Taylor Swift Accused of Copying Sabrina Carpenter's 'Manchild Spray' Infomercial Style in 'Opalite' MV

Taylor Swift's new video for Opalite dropped on 6 February, and it immediately set Twitter on fire.

The opening — a mock infomercial for a magical spray that promises to 'turn your problems into paradise' — is whimsical, ridiculous, and unmistakably retro.

But almost as soon as it surfaced, fans noticed something familiar: it looked a lot like Sabrina Carpenter's Manchild video. Cue the debate: homage, coincidence, or straight-up copying?

The Aesthetics of Opalite Music Video

The video itself is a carnival of oddities.

Swift plays a lonely character who befriends a pet rock and then falls for a man attached to a cactus. From there, they traipse through mall photo booths, aerobics classes, and bizarre dance contests. The VHS filter and campy narration lean hard into 1990s infomercial tropes — something Swift clearly relishes. Domhnall Gleeson, Lewis Capaldi, Greta Lee, and Cillian Murphy pop up in small, funny roles, which makes the whole thing feel like a fever dream you can't stop watching.

Swift has said the concept started as a joke on The Graham Norton Show, which somehow morphed into this full-blown, surreal mini-film.

Did Taylor Copy Sabrina?

Fans were quick to compare it to Carpenter's Manchild. On X and Reddit, side-by-side clips circulated showing the infomercial motifs. 'hey so this is insane,' tweeted one user.

Another wrote, half-joking, half-sad: 'Did Sabrina invent 80s commercials? She should be grateful that Taylor made her famous and is taking her into consideration even though no one wants to copy her 😭😭.' It's a mix of fandom outrage, disbelief, and humour — the perfect social-media storm.

Then again, not everyone bought that narrative. Plenty pointed out that the 80s and 90s were littered with over-the-top, cheesy commercials. 'Sabrina didn't invent infomercial vibes', one commenter argued. 'That whole look was everywhere back then. By that logic, is she copying Weird Al, Lizzo, MTV, and half of K-pop too?'

And honestly, they have a point. Retro parody is a shared visual language — no single artist owns it.

Fans dissect every frame, GIF every gesture, debate every aesthetic choice. Swift's videos are already layered with Easter eggs, and Opalite is no different. Even if she was borrowing, it's unlikely to be malicious — more likely, it's a wink at a cultural moment, a little playful nostalgia. Carpenter's supporters aren't wrong to defend their girl, but the passion this inspires says as much about fandom as it does about art.

Some people loved the video. Others, annoyed by the oddball narrative, and weren't shy about saying so. And the comparisons? They've kept the conversation alive longer than most music videos manage. In other words, Opalite isn't just a song or a video. It has now become a talking point, a cultural tickle that makes everyone weigh in on originality, influence, and homage.

Not to mention, Swift released it exclusively on limited streaming platforms, except YouTube, because of the new Billboard chart rule.

However, Swift need not explain every detail of the music video. Art isn't just what's created — it's what fans, critics, and casual viewers make of it. Swift has handed us a pastel-coloured, VHS-grain carnival and then stepped back to watch the internet explode. Whether you think she was inspired or ripping someone off, the discussion itself has become part of the artwork.

Fans on X watching the music video on repeat sums it up, 'and really, can anyone blame her for having fun?'