In this 2019 music video, popular music artist Taylor Swift addresses double standards of success and explores how different life would look if she were a rich man. “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I were a man,” she sings. Costumed as a businessman, Swift exudes aggressive and ultra-masculine energy towards women throughout the video. The lyrics also address the struggles she has faced as a woman in the music industry including people relentlessly discussing what she wears, her dating life, and how much success she deserves (or doesn’t). 

discussion

What are some of the ways Swift performs masculinity?

How do you feel about the portrayal of men in the video? Do you think it’s exaggerated at all? Why or why not?

The song shares Taylor Swift’s experience with sexism in the music industry. Do you think these experiences are relatable to other artists? What about everyday people?

This song was one of Swift’s first explicitly “political” songs. What do you think about artists using their music (or art) to speak about injustice?