The music video for Taylor Swift’s song Anti-Hero has been edited after the singer was accused of encouraging “fatphobia.” A scene from the video showed the word “fat” in one scene, which has now been altered.
The original version showed Taylor – who also wrote and directed the video – stepping onto a bathroom scale whose dial spins to reveal the word. In the updated version on YouTube and Apple Music, Swift is seen receiving a disapproving look and a shake of the head from a doppelganger standing with her.
The change comes after some fans and public figures suggested the scene encouraged “fatphobia”. Teen Vogue writer Catherine Mhloyi described the clip as “lazy” before adding: “In having the word ‘fat’ appear on the scale, she made a choice to explicitly name her demon, the fear of being called fat, which is fatphobia in its most literal sense.”
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However, others including Whoopi Goldberg defended Swift, saying on US panel show The View: “Just let her have her feelings. If you don’t like the song don’t listen to it.”
In an Instagram post marking the release of the Anti-Hero music video, Swift said it depicted her “nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts playing out in real time”. Swift has previously spoken openly about struggling with an eating disorder.
In her 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana she said she would “starve” herself if she saw a photograph where she thought her stomach was too big, leaving her feeling as if she might pass out during or after live shows around 2014. Anti-Hero the third track from her new album Midnights, which was released last week to rave reviews, soon breaking the Spotify record for most-streamed album in a single day.
She has described the record as the story of “13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life” and “a journey through terrors and sweet dreams”. Representatives of Swift have been contacted for comment.
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