Taylor Swift has unveiled a new music video for her song “The Man”, in which she undergoes an impressive transformation to transform into the titular character.
The singer unveiled the clip on Thursday after teasing its release the previous day.
In the gender-bending video, Swift, makes a statement about misogyny and male privilege, by way of a character engaging in several oft-criticised behaviours.
Notably, she can be seen, donning a suit and tie, sitting with her legs far apart from each other in a crowded public transportation car – a practice known as manspreading.
One small Easter egg subtly condemns music manager Scooter Braun, while it also seems as if the singer takes aim at Robert Downey Jr following his controversial joke about her in January.
Swift’s character also earns praise for spending just a few seconds of apparent quality time with his daughter.
He’s then featured playing a tennis game for a nondescript “women’s charity” and – after a 58-year time jump – marrying a visibly younger woman and smashing wedding cake in her face despite her obvious distress.
Swift, who directed the video, is seen at the end of the clip asking her male alter-ego – voiced by Dwayne Johnson – to “be sexier” and “more likeable” in the next take.
The clip echoes “The Man”’s lyrics, in which Swift muses about how differently she’d be treated if she were a man instead of a woman.
Swift sings in part: “They’d say I hustled / Put in the work / They wouldn’t shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve / What I was wearing / If I was rude / Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves / And they would toast to me, oh / Let the players play.”
“The Man” comes from Swift’s album Lover, which was released in August.
