Taylor Swift calls out Netflix show Ginny and Georgia over 'deeply sexist' joke
After fans caused "RESPECT TAYLOR SWIFT" to trend on Twitter, the singer speaks out with a tweet of her own.
Slut shaming in 2021? Taylor thinks not.
Back in 2016, when Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Taylor Swift took part in Vogue's 73 questions video series, one of the questions she was asked was what the one thing was she wished she'd known at 19. Swift answered that she'd tell herself that even though she would date "like a normal twentysomething should be allowed to," she would become "a national lightning rod for slut shaming."
It was clear then Swift was done with the endless string of jokes about how many boyfriends she'd had -- a number that you could've counted on one hand. Unsurprisingly, five years later, she's not feeling more fondly toward those same jokes. In fact, she seems extremely tired of them.
On Monday, Swift called out Netflix and its new drama series Ginny & Georgia in a tweet for a punchline about her in which one character said to another, "You go through men faster than Taylor Swift." Swift, who has been in a steady and committed relationship for years now, called the joke "lazy" and "deeply sexist."
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
She also seemed dismayed that Netflix, which is home to both her Reputation Stadium Tour Movie and her documentary film Miss Americana, which presents the star at her most candid and vulnerable, would be OK with broadcasting such a joke at her expense.
This isn't the first time Swift has spoken out against streaming services that host and profit from her content. She previously had a long-running battle with Spotify, in which she lobbied for artists to be better compensated for their music -- something she carried with her into her new record contract. Acknowledging her influence, Apple Music reversed its decision not to pay artists whose music was streamed during the free three-month trial period.
Ahead of Swift's tweet on Monday, the phrase "RESPECT TAYLOR SWIFT" had been trending on Twitter all morning in the UK and the US, with fans pointing out the long history of misogynistic scrutiny Swift has endured over her romantic choices. Swift, it turned out, agreed with fans' interpretation of the joke. "How about we stop degrading hard working women by defining this horse shit as FuNnY," she said, pointing out the irony of March being Women's History Month.
Netflix didn't immediately reply to Swift, or respond to CNET's request for comment.
