Taylor Swift, one of the biggest names in pop culture was accused of being racist all because of her music video
Shake it Off. There is major debate over the topic- some find offense while others think the whole thing is straight up blown out of proportion. The Washington Post published an article of Swift's mishap and weigh out both sides of the problem. The article states that there's been an "ongoing and interesting debate about white pop stars (Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, etc.) and whether they've misappropriated black culture in their music videos" (Washington Post). Is it appropriate for white pop stars to have fun and dress up in their music videos, or is it taking it too far when they decide to French braid their hair and wear big hoops? Is it reverse racism and / or a little harsh for these white pop stars to be considered racist? Taylor Swift is definitely not the only white female to be seeing doing this in her music videos, so who is to blame? These are deep questions and sometimes can never be answered. It is hard to decide who is right or wrong, or if there is even an issue here at all.
The Washington Post article along with the video are listed below in this post. I would really like to see people's comments and opinions on this topic!
"Is Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’ Music Video Offensive? That’s What People Say, Mmm Mmm." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 02 May 2016.
TaylorSwiftVEVO. "Taylor Swift - Shake It Off." YouTube. YouTube, 18 Aug. 2014. Web. 02 May 2016.
I can definitely see where viewers are getting the idea that Taylor Swift is being racist in her music video. Why is it that when she switches between outfits, it seems like she is also switching between races and the associated stereotypes? I do not think it is appropriate for her to categorize races in such a manner. This is not Taylor Swift's only racist act in pop culture. One of her newer music videos, Wildest Dreams, is filmed in an African safari, but she does not have any African Americans in her music video. There was a lot of controversy over this music video as well, which added to the belief that she is, as a matter of fact, appearing to be racist.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure that "racist" is the right word. I do think, however, that she is exploiting "black youth culture" for her own gain. The dangerous aspects of this exploitation, besides the fact that exploitation is wrong, is that it reinforces racial stereotypes, especially among younger viewers of her videos. Here we must wonder about intent and effect. One wonders what her intent was but we can be certain that one effect will be the reinforcement of stereotypes.
DeleteI wouldn't say that Taylor Swift's video is necessarily "racist." I agree with Professor that she is exploiting "black youth culture" by including the scene with the ripped short, large hooped earrings, chains, and cheetah printed jacket. In doing so, she is reinforcing racial stereotypes, but I think it is unfair to classify her as "racist" without knowing the intention. Interestingly though is the incorporation of another stereotype that is often overlooked in the scene with the ballerinas. In this clip, all of the ballerinas are tall, white, and slender.
DeleteWe have to be careful to pay attention to effect. We don't and probably can't know her intent or the intention of the images in the video. We do have knowledge about the effect--here we are wondering if it is racist (that is an effect). We also know that it reinforce stereotypes--that is also an effect. Guess we have to decide if those effects are powerful enough to classify this video as damaging, regardless of her intent
DeleteIt is very hard to understand why people think that Taylor Swifts video is seen as racist. I think that she is having fun with everything. The issue is that people think that because someone wears something or does something, it belongs to that certain race. That is the issue that will haunt stereotypes. If people could be free to act and dress how they want, they should not be judged. I think Swift's video is being over-analyzed.
ReplyDeleteI think Hollywood has a terrible problem with appropriating black culture. There's no denying she generalized all of the ballerinas to be white and the twerking girls to be black or Latina. The evidence is the video itself. Most of the different dances are made up of predominantly a single race. While she is trying to highlight the fact that she's a bad dance and just 'having fun,' I think there's a way to do this in a tasteful manner. Even by equally representing different races throughout the video and not generalizing them. Imagine what the video would be like without Taylor Swift in it. There would be black girls twerking, white girls doing ballet, and Asian people dancing in a techno style. They are absolutely all categorized based off of stereotypes and that's where Taylor Swift went wrong.
ReplyDeleteI think Hollywood has a terrible problem with appropriating black culture. There's no denying she generalized all of the ballerinas to be white and the twerking girls to be black or Latina. The evidence is the video itself. Most of the different dances are made up of predominantly a single race. While she is trying to highlight the fact that she's a bad dance and just 'having fun,' I think there's a way to do this in a tasteful manner. Even by equally representing different races throughout the video and not generalizing them. Imagine what the video would be like without Taylor Swift in it. There would be black girls twerking, white girls doing ballet, and Asian people dancing in a techno style. They are absolutely all categorized based off of stereotypes and that's where Taylor Swift went wrong.
ReplyDelete