Taylor Swift grew up developing her talents as a Country / Country-Pop artist. At the release of her sixth album Reputation, the artist shifted into a Pop music artist. Her song The Man is a part of this genre (Pop) due to the good rhythm, catchy melody, repetitive chorus, and sing-along nature. The instrumentation is made for dancing and the lyrics are intentional and meaningful. Billboard quotes Swift in her aim to explain the reasoning behind her want to create The Man.

“It was a song that I wrote from my personal experience, but also from a general experience that I’ve heard from women in all parts of our industry…When I go online and hear the stories of my fans talking about their experience in the working world, or even at school — the more we talk about it, the better off we’ll be. And I wanted to make it catchy for a reason — so that it would get stuck in people’s heads, [so] they would end up with a song about gender inequality stuck in their heads. And for me, that’s a good day.” – Taylor Swift

Swift loves her ability to bring this powerful message into her song writing; specifically into the Pop Music genre. This “catchy” song is that young girls can easily sing along to and once the lyrics are retained, the message becomes more clear. Through the Pop genre, Swift is able to bring this issue to light. She takes pride in the impact her voice has one so many people (especially females) in this world. Her recognition or this power along with her deep desire to speak out about the need to care for all people and provide human rights to all, is what her fans find inspiring. 

 

The Rolling Stones recently (February 7, 2020) posted an article analyzing how Swift confronts Sexism in her lyrics. The article references her recently released animated lyric video and its confrontational focus on sexism within the workplace. It depicts a woman struggling alone in the workplace but ends with her moving forward positively with the help of another female worker. This emulates Swift’s intended message that the true meaning of success comes by lifting each other up. The style of this animated lyric video helps to not only express the meaning behind Swift’s lyrics but also play into the crowd-pleasing sing-along vibe of her Pop genre. #TheManLyricVideo has been recently trending, allowing for Swift’s audience to continue engaging with her lyrics through bringing awareness to her message.

 

Sophia Terry