Why Fans Can’t Stop Comparing Taylor Swift to This ‘High School Musical’ Character

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Taylor Swift is drawing comparisons to another blonde singer after attending the Super Bowl, and it’s not who you might expect. A photo of the “So High School” singer in the stands at the Super Bowl has reminded many social media users of Ashley Tisdale’s character, Sharpay Evans, in High School Musical, and the meme has gathered quite a following.

The photo in question, where the 35-year-old Swift stands at a balcony and looks dissatisfied at the scene below her, is very reminiscent of a shot from the number “Stick To The Status Quo.”

Bustle posted a side-by-side comparison of the photos, with the caption: “Taylor looks like she’s about to sing, ‘This is not what I want. This is not what I planned. And I just gotta say, I do not understand,'” during the game on Sunday, February 9, implying that Swift was disappointed that the Chiefs were losing. Tisdale herself then shared the post to her own Instagram Story. “Icons being icons,” wrote the Suite Life of Zach and Cody actress in her caption. When someone posted a screenshot of Tisdale’s story on the R/DisneyChannel subreddit, one user commented simply, “Ashley is hilarious😂.”

The meme quickly spread online. One Threads user wrote, “Taylor may be in her Status Quo Era and she’s feeling the Sharpay Evans Era! 🤍” Several TikTok users posted videos of Swift at the game set to the song.

Other social media users compared Swift to Vanessa Hudgens’ character, Gabriella Montez, from the same franchise, with one writing, “Taylor Swift giving High School Musical energy at the #Superbowl.”