A quote by Taylor swift from the article by Taylor Swift Switzerland explains the meaning behind the song.
"There are a million different opinions from a million different people. There’s constructive criticism, there’s professional criticism, and then there’s just being mean. And there’s a line that you cross when you just start to attack everything about a person. This song is about how I handle it and sort of my mindset about the whole situation."
Swifties (Taylor Swift fans) call it an anti-bullying anthem.
In my opinion the song shows a great way of Taylor swifts perspective of things and gives people someone to relate to. It shows that the bully can't affect you if you have positive thoughts. It also shows the affect of bullying can have on people though metaphors. The music video was to relate to students that were bullied or mistreated because of their differences
However one specific part of the song seems to take it too far. "All you are is mean and a lair and pathetic."
Insulting the bully shouldn't be a way to solve the problem.
A BullyfreeNZ article says "Students who bully others are also more likely to have problems and be unhappy. - Parents, whānau and schools need to support those who bully others to learn more appropriate ways to get on with others and deal with conflict and social challenges."
Additionally if someone is mean doesn't make them just that. That shows the danger of defining things with a single story.
What do you think about the song? Can you relate to it? Is there similar songs to this one? Can songs be a way to make you confident?
Here is the link to the article: Taylor Swift Switzerland Mean