Despite the enormous success of “Midnights,” Taylor Swift release of the music video for “Anti-Hero” drew severe condemnation from health specialists. Swift removed the divisive “Fat” section after being labelled “fatphobic” by a number of health professionals and activists.
What Does the Term “Anti-Hero” Mean?
“Midnights” has enjoyed unprecedented popularity since its debut on October 21, 2022. But the 11-time Grammy winner has also faced harsh criticism for a tune from her most recent album.
In the recut “Anti-Hero” segment, Swift stands on a scale that reads “fat” rather than her real weight. As she checks her weight, a 32-year-old woman sings, “I stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror”. Moreover, the camera switches to a reflection of herself shaking her head no.
Fat-shaming was a term used by protesters and doctors alike after the film’s release. As a result, Taylor had to delete that scene from the final version. Swift said in a tweet last week that the music video was inspired by “nightmare situations and invasive ideas.”
Taylor, has struggled with anorexia in the past. She wanted to create a photograph to show people what she went through. The film is “fatphobic” and “destructive.” She has since removed the objectionable clip from the Apple Music version of the video.
Taylor Swift: What are the critics’ thoughts?
Following the virality of this film, individuals in the health and advocacy industries accused Taylor of body shaming. “Taylor Swift’s song video, in which she stares down at the scale and sees the word ‘fat’. Said another reviewer, “is an s-tty manner of portraying her body image worries.” Shira Rosenbluth, an eating disorder specialist, tweeted, “Fat people don’t need to be informed that looking like us is everyone’s greatest fear.”
“Even if someone has an eating disorder, that is no excuse for being fat-phobic,” she added. It’s far easier to say, “I’m a fat, nasty pig today” than it is to say “I’m struggling with my body image today”. “I saw someone comment that she could’ve typed ‘not slender enough,’ and I think that would’ve been more in line with what she was trying to get through anyhow, on top of not being disrespectful,” one critic said.
“Lmfao the comment area does not pass the vibe check,” another fan tweeted. It’s normal for persons suffering from ED to feel self-conscious about their bodies, but being overweight is a medical issue, not an emotional state, when patients with ED say things such as. “Aww horrible, I feel so fat, I’m ugly,” they are expressing appropriate thoughts about their bodies.
The commenter went on to say that the film reinforces the idea that being overweight is unpleasant and undesirable. While she may have true feelings, her words and actions contribute to fatphobia. This isn’t a competition, and just because someone has an eating issue doesn’t give them the right to perpetuate the notion that being overweight is disgusting.
Taylor Swift: This debate might affect the album’s popularity
This debate appears to have had little effect on the album’s popularity. “Midnights” surpassed all previous albums in sales in a single day. As a result, in a single day, the album became the most streamed album in Spotify history.
Ten of the top twenty tracks on Apple Music and Spotify are from this album. Furthermore, it received five stars from the ‘Rolling Stones.’ It was dubbed an instant classic, putting it on course to sell over a million copies in its first week.
Taylor had a peculiar history with her followers on her most recent appearance on “The Tonight Show.” She continued one of her favourite aspects of them is their constant taunting of her. As she describes it, her “cryptic urge to figure things out” is a running gag among her fans.
Also read: Did Matthew Perry Claim That Cameron Diaz Punched Him Once?
