In Taylor Swift’s new music video and single, she takes on her bullies and critics. I think she’s also trying to draw a parallel between her own critics and the larger issue of bullying in our society. I guess it’s kind of effective…? I mean, the song is called “Mean” and the lyric is (hand to God): “Some day I‘ll be living in an ol‘ big city/ And you‘re ever gonna be is MEAN.” Mean? Not to criticize Swifty (SO MEAN), but is that it?
I suppose there are parts of this that will resonate with younger girls. Like, honest-to-God children who are hopefully Swifty’s target audience. The message seems to be… well, the same as the “It gets better” campaign. It also strikes me that this is Swifty’s take on Gaga’s “Born This Way”. Basically, the message is: be proud of what you are and what you do, and tough it out when it gets rough, keeping in mind that the d-bags that are taunting you today will be living in squalor a decade from now. The problem, of course, is that none of that is always or usually the case. Sometimes the d-bags win. Sometimes the bully gets the corner office. And sometimes critics are just doing their damn job, and are even (gasp) right.
Can I just say something, or will I be accused of being a big old meanie-pants? I laughed at loud at the sight of Swifty strumming on the banjo. I had a flash to Deliverance, I swear to God. I’M SO MEAN. Since I’m already going to banjo hell, I’ll also say that I still think Swifty looks “off”. Like, Fatal Attraction “off”. Her little head tilts and the way she stares down the camera… it creeps me out. Someday Swifty is going to take her revenge on all of those dudes who dumped her over the phone. And it won’t be with some banjo strummin’. It will involve a syringe and a wood-chipper.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
So.. the message is that someday I’ll be as mean to and about you as you were to me. OK, so much for rising above it.
“And sometimes critics are just doing their damn job, and are even (gasp) right.” EXACTLY. I hate how when people point out things that are wrong they are automatically labelled bullies – how do you grow if you think you are perfect already?? *HELLO I’M A BULLY AND PROUD OF IT, DUH. I’M PERFECT THIS WAY AND DON’T NEED TO CHANGE!* seriously, every single person has things to improve about themselves. time to learn how to take criticism, people.
If it is constructive. But we probably already know our fails, and if we know our fails it only hurts when other pointing them out.
Instead of finding 100 fails another person have, find one of your own fails, and do something about it.
And if someone criticizes ex. your singing, or your look its substantive, not objective. And then it isn’t the truth.
And I will apologies for my English.
I’m not a musician but I hate how Taylor plays the banjo. Obviously she doesn’t know how to play it since she strums it like a guitar. As nice as Taylor is, I just wish she would grow-up. It’s really hard to believe she’s 21. There is a happy medium between Taylor Momsen and Rebecca Black.
Her makeup looks too harsh on her. What’s with the eyebrows? I have arched eyebrows too but I don’t have shifty look on my face. Plus they make her eyes look as if she is squinting all the time. Drop the red lipstick please!
I need to have my own bias rant…
Well let me be mean for a moment by pointing out the obvious… every female Disney star/ex-star that is a current f*ck up.
Lohan, Christina, Britney, Miley, those girls from the High School musical stuff… plus Demi L. who just got out of rehab.
So what, if Taylor is a little naive and country. I refuse to pick on a girl who has decided not to flash her business every time she steps out of a car.
Or hits up the clubs underage… and tattoo up. Or dating someone like that douchebag extraordinaire Wilmer V.
Taylor is harmless. She is managing to make her own income, without a sex tape. Or demeaning her whole family life by doing some “reality TV” show. Or buying new body parts at the doctor office.
Now if Taylor suddenly shows up with a new ass implant. Then she deserves to be mocked. But till then… I will never understand the nasty backlash she is getting handed. For just being a goofy girl.
“It will involve a syringe and a wood-chipper.”
Ahahahahahah!!
Exactly…that’s the vibe I get from her too: be careful, very careful not to wrong her in any possible way…
“I laughed at loud at the sight of Swifty strumming on the banjo”
The most annoying part of this video is her damn banjo playing! It’s strung and played like a six string guitar; she doesn’t even hold the thing properly. It’s practically hanging around her ankles.
Eh, being mean is different from being a bully. I actually liked the song. It’s simple, but it gets the point across. As a victim of constant, horrific bullying, I really appreciate the song. I don’t particularly like Swifty, but I like the message.
I dont even know what she sings, or what she sounds like- btu I do feel like pointing out a contradictory tendency I see.
People cant seem to be pleased either way, and also seem to love creating and revelling in mess.
By that I mean, we throw millions and billions into the ‘Jershey-Shore-Esque’ demise of our own entertainment and culture, yet ridicule and scoff at things cleaner or better than it at the exact same time.
Its not like we are happier for the sh!t that is todays music and television and films, or that we would like Taylor more if she turned into the next Gaga or Lohan. So why be so impossible to please— her music aside, cos I have no clue who she is– I am just making a barely relevant observation.
People seem to really revel in misery and love creating and propogating it somehow. And then they complain of how awful things have become.
Wait….so she could just remove the ropes from her wrists and ankles and get up from the train tracks at any time? Why the hell would you stay sitting on the train tracks with a train coming?!?!
Or in other words I agree with Hautie 🙂
She is such a hipocrite. She talks about other people picking on her and being mean, but she’s naming names in her music, making fun of exboyfriends, their new girlfriends… she’s mean too.
And she’s not going to be in a big city one day, she’s already there, still being a victem. Why isn’t there some strong female out there that tells girls to just ignore the bitches and move on? She’s a 21 year old high school kid, just like the RHOinsertcityhere crew are 50 year old high school kids. You will have to deal with mean and bullying your whole life, just be bigger and better than that. She’s not talking about the harassment that some gay teens (and straight teens, adults, kids, what have you) are going through, she’s talking about petty high school bs.
GROW UP, SWIFT.
I don’t get the hate for this girl. So we hate her because she’s nice and consistently PG? And makes songs that are good for young girls? OMG call the parents association.
“And makes songs that are good for young girls?”
@Mara I’m not as convinced Taylor’s songs are “good for young girls”. She promotes a really self-centered and male-dependent view of love and she also promotes the idea that it’s cool to publicly insult anybody who broke up with you as if your truth is the only truth. In her own little way she’s hacking away at the idea of civility.
@Hautie My standards are higher than Lohan/Christina/Miley/the Disney girls and I think it’s faint praise to congratulate Taylor for not being like them. I prefer my stars not to get involved in PR showmances too and Taylor is undeniably guilty of that. There are talented stars out there who behave well and aren’t staging relationships for the cameras and I reserve my praise for them.
Cosign with gee & flutters – This girl’s super-sweet image is just that, AN IMAGE. And I don’t buy it, personally.
@Mara
the hate is her PRing her “relationship”. Airing her dirt on her albums and now promoting not being mean when she does the same thing with her songs about her exes.
she can’t call wolf everytime and not expect us to call her out on it. Also, there are a ton of other TALENTED and pg-13 singers if thats what you like to call them.
@Flutters, you hit the nail right on the head as per usual. It’s the whole morally superior attitude she gives off whilst at the same time displaying a vindictive side to her personality which shows up in many of her songs. Someone is “mean” to her so she retaliates by being spiteful in return.
Kaiser, I am going to banjo hell right along with you! LMAO!
I’m with you, Hautie. I don’t get the hate on Taylor Swift. I don’t get the accusations of her good girl image just being smoke and mirrors, like behind the scenes she’s boozing it up in the clubs and is heading for rehab next week. I don’t get comparisons to other artists, even her peers. I’m pretty sure Adele’s fanbase looks a lot different than Taylor Swift’s. They each have very different styles and it resonates with different people. Doesn’t make one better or worse than the other. Just makes them different.
Now, as much as I love Taylor, I really can’t defend her look at the Met. Horrible. The red lipstick has to go, the mascara needs to be about 3 pounds lighter and those pale colors she favors really wash her out. So there, you see? I’m capable of delivering criticism without belittling her.
Cosigning Hautie . . . I don’t get the Swifty hate. We don’t all mature at the same rate, and who cares if she isn’t some worldly, manslinging sophisticate at her age? Who cares if she still wears rose colored glasses? Let the girl live her life and progress as she was meant to.
No hate here.
I think Swifty defenders are missing the point…
The negativity against Swifty isn’t because she’s sweet and goofy and the public likes to tarnish everything clean and good.
It’s because she’s mediocre, bordering on untalented.
The song? Perfectly serviceable. That’s it. Yes bullying sucks, but she doesn’t say anything interesting or profound or new. And frankly, she looks intensely uncomfortable moving or dancing. She’s awkward and not very deep and inoffensive. Her lyrics are simple and sound kind of bratty. So no, she’s not a bad person, but she is certainly not anything special.
Which is precisely the problem. She has been designated a megastar, a voice for the people, without deserving it. If she were a normal girl we would all like her I am sure, but she does not have the talent to be as big as she’s become.
She’s not special, she’s not a star, she’s a middling performer with nothing interesting to say. But Lord, she says a lot of stupid nonsense about random people that just make her look petulant. And that makes her annoying.
@Gee I don’t agree that she’s being a hypocrite…sometimes you do have to grow-up before you can “talk back” to those who have hurt you. I’ve stood up for myself more since I’ve had children than I ever had before I had them. Maybe Taylor feels insulated enough or “loved” enough or approved of to the point she can tell the people who are assholes to her, “hey, I think you’re an asshole”.
We leave our comments here everyday for the world to see. Why can’t she leave her comments for the world to hear?
I really like taylor swift. I think the “mean is uncool” message has potential to be really effective.
I love that dress on her.
@Hautie
Yeah, she’s naive all right. Screwing with John Mayer naive. And then writing a song about how he had sex with her and ditched her.
What a great message. Really speaks to how great of a role model she is. Better to sing about getting your biscuits touched than show them off, right?
I think Swifty haters are exaggerating the point. Nowhere have I ever seen anyone say Taylor Swift has the most amazing voice, or that she writes the most sophisticated songs, or she has the voice of a generation. She’s none of those things but she’s HUGELY popular. The songs she writes may be simplistic and self absorbed but it’s relatable to her audience and that is why she sells millions of records. I’m the mother of a young daughter and considering the alteratives, I’d much rather she look up to Taylor Swift.
again, pointing fingers at the “meanies” whilst writing lyrics like “she’s better known for the things she does on the mattress” is a bit obnoxious. You can’t be a mean girl in your songs and then complain about the mean girls in your songs.
ugh. her talking along to music in run on sentences…just is not music.
I think at this point Taylor Swift could save the world and still be picked apart.
Because of Taylor’s sudden and huge success it was inenvitable it would be quickly followed by a barrage of criticism. Hopefully she doesn’t unravel down the line. She needs to disappear for a while and come down to earth.
This website is truly for all the BITTER and unhappy bitches who sit behind their computer and talk trash.
You’ll pick apart everything this young lady does and twist it just for your amusement. HOW FUN! Hell, sure you can criticize and she’s said it in the past that she accepts that not everyone is going to like her or her music but this song was written for someone who crossed the line over and over again who went beyond just giving professional or constructive criticism… in short he hated her guts.
I’m a multi-instrumentalist and a Dad who happens to enjoy her music, WOE to me! My daughter and I sing along to this song on the radio all the time. I guess some people will always overanalyze things. It is the simplistic and yet relatable lyrics that can be used in various scenarios for many people YOUNG AND OLD alike. If her music can help one person deal with something, I say mission accomplished!
EXCUSE ME… but haven’t y’all ever heard of an effin GANJO before!!? I think she looks adorable, I liked the vid. Kudos to Taylor for staying true to herself and being such a great role model. I guess the highlight of some of y’all day is to judge others like you know them personally.
Fussing again… BINKY time!!
I’m not a big fan, but I’d rather T.S. fight back against critics than shrivel in a heap. That’s a better example for girls to see. I’ve been horrified a couple times by her live performances on awards shows but still …it’s nice how much fun she has and that she doesn’t let her flaws keep her from anything – she focuses on her strengths which are song writing. People like to be encouraged,and she is encouraging kids with this song. I think the video is really cute and the song makes you feel good. She has enough gumption to stick around a long time and as a song writer she will definitely be around forever,as her abilities will only improve (unlike girls who rely on mainly their looks, which will fade).
Geez Michael… who pooped on your poptart today?
I get that you guys think she’s immature and boring, but I like Swifty. At least musically. Her songs are simple and to the point. Her voice is really clear and sweet, and sometimes(not so much in this song) she words things really well. I enjoy listening to her and am not too irritated by her personal life. Someday she’ll regret naming names and being so naive when it comes to dating in HW. I don’t fully understand the hate. Is it b/c the Jake thing looked like a showmance? or b/c she called John Mayer out for being a d-bag? Everyone already knew JM was a d*ck.
I agree with Hautie in saying that she’s pretty harmless. I don’t dislike her because I’d rather she be slutty (IS she slutty, though? Question of the day…), I dislike her because she’s got this whole innocent thing she tries really hard to push. I can be glad that little girls would rather listen to her music about unicorns than listen to something that encourages them to be an easy lay or go out and do drugs. But swift herself isn’t a little girl anymore. At the age of 21 she’s certainly not a seasoned adult, but I’d hope that as a musician you’d want to be maturing rather than continuing in the pwetty pwetty pwincess phase. I never liked her music simply because it’s so damn juvenile. But I started to really dislike her as she wrote these “poor little picked on me” songs about who she’s dated. Girl, you dated Joe Jonas, Jake G. (gay?) and John Meyer. It’s your prerogative, but you can’t say you didn’t know they weren’t your frog prince. Come on.
I WILL say this: I love love love and COVET that dress.
@Willow, While I definitely do think she is a hypocrite, I have to agree with your point: some (not all) assholes do need to be called out. For that, she can have some credit, but only for that and maybe some pretty dresses. In my opinion, the rest of her is useless.
@Michael,If you don’t like it here, why are you here?
“This website is truly for all the BITTER and unhappy bitches who sit behind their computer and talk trash … I guess the highlight of some of y’all day is to judge others like you know them personally.”
Sorry Michael but I respectfully disagree. I think I can safely speak for the majority when I say that we are neither bitter nor unhappy bitches, just people who are entitled to express our opinions (positive and negative) on celeb culture, that is kind of the whole point of these websites. None of us who comment do so as though we know her personally; our opinions are subjective, based on an image perpetuated by Swifty Inc. and the media at large. I appreciate you have a very different opinion of Taylor however, by peppering your comment with diatribes like the above makes you look kind of butt hurt. It also reminds me of a song I know:
“And I can see you years from now in a bar,
Talking over a football game,
With that same big loud opinion but,
Nobody’s listening,
Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things,
Drunk and grumbling on about how I can’t sing.”
@Nicky
LMAO! Hehehehe
Sign on ineedanap and franny – she’s not just a hypocrite but a phony; Have you heard her attempt to sing live without enhancements she can’t; she’s wholly a corporate media creation and but for the endless marketing and vids would be unknown. Beneath that golly gee innocent demeanor she and her team are ruthless in pursuit of pr and dollars. WIth so many great female singers to choose from over the last 40 yrs from janis and aretha to tori amos and selena, why would anyone seriously subject their ears to this drivel?
What’s a ganjo?
This is a very…elementary…song, but so are all of her songs I suppose. However, I do like the message.
The only reason I dislike Swifty is because she has very little talent. Girl cannot sing. It’s as simple as that.
Is Michael married? I think I’m in love! I totally agree, and though usually I’m one of the bitches commenting, I go after the people who have it coming, not friggin TS. I don’t attack defenseless animals either, but some of y’all do, DAMN!
Thank you for finally pointing out WHY she wrote the song (to an overly harsh critic, ironically) and it has nothing to do with bullies, lady gaga or born this way bc she wrote it 2 years ago. When she was 19? That talentless Grammy stealing fraud!!!
love @Hautie too
@Shanny,
LOL, while proper grammar is all well and good, a gossip blog is an informal setting so correct spelling and/or punctuation is not essential when trying to get one’s point across … just sayin’.
She is the Mary Sue of song.
Yeah, it’s totally acceptable to play a 6-string banjo like a guitar… other than the fact that Dixie banjo is the only true banjo…
Just think of her as Kermit the Frog, but blonde. He played it that way too…. (except he didn’t have fingers… )
Uh… hey Kaiser, I didn’t mean to Bogart your sizzurp just now…
It’s not a bad song, but… Everything she does is just *so far* from what *should be* her maturity level. Taylor is a 21 year old woman…It’s like she stopped emotionally developing at 14. (Even her choices of words for lyrics sound childish).
It’s not like she’d have to pick one or the other, she could act her age & still make decent/PG songs that appeal to younger girls. A grown woman acting like an annoying preteen just gets old really fast.
Personally, I don’t buy it. I think it’s a carefully crafted facade. It’s irritating as hell.
Go ahead and call me a bitter bitch-I’ve never been able to stand this simpering, screeching twit. My dislike was sealed, the first time I heard her screech out “You belong to meeeeeeeee!” A fact that the s.o. is well-aware of-which why he will mockingly implore “Why you gotta be so meeeean?” It’s been pointed out time and time again that she’s mediocre at best, with her inane pop masquerading as country. Taylor isn’t the first abomination to country music and she sure won’t be the last. These days, she’s in good company. George Jones asked of the *real* country singers: “Whose gonna fill their shoes?” Nobody, as far as I can tell. Certainly not this overly hyped and sophomoric little girl.
The tweens and housewives will love this song!
Swift writes for little girls ages 7-15
The song is about a critic and about the bullying she received as a kid. Dreaming about where she’d be someday helped her get through it, and then the rest is referring to the critic who is just and old guy who thinks he knows it all.
The comments about Swifty are even more entertaining than her videos and music combined!
@ Michael, this website is called celebitchy. I seriously do not understand why people get so defensive about particular celebrities on here, for one, it’s the internet..anything goes and two, BITCHY is part of the name and that is showcased here.
To a lot of other commenter’s criticism. I agree. TS sings about boys she couldn’t get, crying on her guitar, people being mean to her, self deprecating at its finest. I wouldn’t care if my daughter liked her or her music, but I would not allow her to idolize this girl. Her popularity only increased after Kanye West (Which was completed staged for that reason alone IMO) to “humiliate” her. She got even more brownie points for Joe Jonas dumping her and even more for Jake G.
This girl would have no career if it weren’t for people being “mean” to her.
@HotPockets – “Her popularity only increased after Kanye West (Which was completed staged for that reason alone IMO) to “humiliate” her…This girl would have no career if it weren’t for people being “mean” to her.”
Re: If it weren’t for people being mean to her – ITA. I’d never really noticed it before, but you’re right.
Re: Kanye – Do you really think that was a set-up? I mean, everyone knew Kanye was a completely ass before that, but do you think he’d agree to be part of a set-up to help Taylor Swift‘s popularity? (I’d be more inclined to consider it was someone like Rihanna, or a friend/R&B/rapper, as they’d have something in common.)
Not that Kanye ever seems all that concerned about what people think of him (he’s a complete narcissist), It *really* made him look bad. Even President Obama commented, saying he was a “jackass“.
@ Hakura
Yes, I completely believe the incident at The VMA Awards with Kanye and Taylor was completely scripted and manufactured, just like Britney’s and Madonna’s kiss. There was an interesting article published about The VMAs awhile back and it concluded that the VMAs and other award ceremonies are designed to help celebrities gain more recognition, whether it be through talent or by humiliating them through staged events. Kanye was a perfect ploy because no one would put it past him to do such a thing, but he probably makes big money off of his douche-bag persona and it makes him memorable, so he doesn’t care. It was part of Swift’s initiation into the music industry and a ploy to make her have more appeal.
I think a lot of the entertainment industry is very manufactured and controlled. Some of the actors might be genuine, but most are just puppets.
What I love the most about that incident is that Katy Perry and TS are supposed to be very close friends and right after it happened Perry tweeted how horrible Kanye was, but goes on to make a single with him, “ET.”
It’s just so fake.
@HotPockets – Wow, I guess I see your point. I can’t help but wonder how many in the audience *knew* it was an act. (They did catch some pretty ‘shocked’ responses from some). I guess I especially find what you said about Katy Perry (calling Kanye ‘horrible’ for the incident, then showing up working with him on a song) convincing.
I *definitely* never thought the Britney/Madonna kiss was spontaneous. That was certainly scripted/planned ahead of time. (I’m sure Lourdes was so proud…)
Sometimes I get uppity like that one guy about the negativity on this site…then I sit back and think to myself…oh yeah, cele”bitchy,” and I think to myself, “…carry on.”
if this chick thinks she’s being bullied she should go into any chain store in america where the people are working without insurance for two dollars an hour and have to listen to her music being played over and over to them like force feeding…just saying… aybody heard of aldous huxley?