Stop shaming in 2021? Taylor does not think.
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Back in 2016, when Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Taylor Swift took part in Vogue’s 73-question video series, one of the questions she was asked was what she wanted the first thing she knew when she was 19. Swift replied that she told herself that although she would go out “like a normal twenty something should be allowed”, she “would become a national lightning rod for slut scanning.”
That was clear when Swift finished the endless series of jokes about how many boyfriends she had – a number you could count on one hand. It’s surprising that five years later she’s not so fond of the same jokes anymore. Actually, she looks very tired to them.
Swift on Monday called out Netflix and its new drama series Ginny & Georgia in a tweet for a punchline about her in which one character says to another, “You go through men faster than Taylor Swift.” Swift, who has been in a steady and committed relationship for years now, called the joke ‘lazy’ and ‘deeply sexist’.
Hey Ginny & Georgia, 2010 and he wants to give back his lazy, deeply sexist joke. How about we stop humiliating hardworking women by defining this horse shit as FuNnY? Also, @netflix to Miss Americana this outfit does not look cute to you 💔 Happy Women’s History Month I think pic.twitter.com/2X0jEOXIWp
Taylor Swift (@ taylorswift13) March 1, 2021
She also seemed indignant about Netflix, which is both of her home Reputation Stadium Tour Film and her documentary Miss Americana, who presents the star in her most candid and vulnerable way, would be right to broadcast such a joke at her expense.
This is not the first time Swift has spoken out against streaming services offering its content. She has previously had a long-running battle with Spotify, in which she advocated that artists should be better compensated for their music – something she carried with her into her new record deal. Recognizing its influence, Apple Music decided not to pay artists whose music was streamed during the three-month free trial.
Prior to Swift’s tweet Monday, the phrase “RESPECT TAYLOR SWIFT” waved on Twitter all morning in the UK and United States, with fans pointing to the long history of misogyny that Swift has endured over her romantic choice. Swift, it turns out, agrees with fans’ interpretation of the joke. “How about we stop humiliating hard-working women by defining this horse shit as FuNnY,” she said, pointing out that the irony of March is Women’s History Month.
Netflix did not immediately respond to Swift’s response to CNET’s request for comment.