“Why you gotta be so mean?”
In this week’s episode of AP Taylor Swift, we put “Mean” (Speak Now), “nothing new” (Red, Taylor’s Version), and “mirrorball” (folklore) under the lens of feminist literary theory. We talk about the male gaze, the ingenue, gendered violence imagery, the punishment of “unlikeable” women, and why a song written over a decade ago can still feel like it was written yesterday.
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Mentioned in this episode
Episode Highlights
[00:23] Welcome to the Show & Tell — Women’s History Month and a primer on feminist literary theory
[04:59] “Mean” (Speak Now) — gendered weapon imagery and “you, with your words like knives and swords”
[20:37] “nothing new” (Red, Taylor’s Version) — false empowerment and “girls go out and have your fun”
[37:32] “mirrorball” (folklore) — adapting yourself for others’ approval
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This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.
