Taylor Swift hits back at Netflix show, calls out the sexism

Ever since films and television have become mainstream, they have kept us entertained through all our good and bad days. We are often so invested in the lives of the characters the show-makers flesh out for us that we miss out on the various connotations some dialogues have. They can be highly sexist but among the other entertaining bits, we often neglect a casual remark, considering it harmless. While they may have been accepted for all these years, times are changing as the targeted gender or community refuse to comply and voice their concerns.

Ginny & Georgia, a Netflix show recently had a sharply insensitive dialogue in one of their scenes involving Taylor Swift and her personal life. It was totally uncalled for and the singer did not shy away from hitting back at the show-makers and Netflix. Here’s her tweet :

Hey Ginny & Georgia, 2010 called and it wants its lazy, deeply sexist joke back. How about we stop degrading hard working women by defining this horse shit as FuNnY. Also, @netflix after Miss Americana this outfit doesn’t look cute on you 💔 Happy Women’s History Month I guess pic.twitter.com/2X0jEOXIWp

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) March 1, 2021

This has created a furore and started a debate about the sexism prevalent in films and television. However, this isn’t the first time the diva finds herself in the midst of a controversy. Here are some of her biggest controversies over the years :

Kanye West and his music video

This is a feud one cannot get over easily. It all began in 2016 when Kim Kardashian West released audio clips of conversations between Kanye and Taylor. According to the clips, Swift approved of West’s Famous lyrics which involved her. However, Swift denied being privy to the lyrics and having accepted him referring to her as ‘that bitch’ in the song. This was only the culmination of a long-standing bitterness between them resulting from Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at MTV Music Awards in 2009.

Swift and Katy Perry  

The women used to be good friends until Katy got ‘too close’ to John Mayer who once reportedly dated Taylor Swift. After that, they had a cold war of sorts over backup dancers who allegedly shifted from Perry’s tour to Swift’s and then again back to Katy. However, the singers ended their feud maturely and let the world know so when Katy made an appearance in Taylor’s music video ‘You Need To Calm Down’ wherein they hugged each other. This song in itself was a center of controversies. It celebrated gay culture and while many appreciated it, a lot of people accused her of copying Beyonce.

Boyfriends John Mayer & Joe Jonas

Swift and John Mayer were dating from December 2009 to February 2010. They performed ‘Half of My Heart’ at the New York City Z100 Jingle Ball, which more or less confirmed their relationship. However, when they broke up, it was alleged that she had written songs regarding their breakup which Mayor regarded as cheap songwriting. Something similar happened after her split with Joe Jonas. Reportedly, Jonas broke up with Swift over a 27-second phone call. She wrote ‘Last Kiss’ and ‘Forever and Always’ in reference to her break up with Joe Jonas. She had admitted on The Ellen Show that the song ‘Forever & Always’ was a sarcastic reference to her and Joe’s relationship.

Miss Americana, that released on Netflix last year, chronicles her journey and she speaks out her heart quite candidly. She talks about the lack of love in her life and how after winning a Grammy in 2016, she felt that the most for she didn’t have anyone to call and share the news with. Here is where she opens up about boyfriend Joe Alwyn and other deep issues such as grappling with criticism and getting over the need to be constantly approved.

She has these deep conversations about body image, sexual assault as well as politics in the film. It was a huge success for the streaming service and after having this bond if a show from the same platform makes such a hurtful remark, it is bound to irk her.

It is about time we begin to call out the sexism presented as casual jokes in the garb of entertainment, not against celebrities, not against any woman. Humour doesn’t mandate sexism, period.