Three years since the release of 1989.
Taylor Swift announces her most badass era yet; Reputation.
The Video
Kickstarting the inevitable buzz with the release of her new single “Look What You Made Me Do” on Friday, follows the official music video which debuted on last night’s MTV Video Music Awards. Throughout the video, Taylor toys with symbolism of her past along with rumors the media has created.
She begins the video hauntingly rising from the dead, after the lies and damaging conversation engineered by the general public and media has killed her. She sports the dress from her “Out of the Woods” music video; her last video before the announcement of Reputation.
The videography moves to show Swift on her throne with snakes slithering under her and around the room – effortlessly playing on the idea that she embodies what it means to be a snake, or lover of betrayal. Highlighting her past with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
The first chorus echoes throughout the video. Taylor violently smashes her car into a light pole sending her bling and valuables flying. Exaggeratedly blinged out to each end with her hands gripped tightly around a Grammy, playing on the narrative that Taylor only cares about the money, the cars, and any record that will get her a Grammy.
To liven up the video, Swift proceeds to break into a streaming company. Swift is known for her ordeal that occurred with Apple Music. Making her notorious for suing various companies and robbing anyone she can get her hands on for the sake of doing it.
Within the media, her relationships have always been a part of the conversation. To counter this, Swift organizes a line of men scurrying behind her as she enters the room, comically illustrating what the media has to say about said relationships, most frequently that she had a list of men solely for the purpose of writing hit records.
Taylor’s squad has always been quite the topic of discussion. Swift counters the idea that her “squad” just follow her around like minions. She depicts herself as a dictator for a room filled with women that appear robotic.
The Next Step
Ending the video with the unexpected, Swift is pictured standing atop of her old eras and phases as an artist. You can see outfits from her old videos, tours, and periods of her life that hold notable significance. Again, signifying the death of her old self and the official rebirth with her new reputation.
Hilariously, Swift saves the last 30 seconds for a lineup of her past selves going back and forth with each other. Essentially discussing who’s the most annoying out of the group of Taylor Swifts, cleverly using quotes from her enemies and popular culture for the perfect introduction to Reputation.
Watch the video for “Look What You Made Me Do” below:
