Outraged Director Calls Out Gender Double Standards in Taylor Swift Music Video
Joseph Khan, the director of Taylor Swift’s record-breaking music video for Look What You Made Me Do, recently took to Twitter to express his frustration with gender double standards in the music industry. The 44-year-old director argued that if he, as a man, had come up with the concept for the video, he would have been hailed a ‘genius.’ However, Taylor Swift, as a woman, has been labeled ‘manipulative’ following the unveiling of the video at the MTV Video Music Awards.
The video, from Taylor’s upcoming album Reputation, garnered a record-breaking 43.2 million views in just 24 hours after its debut at the awards show. In the video, Taylor makes references to her career, exes Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston, as well as frenemies Katy Perry, Kanye West, and Kim Kardashian.
Despite some unfavorable comparisons to BeyoncĂ©’s video for Formation, Joseph Khan defended Taylor against those claims and emphasized that the video is not in the same artistic space as BeyoncĂ©’s work. He also highlighted his past collaborations with BeyoncĂ©, praising her as an amazing person.
In the video, Taylor takes a satirical approach to address her reputation as a serial monogamist, a heartless publicity hound, and a good girl. Hidden messages throughout the video make references to various aspects of Taylor’s life, including her past relationships and public feuds.
One striking moment in the video shows a zombie version of Taylor emerging from a grave, with the tombstone next to hers bearing the pseudonym she used for a song she wrote for Calvin Harris. Another message quotes Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, hinting at betrayal.
Taylor also addresses her sexual assault case by including a strategically placed dollar bill in a bathtub filled with jewels. The amount on the dollar bill represents the sum she won in the case. The video also nods to Taylor’s short-lived romance with Tom Hiddleston and Katy Perry, featuring dancers wearing ‘I heart TS’ across their chests.
Overall, the video received a mixed reception from Taylor’s fanbase, with some praising it as ‘brilliant’ while others expressed nostalgia for the ‘old Taylor.’ Regardless of the varying opinions, Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do video continues to spark discussions about gender double standards, artistic expression, and the complexities of celebrity life.
