On July 18, 2016, Kim Kardashian shared a now-infamous series of videos that appeared to show Taylor Swift had lied about a conversation between the singer and Kim's husband, Kanye West. The clips launched the hashtag #KimExposedTaylorParty and people around the internet filled Swift's Instagram comments and Twitter replies with an unfathomable amount of snake emojis in response.

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In the months since those events, Swift has significantly reduced her public appearances and online presence — until last week when her social media accounts were completely wiped clean of all content. On Monday and Tuesday, Swift uploaded distorted footage of what looks like a snake, in a cheeky reference to the comment swarms. It's a pretty clear attempt — days before she reportedly will drop a new single — to reclaim a symbol designed to shame her as her own, which is straight from the media playbook of popular drag queen Alaska Thunderfuck.

After eliminating several fan favorite contestants during her run on RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, fans of the show gave Alaska the Swift treatment and began harassing her with the snake emoji, too. But unlike Swift, who responded to the hate with a tersely worded statement, Alaska immediately integrated snakes and her villain narrative into her wardrobe and brand. She released a YouTube video almost immediately after where she faux-copped to loving everything about snakes, while wearing a gown with a cobra-like collar.

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Alaska's efforts were a successful diversion for fans of Drag Race — who can be insanely abusive towards contestants of the show — and the public wave of hate against her quickly dissipated.

In a quick email chat, Alaska explained why she handled the situation that way, what she learned from it, and her advice for Taylor Swift, as she attempts to reclaim the snake symbol in the exact same way.