I Got a Bad reputation

its been awhile.... here's something I've been working on.

I Got a Bad Reputation: An Analysis of Taylor Swift’s Rhetorical Music Video

After struggling with the media and going on a two-year break, “Look What You Made Me Do” was the first track and the first music video to be released off of Taylor Swift’s latest album, Reputation(2017). The purpose of Swift’s album, Reputation, and specifically the music video for the song “Look What You Made Me Do,” (“LWYMMD”) is to take control of her image (see Fig. 1). In the music video for this song, Swift transforms from America’s princess and takes on a dark, “badass” role by using darker colors and themes throughout the video. She emphasizes this transformation in a few key scenes: the intro of her video, in which she literally buries and kills the old Taylor Swift; the scene where she robs the “Stream Co.” bank, which is linked to Spotify and Apple Music; and the use of symbolism through snakes, as a way to refute the reputation that not only the media, but celebrities have created for her. She very intentionally uses symbolism, allusion, satire, and (of course) humor to successfully appeal to three audiences: her fans, the media, and the celebrities who have tried to use the media against her.

The music video begins with symbolic images of the “old Taylor” in her grave. This is her first reference to a new identity, literally killing her old reputation. The “old Taylor” is shown as a naive, innocent princess. She has long, curly hair from her country days, and she is wearing a gown from an old award show.  Her “new” self is shown as a zombie filling in the grave of the “old Taylor,”the words“Here Lies TAYLOR SWIFT’S REPUTATION” etched on the gravestone. The flowy, elegant, princess-esque feel of her old videos is thrown out, and a dark, bad-ass version of Swift is introduced. Swift has struggled through the years with her image and reputation, always wanting to show a flawless image. In this video, she has changed this perfect image to one that is a hard shell;no one can break through it anymore. This first scene, though only a few seconds long, sets the mood for what is to come, convincing her audience that she is a different woman, not the girl she used to be.

Though Swift’s exterior image has changed from innocent to edgy, she uses the video to reassure her fans that though she looks different on the outside she is the same girl on the inside. She drops Easter eggs to establish her ethos to her most devoted fans. Her clothing is a perfect example of this. Beginning with her black latex body suit in the “U Squad” scene to her thigh highs and fishnet tights (see Fig. 2), Swift has most definitely gotten rid of her pink ball gown look of the past.  Sporting darker, edgier clothing has made people think that Taylor has taken on a whole new persona and has changed completely. However, in the music video, she might wear a darker, sexier outfit, but her cats and her previous selves also make an appearance (see Fig. 3 and 4). As she always does, she hides images throughout the video as a way to show her fans that though her exterior has changed, she is still the same girl she always truly was, the ones the fans know, not the one that the rest of the world has made up for her. They can trust her; they are a part of her inner circle. On top of that, they may laugh at her inside jokes, showing Swift’s appeal to the emotions, or pathos.

As her die-hard fans know, Swift has always had a knack for rhetoric, using words and images to convey a powerful idea. In this music video, she uses satire as a rhetorical appeal to mock the money-hungry reputation she was given after she had “feuds” with both Apple and Spotify. In 2015, Taylor Swift removed her music from almost every streaming company. This made national news and caused Apple to pay its artists better, eventually regaining Swift as one of its huge array of musicians (Apple Music). She also notably removed Spotify from her list of streaming companies because she believed it could potentially hurt her sales. In the video, she uses satire to exaggerate the media’s depiction of Swift as greedy. Because of her net worth (upwards of 320 million, Hoffower), the media believes that she only spends money on herself and is always looking for a way to generate income (see Fig. 3). However, in this scene, Swift is shown breaking into a vault called “Stream Co.” which stands for the money that companies like Spotify and Apply make from streaming. To satirize the media, Swift gives news outlets a humorous image: in the vault, she wears a cat mask, thigh high, high heeled boots, and a sweater, which creates a ridiculous picture, very different from a typical masked robber. While creating an image that mocks what they think, Swift is standing up for herself. The reason she created the Apple Music letter and pulled her music from Spotify was to stand up for both herself and her fellow artists, especially new, blossoming ones. She believed that artists on these streaming companies were not getting paid what their music should be valued at and wanted to use her influence to cause change. By pulling her songs, she did. Apple Music and Spotify changed their policies and are now giving their artists what they deserve. This scene in the video persuades viewers that she is not the real thief in this scenario, “Stream Co.” is.

While Swift, much like other celebrities, has had to deal with the media tearing her apart, the criticism of other celebrities, like KanyeWest and Kim Kardashian West, has been a notable struggle for her. After winning the 2009 MTV VMA for “Best Music Video,” West went onstage, grabbing the microphone out of winning Swift’s hand (see Fig 4), and told the crowd that Beyoncé deserved the award more than she did (Kreps). Nevertheless, after this spectacle, Swift joked about becoming West’s running mate in the 2020 election, one of many nods togiving up their feud (Shenton). It wasn’t until February of 2016 things came crashing down again. West released a track titled “Famous” which included lyrics "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that b**** famous." This coupled with the image of Swift lying naked in a bed with Kanye, as depicted in his music video, led Taylor to release a statement saying she did not give permission for Kayne to use her name and those specific lyrics, to which Kim Kardashian released a video stating otherwise. This led to Kardashian’s fans commenting snake emojis on Swift’s all of social mediaplatforms (A timeline).

In the video, snakes become a symbol of Swift’s empowerment. She has even continued this throughout her Reputationtour, adding a 60-foot snake she named Karyn to the stage (see Fig. 5.) Using this image as a part of her new look shows the world that neither KanyeWest nor the media has control over her reputation. Throughout the video, snakes appear as a symbol of toughness and are used almost as the mascot of the Reputation album. In the video, the snakes are shown literally helping her by holding her tea cup (see Fig. 6). Swift also wears snake jewelry, including rings and a necklace, showing that they are a part of her now. Snakes empower her, which is the total opposite of their intention. This shows how much Swift can control her identity. She took something that had been used to hurt her and used it to showcase her new image. This is clever not only because she repurposes the insult, but also because snakes are cunning symbols of powerand danger, which seem to be qualities of her new “reputation.”

While some argue that Swift’s career went to pieces when transformed her previous image, she jumpstarted herself into a new stardom, one which she will be remembered for years after her career ends. Through Swift’s manipulation of reputation and her use of symbolism, satire and allusion, she has effectively changed what she wants people to think of her, adding a new rhetorical music video to her collection. This particular video addresses the media and her celebrity feuds, showing them that their attempts to bring her down have actually built her up stronger, which explains the song’s title: “Look What You Made Me Do.” However, the next question becomes: what will her next era be about, and will she change her reputation yet again?

Works Cited

“Apple Music changes policy after Taylor Swift stand.” BBC News, BBC, 22 Jun. 2015, https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-33220189. Accessed 27 Feb. 2019.

“A timeline of Taylor Swift's feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.”Cosmopolitan,7 March 2019, https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/news/a41965/taylor-swift-kanye-west-feud-timeline/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2019.

Hoffower, Hillary. “Taylor Swift is worth more than $320 million - see her bicoastal mansions, lavish vacations, and generous gifts to fans and friends.” Business Insider, 31 Dec. 2015, https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-net-worth-spending-2018-8. Accessed 27 Feb. 2019.

Kreps, Daniel. “Kanye West Storms the VMAs Stage During Taylor Swift's Speech.” Rolling Stone, 25, June 2018. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/kanye-west-storms-the-vmas-stage-during-taylor-swifts-speech-83468/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2019.

Shenton, Z. “Taylor Swift jokes about joining Kanye West on his presidential campaign.” 5 Sept. 2015. https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/taylor-swift-receives-flowers-kanye-6385537. Accessed 27 Feb. 2019.

Swift, T. “Look What You Made Me Do.” Swift, T., 27 Aug. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tmd-ClpJxA Accessed 27 Feb. 2019 .

All Photos accessed from Swifts music video