Taylor Swift – “The Man” (Singles Going Steady)

Jessica Brant: “The Man” is White Chicks combatting a Christian Grey worldview. It’s crazy scary how good Taylor looks as a man. Her body language and mannerisms are spot on. I applaud this work for the point she’s making, even as the manufactured poppiness drones on. [7/10]

Mike Elliott: Turning music video and pop culture gender stereotypes on their head, Swift offers empowerment not only by simply revealing how ridiculous men can be, but how easily society allows them to be, and accepts them as such. In other words, fellas, she’s on to us. [7/10]

Crizia Giansalvo: Taylor Swift’s “The Man” is a feminist anthem about the different perceptions of men and women. We see a man, who at the end, is revealed to be Swift, doing mannish things: manspreading, arousing employers, sexualizing women. Meanwhile, Taylor sings about how people’s opinion would be different if she was a man and put many hidden Easter eggs in the video.

Ending the video with the revelation that Taylor Swift is the singer, songwriter, director, writer, and actor is an explicit declaration of power and creativity. Too personal to represent a universal feeling, but also too powerful for just questioning it about feminism. Musically, the song is good and relies on a positive and catchy ’80s electropop texture, far away from the dark tones of her previous record. [7/10]

SCORE: 7.00