In the original version, he sings “She’s not a saint, she’s not what you think. She’s an actress. She’s best known for what she does on the mattress.” From now on, the last line of the fragment reads completely differently. Instead of mentioning a mattress, we hear “He flew to her like a moth to a flame. She was holding matches.” Why such a change?
Taylor Swift changed the lyrics of her hit song. She was accused of being anti-feminist
Since 2010, the year the album with the song “Better Than Revenge” was released, Swift has been criticized for the aforementioned line. Those commenting on the song claim that an artist with such a large reach and influence on listeners should not weave threads into her work that could be considered anti-feminist. The song’s character, Swift, was criticized for having slept with many men (“She’s best known for what she does on the mattress”). Both fans and critics pointed out that it was inappropriate slut-shaming (judgment of someone’s sex life).
The artist responded to the allegations in 2014. She admitted in an interview with “The Guardian” that she wrote the lyrics to the song when she was only 18 years old and saw the world and relationships in a completely different way. “I was writing this when I thought another girl could really take my boyfriend away from me. Then I grew up and realized that no one can take someone away from me if that person doesn’t want to leave themselves,” Swift explained.
Swift corrected her mistake. But the criticism doesn’t stop there
However, the changes to the text did not solve Swift’s problems, fans are divided in their opinions about the new verse. Many of them declare that they intend to continue to listen to the original version they love so much. In turn, Rolling Stone essayist Larisha Paul notes that the singer’s behavior is unfair to the audience. According to the journalist, changing history does not make much sense. The artist’s discography should reflect the changes that were taking place in her life and thinking, and the song is “a key point in Swift’s complicated journey to understand the idea of feminism.”
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
