Not So Swiftie
Two weeks ago Friday at 5pm had my teen daughters debating the best songs on Taylor Swift's new album, Midnights. They both agreed that anti-hero was their favorite. Little did they know that the video of this song would have a not-so-hero moment (insert face-palm emoji here).
At one point of the video, Taylor stands on a scale while her devil self looks on at her side. They both look down at the scale and the word "fat" pops up on the scale instead of a number. Both Taylor and her devil self shake their heads disapprovingly at the scale read out.
34 million have viewed her video, and thankfully, some of those millions spoke up enough to have her delete the "fat" read out moment. She's still shown on the scale giving a disapproving response which I actually think is very relevant and real in today's fat phobic world. Who really steps on the scale and has that feeling of enough or worth or value? Usually the feeling for a majority of women is that you'll never be thin enough. Showing her stepping on the scale and shaking her head as an echo of the millions of women who've felt that same sort of shame or disapproval after consulting a scale regardless of their size.
It wasn't so Swiftie of her to have the original scene in the video for several reasons.
1. She's clearly promoting the belief that fat is bad and thin is good. I'll repeat that over 34 million people viewed the video before the scene was deleted. That's a lot of brains getting the reinforcement that fat is undesirable.
2. Having the word "fat" pop up on the scale when she's a straight, thin sized person is insensitive to those that actually have lived experience in a fat body. This gives the message that being in a fat body is her, and many other people's, biggest fear. I repeat, fat people do not need to feel like they're living everyone's worst nightmare.
3. Some argue that the word "fat" was showing an image of how she felt, but I want to remind you that fat is NOT a feeling. She instead could have put up a true feeling on the scale said I feel defeated, overwhelmed, mad, inadequate, frustrated, anxious. Any real feeling here would have been better!
I'm glad this scene has been deleted and also appreciate her showing that we can very often be our worst critics and worst enemy. Being aware of these voices and learning how to not let them dictate our behaviors or choices is something I talk a lot about in my upcoming book, Raising Anti-Diet Kids. I can't wait to share the full title and book with you soon!
Maybe this anti-hero moment will help bring some more awareness to the harm that fat phobia causes and that it's not ok to shame or stigmatize people in larger bodies.
