Looking at Taylor Swift’s Music Through a Feminist Lens | AP Taylor Swift

“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.   Two ways to get more of AP Taylor Swift: Substack: free subscribers get episode updates. Paid subscribers get After School: bonus episodes, our full written archive, and a vote in what we cover next. Subscribe: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe First 50 people to grab a Substack After School annual plan get 40% off: aptaylorswift.substack.com/wishlistmemberdiscount Apple Podcasts: paid subscribers get ad-free episodes, early episode access, and bonus episodes.   Mentioned in this episode Middlemarch, George Eliot Unlikeable Female Characters: The Women Pop Culture Wants You to Hate, Anna Bogutskaya The Robber Bride, Margaret Atwood Mean Girls (2004) Grease (1978) It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World, Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film, San Diego State University   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 Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social! TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift YouTube → youtube.com/@APTaylorSwift Link Tree → linktr.ee/aptaylorswift Bookshop.org → bookshop.org/shop/apts Libro.fm (code: APTS30) → tinyurl.com/aptslibro   Contact us at [email protected] 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.