 2015 during her $250.7M-grossing, 85-date The 1989 World Tour. It was two months after Miss Beverly Hills 1982 had the code name ‘Justice’ in Taylor’s music video for Bad Blood alongside 15 others in her ‘celebrity squad.’