A new Taylor arises

“The old Taylor is dead.” That statement might be bold, but it’s how Taylor Swift and the media are describing this drastic change of character. On Aug. 24, minutes before midnight, Swift dropped “Look What You Made Me Do,” which is sure to be one of the most talked about songs this year.

After a three year break from releasing a record, Swift began to post eerie videos of what appeared to be a snake. The first one was posted on Aug. 21, and on Aug. 23, it was announced there would be a new single coming out the next night. Along with the new single, Swift dropped the news of her sixth studio album, “Reputation,” set to come out on Nov. 10.

Before the snake videos, dedicated fans had realized that all of Swift’s social media posts had been deleted and that she was no longer following anyone on social media sites, such as Instagram and Twitter, despite her accounts still appearing. This sudden removal of any trace of Swift on social media left fans to believe there was something new on the way. Later, fans would learn that she was deleting her “old reputation” and shedding her old self, similar to a snake.

“Look What You Made Me Do” left listeners curious who her lyrics were really about. It is obvious this song takes aim at those who have hurt, betrayed, and crushed the “Old Taylor.” With subtle hints, fans tried to decode the meaning of certain lines and decipher who the artist was throwing major shade at.

The most shocking part of the song is when a phone rings and Swift speaks “I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now.” When asked why, she says “Oh, cause she’s dead!”

News of “Look What You Made Me Do” exploded when Swift dropped the music video Aug. 27 at the VMA’s. Here, it was easier to pick out the minor hints. To begin, Swift appears out of the ground in a disturbing, almost frightening zombie physique. This Swift is almost unrecognizable from the sparkly-dress, cowboy boot-wearing-17 year-old Swift.

“I loved the old, country Taylor. I miss that side of her. Not this dark, weird Taylor,” junior Andrea Rojas said.

Then, the scene switches to her lying in a bathtub filled to the brim with diamond jewelry.To find the hidden clue here, one must look very in depth. In the top left corner, a single dollar bill is visible. This is a reference to the counter-suing case of a radio host who groped her years ago. Swift won the case, suing for only a dollar to get her point across.

Snakes appear once again, as they are shown serving Swift tea, as she sits high on her queen-like throne. Later on, viewers see Swift robbing a store with a baseball bat in hand. It was confusing at first, but seconds later it all made sense. In the background, there were signs flashing with “Stream Co.” This is a reference to those who accused Swift of robbing music streaming companies by taking her music off of services like Apple Music and Spotify. She also demanded fair pay for artists from these services.

With Taylor Swift comes her gang of friends, that people refer to as her “squad.” Recently, Swift’s “girl squad” has picked up a negative connotation. People complain that Swift only befriends certain types of people and everyone in her group is too similar. Therefore, Swift poked fun at the media for this and filled a room with plastic-looking girls, with herself in the front as the “master in charge.” This symbolizes the idea of how everyone believes her whole friend group is full of fakes and she is the ringleader in charge.

Just when listeners believe the video is broken, a surprise ending is waiting. Multiple forms of Swift are lined up, as they are all poking fun at her past self. One form of Swift yells at another form of Swift for always acting so surprised every time she wins an award. At the absolute end, all of the Swifts scream “shut up” to the form of Swift dressed in her 2009 VMA outfit. The 2009 VMAs were the award show where rapper Kanye West ran up on stage and told 19-year-old Swift that Beyonce deserved the award instead.

“I personally love the song. It’s really catchy and I find myself singing it at random times. The video was pretty creepy, but it was definitely interesting,” sophomore Lauren Fortunato said.

“Look What You Made Me Do” is a definite reach from anything Swift has ever done before in her career. She preaches her message of the media and haters ruining her young, kind-hearted, innocent self. Yes, the “Old Taylor” might be dead, but this “New Taylor” certainly has attracted the attention of masses–surprised and intrigued.