Taylor Swift brought her snake drama to British Vogue: stunning or nah?

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Well, this is certainly a coup for Edward Enninful, the recently installed editor-in-chief of British Vogue. It was widely believed that Enninful was installed because British Vogue was seeming rather dusty and homogenous, and the magazine wanted to go for a more youthful and racially diverse look. So… how does Taylor Swift really fit in with the new vision for British Vogue? She doesn’t really, but it’s still a coup. Swifty hasn’t done any print media promotion for Reputation, and so British Vogue got Taylor’s only – ?? – magazine cover. She made a conscious choice to do British Vogue rather than American Vogue or Rolling Stone or Vanity Fair. It’s also interesting because Tay’s got a thing for British boys and it would not surprise me at all if she had quietly bought a place in London, or she was thinking of buying a place. Handsome Joe is British too. Tay posted the cover on her Instagram with this message:

Thank you @edward_enninful and @mertalas for your passion, spirit, and contagious laughter on set. Mert and Marcus took these photos for @britishvogue and my album photos for reputation, and it’s been such a bonding experience working together so closely and talking so much about what we wanted to make. It’s been a while since I’ve done a magazine cover. I’m really happy my first one back was with such wonderful people.
#newvogue

[From Instagram]

That makes me think that she’ll do more magazine covers next year. She must be dying to explain her moves! That’s what I love and hate about Taylor – she wants to be like Beyonce and try this whole “dropping an album with no explanation, because there is only REPUTATION” thing, but the truth is… Tay does not have Beyonce’s willpower. Beyonce could refuse to speak on behalf of Beyonce for the rest of her days. Beyonce could merely explain her art through other art pieces forever (Beyonce explaining the music of Lemonade with the visual HBO special is the most classic example). Taylor doesn’t have the willpower to do that – she needs to explain it, make her fans understand, give people clues about which song is about which guy. That’s why she’s held listening sessions with fans and explained the songs to them, and told them to spread the word.

All of which to say, Taylor did not give British Vogue an interview. Girl is TRYING to have willpower! She wrote a poem for British Vogue but refused to sit for an interview. Enninful wrote about Swift: “Obviously she is a world-class lyricist – and has written a stunning poem just for Vogue on the timely subject of reinvention and moving on – but she also takes her duties as a role model very seriously. Taylor is acutely aware of her following and how she communicates with young women, and will never portray a character that would send the wrong message.” She’s so acutely aware of her following and how she communicates that she won’t even tell neo-Nazis that she doesn’t want their business, and when she gets called out on it, she sends unhinged legal threats to small-time bloggers.

Last thing: please enjoy this cover of Tay’s “I Did Something Bad.”

Embed from Getty Images

Cover courtesy of British Vogue, additional photo courtesy of Getty.

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76 Responses to “Taylor Swift brought her snake drama to British Vogue: stunning or nah?”

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  1. Feedmechips says:

    Please stop with the greasy wet look.

    • Westie says:

      I think she looks AMAZING. And I’m sort of indifferent to her and even i think she looks incredible.

      • A Croatian says:

        Please don’t take this as a nasty response, because I genuinly want to know – why? Because to me it’s so unflattering, but in a way that I could see someone thinking it’s amazing, and I can’t figure out why 😀

      • Jordan says:

        Her make up is on point.

      • Beth says:

        The wet, greasy hair and smudged makeup style she’s been trying, don’t look amazing too me. She looks like she forgot to remove last nights makeup, rolled out of bed and took a long walk in the rain without an umbrella. Give Taylor some facial wipes and a big bottle of shampoo

      • milla says:

        I like the cover. Her face looks ok and that red piece is fantastic. Dark lips are on point as a tricky trend. And her hair… it is her hair, right? Curly? Not perfect but better than fake extensions.

        She models better than the celeb models. That is not much but better than nothing. I hope this new era of British Vogue becomes amazing. It includes some great people. Now put back Naomi and Kate on the next cover.

      • shlockOftheNEw says:

        I like her snake drama. As a blinky eyed country girl, I’ve had a similar evolution, so I say Yes.

      • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

        Opinions vary; I think she looks like a character out of a campy horror film.

      • MI6 says:

        She looks like Frank N. Furter from the Rocky Horror Picture Show

    • Sherry says:

      Thank you! The photo is great from the shoulders down. The hair and makeup make me cringe. IMO – it is not even close to an attractive look.

    • Silent Star says:

      Admittedly, I think she is so gorgeous on this cover that it almost makes me forget that I generally dislike her.

  2. H says:

    That hair style is not attractive on her. Love the lipstick but too dark for her skin tone.

  3. Miles says:

    Why does everyone compare any female artist to Beyoncé? I don’t see anyone comparing Ed Sheerhan with Bruno Mars or Justin Bieber.

    PS that cover of her song is AMAZING.

    • PIa says:

      Exactly, Taylor with her Tumblr clues and home fan visits is the opposite of Beyonce.

    • PPP says:

      I think she’s pretty clearly trying to emulate Beyonce in her marketing approach– dropping unexpected singles, trying to bilk up anticipation. She definitely had shades of Formation in her dumb snake video. I personally think she tried to turn her bullshit poor white child beef with Kanye and Kim into Beyonce/Jay Z cheating levels of opening up/drama/introspection. So, the comparison is fair.

      To be clear, there was a time I was OK with Taylor. Her songs were catchy, I liked how calculated she was as a businessperson, I liked how she shut down her ass-grabber in court. But she’s got a racism stink on her that I can’t pretend not to smell anymore.

      • Miles says:

        When did she drop unexpected singles? She announced her album all the way back in august and she’s always released more than one song before the album.

        Literally the only comparison is Taylor decided to stop talking to the media but Taylor’s issues with the media didn’t just start when Beyoncé released Lemonade. Blank Space is literally her mocking the media and what they’d say about her.

        And Reputation barely even references Kanye/Kim but you do you, I guess. Also lets not act like Kanye or Kim are innocent either when Kim literally just posted a picture of Taylor lying naked next to Kanye….but this is a completely different subject. The bottom line is that Reputation is practically a love album with some hints of what went down while she was going through her experiences with different guys in her life.

      • Alleycat says:

        @Miles No one thinks Kanye and Kim are innocent. They can be trash and Taylor can be trash. They are not mutually exclusive. Just because Kanye was gross and an ass about that video, does not give Taylor a pass on what she did. And vice versa. I hate that mentality.

      • TaraT3 says:

        Miles, I think saying reputation barely even references Kimye is way underselling it. She references them directly, plus alludes to them and the situation.

      • Miles says:

        When did I say she never mentions them? I merely said that the album is not about Kim/Kanye which is what the original poster said it was and there are references to them but the album is not in anyway about them. Of course they’d be included because she’s talking about her supposed Reputation and Kim/Kanye will always be attached to her supposed Reputation.

        Not once did I say that Taylor doesn’t deserve criticism. My point was that people need to stop acting like Kim/Kanye are innocent and are being bullied by the white woman. All three of them are a bunch of childish people who deserve criticism. But it’s odd when you see people acting like Taylor went after Kanye/Kim as if they didn’t have a hand in what happened.

    • Squiggisbig says:

      I don’t mind her coming for Kimye. Because I always thought it was rich they called her out for being fake when they are literally the only people as fake as her. However, she literally references them in “I did a bad thing,” “look what you made me do,” “this is why we can’t have nice things,” “end game,” and “call it what you want.” You can’t listen to the album and say she barely references them.

      • Miles says:

        Shrugs

        I don’t think a line in a song here and there constitutes a comment saying Taylor thinks Reputation is her Lemonade but with Kim/Kanye instead. Like I said the album is a love album with references to them here and there. I don’t consider that an album about Kim/Kanye but okay.

    • AngieB says:

      Right? Like there’s only one way to be when you’re female and successful.

  4. Surely Wolfbeak says:

    So much for diversity.

  5. Veronica says:

    The heavy smokey eye with the deep burgundy lip is pulling her into consumptive territory, so it’s not something I’d usually like, but for an editorial look, it’s pretty interesting. (I have hooded eyes similar to hers – the smokey eye can be really overwhelming if you aren’t careful.)

    I have no idea who was in charge of the roll out for this record, but they seriously dropped the ball with the singles they chose. “Look What You Made Me Do” is one of the weakest songs on the album. “I Did Something Bad” would have been a far more powerful first single and been more in line with the image she was trying to sell. The album isn’t quite up to the level of 1989, but it’s not anywhere as bad as the initial releases would make you think.

    • Millenial says:

      I’m still amazed Getaway Car wasn’t a single. It’s one of the best songs on the record, and then she release singles that belonged in the garbage heap *cough*Gorgeous*cough*

      • anna222 says:

        Yep I like the album a lot but the singles are the ones I skip past. The whole rollout (inc the lawyers bullying a blogger thing) has been a mess.

    • Jordan says:

      I’m a fan of the makeup here. It’s very different than what she’s normally seen with. Shades of Momsen.

    • leskat says:

      My favorite song on the album is So It Goes. Gorgeous is beyond weak and her voice does her no favors on it. She kind of botched the release order!

  6. Margo S. says:

    Can’t even stand her. She seems so lost.

  7. QueenB says:

    Worlds better than her last cover which serisouly looked like she pissed someone off.

    Also you said everything about her and please can we stop to let Taylor use feminism only for her own gain?

  8. Talie says:

    Wow…that song cover! Those women are amazing.

  9. Ama says:

    That’s what my hair looks like when I get out of the shower – is that a look? I say NAH!

  10. Alleycat says:

    Ok two things: I know Taylor is trying to be edgy in her new era. I get it. But it’s just not a look that works with Taylor as a person. 1989 era looked great because you could tell she enjoyed looking nice and dressing up in these high fashion outfits. This is just try hard.

    And secondly- calling Taylor a world class lyricist? She is not. She can write a song, sure. They can be meaningful or catchy. But I just read some interviewer called her our generation’s Brian Wilson. Come on. You can compliment her and not be dramatic about it.

  11. Slowsnow says:

    It does look like she is pulling up her skirt to show her bits but her face looks amazing. Surprisingly, it works.

  12. Maria F. says:

    i am sure someone somewhere is soon tweeting pics of a gorgeous bouquet of flowers they have received from her for this shoot

  13. Beth says:

    What a gross and creepy picture! Why would someone want to look like that on purpose? Her hair looks like it needs a few bottles of shampoo

  14. MI6 says:

    “and will never portray a character that would send the wrong message.”
    So not denouncing Nazis, using men like toilet paper and bullying ex-friends and the media are all positive messages for young women. Okay, 🐍.
    One thing is true: she’s not “portraying a character.” That’s who she is.

    • Jordan says:

      ‘Using men like TP’

      It’s almost 2018, we can stop attempting to use sexuality as a way to shame a woman at any time. I’ll be reminding myself of my comment on Kim threads. Do better.

      • MI6 says:

        That’s not sexuality. That’s manipulation, and cold-hearted, straight up using of other human beings without regard for their feelings (another great message for young women). Please don’t use “feminism” as a way to excuse that.
        And it’s not just men – she uses women, too. See: “Squad.”

      • Jordan says:

        I didn’t mention feminism because I’m not looking at it that way. But I completely see your reasoning for it babe. Have a wonderful day 💕💕

      • MI6 says:

        You too 😘

      • Veronica says:

        Almost all of her boyfriends have been either the same age or older. She’s not a succubus luring innocent men into her trap. They are adult men engaging in an adult consensual relationship – and usually benefitting from a rise in profile by association. So are the women who agree to be her “friends.” There’s a decent amount of fame quid pro quo going on there, so let’s not strip them of their agency. There’s plenty of behavior worth criticizing with her, but suggesting everybody who associates with her is a victim is pretty far-fetched.

  15. Wren says:

    I liked Taylor’s music through shake it off but this latest melodrama on Reputation is just her trying too hard. Look what you made me do is a bully’s anthem. She needs to grow up.

    • DiligentDiva says:

      This! I like her music as well, I even liked her before she became so obviously a mean girl. I just wish she would grow up as well. I grew up with her and I just feel so disappointed by her,

  16. grabbyhands says:

    “Obviously she is a world-class lyricist “. Wait, what??

    • gabbie says:

      she is a good lyricist, she’s written grammy winning songs both for herself and others. she has a talent for it, so much so that ryan adams covered her entire album at one point and he is a lyrical all-star. she’ll always be around as a song writer, take or leave her music itself.

      • DiligentDiva says:

        I will say her earlier work was much better than her newer work. Right now I would consider her an okay lyricist. I mean if you listen to Red (not just the singles that appeared on the album) it’s clear she’s got talent for lyrics, 1989 has a bunch of good songs too, a lot that are so underrated as well (New Romantics and This Love come to mind) Reputation’s lyrics have been mediocre at best.
        Joe has been her worst muse, it’s weird. She does seem weirdly happy with him, but he doesn’t seem to be able to inspire her like her other boyfriends did.

      • OriginalLala says:

        She is a good pop lyricist, esp compared to some of the current pop acts. She is not a poet (have you read the amazing take down of her Reputation poems by an English Lit prof?) and she is not a great lyricist in the same league as Joni Mitchell, or Gord Downie (and others but I’m just thinking of my Canadian faves right now). She writes catchy lyrics but let’s not pretend she is some kind of lyrical genius.

    • MI6 says:

      *snort*
      Like EL James is a world-class writer.

  17. Jussie says:

    Blah. Very disappointing choice after that first gorgeous cover.

    I don’t even know what look she’s going for this era (12yr old Hot Topic fan from 2002?) but it’s not working.

    Also, her performance at the Jingle Ball was cringey. She’s trying to dance more, but she really, really can’t dance or stay on beat. All the moves were the kind of thing you’d expect to see a group of girls do at a 6th grade talent show performance.

  18. DiligentDiva says:

    The more I see Reputation era Taylor the more I miss 1989 era Taylor. Sure she was extra, sure shake it off was annoying, but she wasn’t so nasty looking. Her style then was good, it suited her body shape and coloring. I really admired her style then. This era is just nasty and gives off I’m mean. But her music still gives off the “I’m a victim”.
    I’m so disappointed in her. I’m still hoping she returns to her older roots because I honestly use to like her.

  19. 42istheanswer says:

    I am thoroughly unfamiliar with Taylor Swift’s music and/or personality. I struggle to have an opinion about her for, in spite of all my best efforts, I cannot focus on her for a long enough period of time to form one.

    However, I will say this : she cannot play the “bad girl”. She simply cannot.
    That is, of course, not to say that she is not ” bad girl” in real life. As a person, she may very well be the worst girl in the world; in her private and professional endeavours, she might, for all I know or care, be the baddest, vilest, meanest, most cunning and vicious girl in the galaxy. All of that being said, she very simply cannot carry the “bad girl” look. The sultry, self-possessed, assertive, borderline violent look that one associates with the “bad girl” archetype is not one she can wear with any degree of conviction.
    I remember watching the video for “Look What You Made Me Do” and, in my humble opinion, it was downright laughable. The growls, the thigh-high boots, the pelvic thrusts… She looked like a small child trying to be Madonna circa 1993.

    I have the exact same problem with some of Beyonce’s tracks and videos (blasphemy, I know)… When Beyonce holds a baseball bat, it is painfully obvious that she has no idea how to operate such a tool, just as it is glaringly clear that she has never been in a fight, let alone a riot. The same logic applies when she sings about how much “dirty” sex she has, be it in the back of a limo or anywhere else. I cannot help but find her thoroughly unconvincing (but then again, I am French and grew up listening to Gainsbourg so my standards in relation to “sex in music” may be odd).

    It is what I call the Michael Jackson’s “Bad” problem. Michael Jackson may have, indeed, been “bad” in real life. Hell, he may even have been a criminal. But he never was “I hang around with my gang in the subway and mug passers-by” bad. His physique, his voice, his style… None of that could sell this particular narrative. And it becomes just funny.

    • DiligentDiva says:

      True, she can’t pull this off. The reason why the shake if off music video worked so well, is because that’s what she can pull off.

  20. Nicole says:

    This…is not a good look. Who told her this was a good look?

  21. Lizzie says:

    my evergreen taylor swift comment is about that hair. her mop is a bigger disaster than malibu

  22. Miss Grace Jones says:

    I feel like there were so many more interesting things to cover Vogue during the Enningful transition considering Naomj calling out Alexandra Shulman and the vogue comittee’s general racism towards him. Shulman’s Guardian interview is basically her getting called out for her lying about how many women of color she had on the cover during her tenure. Spoiler alert: she vaguely brings up Naomi in her defense, gets the cover dates wrong and made the typical ‘oh nobody would know these models that the cover itself would make famous’ excuse. That and the Azzedine Alaïa passing would have been great coverage compared to Snake Swift and her boring ass cover. The Pirelli calender with the all black cast and Alice in Wonderland theme I think also by Enningful was also great.

    • teacakes says:

      The comments section of that Shulman interview was something else – pages upon pages of her getting dragged as a half-assed liar, and dragged hard.

      I particularly loved the ones that listed all the no-name unknown-to-public white models she’d been putting on the cover for the last decade, when fashion people go in, no follicles are spared.

  23. Nancy says:

    The last pic, with her performing on stage, made me laugh. She has her old hair, the early days Taylor hair, and the plaid blouse, a middle schooler would wear to the winter gala with a frilly skirt, and last and probably least, the granny shorts, you know the ones you would weed in, pulling the weeds, not smoking weed….lol. I feel bad for her sorta, no matter how much black lipstick she wears and growl faces she poses in, she’s still Jenny from the block, I mean Taylor from Reading, PA.

  24. Miss V says:

    That might be the worst hairstyle ever. But I actually like the dark makeup and her styling. I appreciate that she isn’t trying to be sexy… because she is not.

  25. KBeth says:

    She still looks like a 16 year old playing dress up.

  26. Chisey says:

    I really don’t like this era. From the minute the Reputation album cover was revealed I thought, oh this isn’t going to work. This is also my least favorite album. I really enjoyed Better Man (the country song she wrote for Little Big Town and won a CMA for), so she can still do all the stuff that I liked in the first place, she just isn’t interested in it. I don’t think pop star is the best look for her. She’s not a good dancer, and it used to be something that made her relatable and endearing because she would have this attitude of ‘I know I look dorky but I’m having fun so who cares!’ Now that she’s dancing seriously I don’t like it at all. She wants to be a villain for one album, but can’t commit enough to pull it off. And the rapping just…please don’t. She looks pretty, of course she does, and I appreciate that she always wants to challenge herself, but I really wish she’d go back to doing more country, even if it’s for other people.

  27. poop says:

    She looks more-or-less like her final scene in LAWYMMD video (dance scene). Except with dark lipstick.

  28. JA says:

    “She refused to sit down for an interview but instead provided a poem that is filled with such eloquence that ONLY Taylor could write and as she understands what a major role model she is, will continue to stand for all that is good”***except you know standing up against Nazis and White Supremacists because they have money too & bow down to her throne*** Jesus I forget how easily magazines get down on their knees when a big celebrity agrees to be on a cover!

  29. Betsy says:

    She looks fine.

    But that dress makes her look like she has comically large bazooms. Like literally from some old 1950s fishwife cartoon.

  30. zuzusgirl says:

    She’s one of the people, much like Paltrow, that comes across as very asexual. All the parts are there but there’s no sensuality.

  31. Case says:

    I like the vampire look on her. When she’s too goody-goody, people say she should embrace her true colors. When she embraces her true colors and goes darker, people criticize for that, too. Whatever. I like that she’s taking a colder, less personal approach to this album. She’s not a 15-year-old’s BFF, she’s on the same level of fame as Beyonce and Gaga. Time to own it.

  32. Grace says:

    This is not a good look on her.

  33. Shannon says:

    I don’t get the Beyonce/Taylor comparisons. I like both, probably Beyonce a bit more if I had to choose. But I really don’t see many similarities other than that they’re both female pop artists with a pretty rabid fan base.

  34. Lilith says:

    Nah.

  35. loveotterly says:

    I don’t think we can chalk Beyonce’s silence up to willpower. Have you ever heard her try to speak? Yikes.

  36. SM says:

    Ugh. Someone took all that snake talk too literally

  37. virginfangirl says:

    I think her arms/back have been photo shopped. Look at her photos in a dress showing her arms/back from her friends wedding a couple months back and she doesn’t look nearly as good. Disappointing that she went for that.

  38. I Choose Me says:

    That cover! I knew who Cynthia Erivo was and stan for her hard but I had no idea who Shoshana is. All I know is their combination of talent has got me shook as they say on the interwebs.