Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero MV was labeled “fatphobic” by the Internet
Where do we draw the line from something being a phobia, to just someone sharing their experience or preference?
Trigger Warning: Mentions an eating disorder
Taylor Swift is not new to receiving criticism from the Internet. Her latest one was a scene on her new ‘Anti-Hero’ music video, where she steps on a weighing scale that reads ‘fat’. Because of the scene being called out by the Internet as “fatphobic” or “fat shaming”, it has since then been edited out of the video on Apple Music. Apart from receiving criticism, Taylor is also not new to knowing how to respond to comments about her in the best way possible.
It’s great that Taylor did listen. But what was her intention with the scene?
In her 2020 Netflix documentary ‘Miss Americana’, Taylor opened up about struggling with an eating disorder in the past. That experience was something she had a hard time sharing with others and was not proud of it in any way. She stated that she would just stop eating and starve herself when she used to see photos of herself looking like she was pregnant.
Taylor said in an Instagram post promoting the ‘Anti-Hero’ MV, which she wrote and directed, was about her nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts playing out in real-time. It could be possible that the bathroom weighing scene was intended to show Taylor’s own struggles and was not meant to be the “anti-fat” stance that the Internet had labeled it to be.
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When is something a “phobia”, then?
We obviously could not speak for everyone and we definitely will not invalidate what other people feel. At the end of the day, the intention is still what dictates everything.
Taylor’s fans, who have been with Taylor for years, know of her intent in the music video. It was about her personal experience and not shaming others for their bodies. That might not be the case for others who were obviously taken aback by the scene.
Luckily, Taylor is an artist that is aware and takes responsibility hence the scene being edited out. The Internet says she can continue to get her point across without having to splatter the word “fat” blatantly and in the process, contribute to connoting the word “fat” negatively.
However, it is also not a new occurrence where the Internet learns a word and takes it out of context.
Fatphobia, fat shaming, fetishizing and a lot more really do happen and no one can really deny that reality. But, there is a certain responsibility to distinguish when someone means to be insulting, versus sharing their own experience.
The post <b> Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero MV was labeled “fatphobic” by the Internet </b> appeared first on WE THE PVBLIC.
Source: we the pvblic
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