Taylor Swift is no stranger to controversy.
Her rebranding and subsequent singles from upcoming album “Reputation” were meant to reclaim her portrayal by the media as the culprit in the feud between her and Kanye West. So why is she losing fans? For the uninitiated, the reasoning dates back to 2009’s MTV Video Music Awards where Swift won “Best Female Video.” West stormed the stage during her acceptance speech and declared “I’mma let you finish… but Beyonce had the best video of all time!” In the following weeks, West faced considerable backlash, with even President Obama caught calling him a ‘jackass’ – and in that moment I agreed.
While I wanted to defend Taylor against sexism, I cannot in good faith call myself a fan when she uses others to prop herself up. I now realize West was perhaps attempting to stand up for an artist he respected and who was potentially overlooked because of reasons of race. Swift’s new album so far hints at her exploring (exploiting?) a darker, and what many would consider a more stereotypically “black” persona. Swift even raps on one track.
I (and others) were willing to accept victim narrative up to a point. The media had been concocting a persona for Swift as long as she has been famous. As a result, when Taylor released album “1989” in 2014, I cheered as she seemingly took back the narrative by playing into views that she was “crazy.” On the inspiration for single Blank Space she said to People magazine:
‘ “…[the media] thought I was dating too much because I dated two people in a year and a half, but whatever … oh, a serial dater. She only writes songs to get emotional revenge on guys. She’s a man hater…..’ It was just kind of excessive and, you know, at first it was hurtful and then I kind of found a little comedy in it.” In the video Swift played an exaggerated version what the media claimed she was, running around with and torturing a boyfriend she eventually kills.
Then came “Famous.” On his controversial single, Kanye rapped “ I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex… Why? I made that b**h famous.” The feud was reignited when Swift claimed that she did not approve the words. Kim came to Kanye’s defense, releasing video that proved Swift had indeed heard most the lyrics prior to their release and even deemed them a “compliment”.
In 2008, Beyonce’s losing “Single Ladies” video and Taylor’s winning “You Belong With Me” were very different. The message of “Single Ladies” is one of empowerment and choosing the best for yourself. On the other hand, “You Belong With Me” plays into several anti-feminist tropes in its portrayal of the mean cheerleader and ‘beautiful all along’ where a the main character takes off her glasses, lets her hair down and becomes beautiful.
By using these tropes, Taylor proved that she had a long way to go. While 1989 looked like a step in the right (feminist) direction, Swift’s current offerings only serve to highlight that she continues to evoke sympathy in order to sell records. Inability to accept when you are in the wrong is relationship deal-breaker for me, and despite what she sings on “Look What You Made Me Do,” the old Taylor is still alive, kicking and victimizing herself.