Taylor Swift‘s music video for “Anti-Hero” has been edited days after its premiere on October 21, 2022, to remove a scene which has come under criticism for being fatphobic. In the original clip, the Midnights singer steps on a bathroom scale whose dials spins to read, “Fat.” Keep reading to find out why fans have criticized the clip and what Taylor herself has said.
Why Did Taylor Swift Edit Her Music Video For ‘Anti-Hero’?
Following the release of “Anti-Hero,” which Taylor directed, fans and critics alike immediately criticized the scene in perpetuating fatphobia.
One Twitter user wrote, “Taylor Swift’s music video, where she looks down at the scale where it says “fat,” is a s–ty way to describe her body image struggles. Fat people don’t need to have it reiterated yet again that it’s everyone’s worst nightmare to look like us.”
Another user wrote, “People have been saying that they think this moment in Taylor Swift’s music video is fatphobic but … to me it very clearly seems like a critique of fatphobia. I’m so tired of people with absolutely abysmal media analysis attacking artists without using any critical thinking.”
Following the mixed reactions, the music video has since been edited to remove he controversial clip. In the new version of the video, Taylor steps on to the scale, receiving a look of disapproval from a doppelganger also played by Swift, but no reading of the “fat” scale is shown.
What Has Taylor Swift Said of Fatphobia Criticism?
While Taylor has yet to say anything about fatphobia allegations, she did describe that the music video is a representation of her “nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts” in an Instagram post upon release.
The Nashville native has spoken out about struggling with her body image in her 2020 Netflix documentary, Miss Americana. Taylor later elaborated on why she decided to talk about the difficult topic in her Variety cover story.
“I didn’t know if I was going to feel comfortable with talking about body image and talking about the stuff I’ve gone through in terms of how unhealthy that’s been for me — my relationship with food and all that over the years,” she explained. “But the way that Lana (Wilson, the film’s director) tells the story, it really makes sense. I’m not as articulate as I should be about this topic because there are so many people who could talk about it in a better way. But all I know is my own experience. And my relationship with food was exactly the same psychology that I applied to everything else in my life: If I was given a pat on the head, I registered that as good. If I was given a punishment, I registered that as bad.”
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