On Feb. 27 Taylor Swift released the music video for her song “The Man,” one of the singles off of her newest album, “Lover.” This music video is Swift’s directorial debut and, as she puts it, is written, starring, directed and owned by Taylor Swift (with some voice over work from Dwayne Johnson). “The Man” is about all of the things that Swift would be able to do if she was a man, which makes it fitting that she wore some very convincing male drag for the music video.
As this “alpha type” that Swift describes, she receives praise from being a “boss.” She man-spreads and smokes a cigar on the subway while throwing newspapers on others. She urinates on a wall, objectifies women, is praised for taking care of her own child, and marries a much younger woman. In the end, Swift, the director, asks Swift, the man, “Could you try to be sexier? Maybe more likable this time?” calling out the industry’s objectification of women.
The music video comes at a trying time for Swift. The video is scattered with “Easter Eggs” regarding Scooter Braun, who bought Big Machine Records last year. Swift has claimed to have issues with Braun in the past, which makes his ownership of her old music all the more upsetting for her. In one particular scene, Swift approaches a wall that bears the names of all her albums that were released prior to “Lover.” Also on the wall is a poster that states: “Missing: If found return to Taylor Swift” as well as an image of a scooter with a slash through it.
Of course, this wasn’t the only feud mentioned. In one scene, Swift is on a yacht surrounded by women in yellow bikinis. She sings “I’d be just like Leo in Saint-Tropez” in reference to Leonardo DiCaprio. Yet another reference comes when Swift walks through a door and enters what many believe to be Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West’s home. As she walks through the hallway, she high fives the many hands that protrude from the wall.
On a lighter note, Swift wasn’t the only person that made their debut through this video. Her father made his acting debut as the umpire during the tennis scene. In an Instagram post, Swift stated: “My dad making his acting debut as ‘unimpressed umpire’ is a memory I’ll always cherish.”
Swift seems to be very excited about this project’s release saying, “Just sitting here pondering how happy I am that The Man music video is OUT,” but she isn’t the only one. On Twitter, fans were losing their minds over the references. One saying “[C]an we all please talk about this…. ‘Missing if found return to [T]aylor [S]wift” and another responding with “I really paused at this part to become more awestruck.”
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