Performing since age 13, Taylor Swift rang in September with her newest release. Previewing an upcoming album, her single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” has not been receiving quite the attention of Swift’s previous releases. Perhaps in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and rising tension from North Korea, the America that lost their minds over Taylor Swift can’t come to the phone right now.
Since the release of “1989”, Swift has kept to herself, save media speculation and a never-ending list of rumored celebrity feuds. Namely, her disputes with singer Katy Perry and the Kardashian family have been keeping her under the spotlight in lieu of any new music. Between public disagreements, Swift has been busy spending time with family and focusing on a legal battle against a DJ who allegedly groped the singer at a 2013 photo-op.
Because of Swift’s absence on the music scene, it came as a shock to fans when she cleared her social media in last August. Replacing pictures of the singer and her notorious “girl gang” with cryptic videos of snakes sent a clear message that Swift was ready for a major change. However, the single itself fell flat considering all the generated hype.
The song begins with a simplistic back beat common to the pop genre that Swift has been channeling as of late. After a sparse pre-chorus, the music completely dies out and gives way to the hook. Swift, accompanied by a simple beat, recites the title until the music returns. Though the music is simplistic in nature, Swift puts more emphasis on the lyrics and her attempt to dismantle whomever the track is aimed toward.
Stepping aside from any of the musicality and lyrical attributes of the song itself, the accompanying music video provides more than enough of a reason to ask Swift what exactly she was made to do.
As the video progresses, Swift is seen basking in jewels and being doted upon by wait staff and presumably cyborg women while she swings and sings in lavish outfits. As this continues, Swift is joined by previous versions of herself who appear to be clawing at her feet. The pre-Swifts are kicked and manhandled as they try to reach her.
After the song has ended, all the versions of Taylor Swift appear in a line. They all take cruel digs at one another and even poke fun of highly contested remarks that Swift herself has made on record. This ending scene appears to be the most toxic, and after watching it, viewers are more confused than anything.
Swift’s message of the old her being dead sends a poorly-produced message to her fans, most of which are tween and teen girls. With all the negative media attention that already targets that age group, Swift was commonly viewed as a beacon for being proud to be yourself and staying positive. Even as Swift transitioned to a pop sound with her last album, tracks like “Shake It Off” and “Clean” seemed to be an anthem for brushing off the haters and going on with your life.
For Swift to now be spreading the message that the old versions of herself were weak, naïve and seemingly helpless is not only tearing herself down, but also the girls who grew up praising her. This new message of bitterness and hate is such a sharp turn from her previous brand. It is understandable that Swift felt she needed to reinvent herself, but to do so with such self-hatred may be giving Swift more trouble than she bargained for.
