Critics want Taylor Swift to change a scene in her music video because it's fatphobia.
Swift was shown on a scale with the word fat on it.
Swift admitted to having body- image issues in the past, but some say it's offensive.
Activists and health professionals are calling on Taylor Swift to change a scene in the music video for her new song "Anti-Hero" because it's fatphobia and damaging to people with eating disorders.
The video was released on October 21.
The clip shows Swift standing on a scale with the word "fat" in front of her as she sings "I stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror." The camera pans to Swift as she looks at a different version of herself.
Swift said that the video represented her "nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts" on the day it was released.
The song references Swift's "insecurities and self-loathing," and the scene featuring a scale appears to be part of her anxiety about her weight.
Critics argue that her use of the word "fat" is harmful while others defend her right to say what she wants.
The scene was called out by a social worker who identifies as "fat positive" in one of the most popular threads on the internet.
Taylor Swift's music video where she looks down at the scale where it says "fat" is a bad example of her body image struggles. She wrote on October 21 that fat people don't need to be reminded that it's everyone's worst nightmare to look like them.
Having an eating disorder does not excuse fatphobia. It's easy to say "I'm struggling with my body image today" instead of "I'm a fat pig."
The scene reiterates the negative connotations of the word "fat", which have historically led to the discrimination of people who live in larger bodies, according to several people.
There are many videos on TikTok with similar concerns that have gotten hundreds of thousands of views.
Taylor says the scale saying she is fat is incredibly damaging to actual fat people and that's what her worst nightmare is. She said she felt terrible when her body felt the way it was. She is sending a bad message to her fans in bigger bodies.
Swift's representatives did not reply to Insider's request.
Swift talked in the 2020 documentary "Miss Americana" about how she was triggered to "just starve a little bit" after seeing pictures of herself.
She told Variety in 2020 that her relationship with food was the same psychology that she applied to everything else in her life. I would register the punishment as bad if I were given it.
During her tour for "Reputation", Swift had issues with under-eating.
Some argue that it's damaging to suggest that Swift shouldn't be able to talk about her body image.
If you think people with an eating disorder should not talk about it, you're facilitating the idea that people shouldn't talk about it.
Serena Nangia of Project Heal, a nonprofit that advocates equitable treatment access for eating disorders, told Insider she's not surprised that Swift's fear of being perceived as fat would be displayed in a song.
Nangia stressed how important it is for people with experience of eating disorders to be able to express their feelings. She said it's important that thin people in conversations about fatphobia hold an awareness of the impact they have when depicting common struggles over fears of gaining weight.
Swift has been urged to apologize by many fans who compared her to Lizzo and Bey.
She doesn't blame Swift for the imagery, but she hopes she will listen to feedback from the eating disorder and fat communities and change the video.
Check out the coverage from the Digital Culture team here.
You can read the original article.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
