@@Niminos91 They actually don't, as they - within their respective native cultures - don't need the notion of "gender". That's what the old cannard of "biological 2 genders" is about. People towards whom the hegemonic discourse is geared don't need the labels of "cisgender" or "white" to understand themselves. They understand themselves as "normal".
Somehow I didn't notice after several script revisions that "Um Oh Ah Yeh" is not actually Mamamoo's debut and was in fact the title track from their third EP. It was their biggest hit for a long time so I forgot about "Mr. Ambiguous" and "Piano Man." My apologies! Himbo here!
I think the thing that sits wrong with me about that "I can do everything alone" message at the end is that it sounds closer to toxic masculinity than it does feminism. I would love to see a woman make a video like this where she wasn't trying to literally become a man, but rather redefining what feminine power can be.
But that’s not the point of the song or video. As this video showed with Kesha and other examples, there are ways of doing that. Taylor wanted to show something different. The contrast between how successful men act and are treated vs successful women. If she instead showed how she can be a powerful woman, it would lose the entire concept.
You can be a strong woman and be respected. Need I remind people of the likes of Cher and all the other great diva icons? They were celebrated for their feminity and uncompromising attitudes. So much so that they became the image that many drag queens emulate as the epitome of female beauty and power.
Even if her wokeness isn't performative-- even if she genuinely believes in everything she advocates for, it doesn't mean that her "woke" content isn't in poor taste, doesn't mean it can't miss the mark, doesn't mean it can't be pandering.
Im scared that it’s always going to feel pandering because Taylor Allison Swift is never going to get that being a woman isn’t like. Holding her back at all
@@marshalinehamismother i think she thinks its holding her back because when guys write breakup songs nobody really cares but when she does it people get super mad? shes still wrong btw im just trying to think of how it might look from her perspective:p
it’s also exploitative and honestly really gross. she’s making all this “woke” content to boost her own ego, get The Left off her back for being silent on politics for so long, and to get acclaim and praise from cishet people for “pushing boundaries” despite only doing less than the bare minimum
A strange personal anecdote: my conservative cis-woman family members loved the man music video. It was kind of refreshing but left me feeling empty in a way that I think you really helped put a point on in this video.
Thank you for recognizing that cis people have genders too. The biggest issue I have about this song and the video is that it actually reinforces patriarchy! Feminism is about convincing men to stop playing the game of power and control over every aspect of society, and here she is - PR "feminism" at its worst - encouraging women to be equally oppressive and obnoxious.
That's not how I interpreted the video. It seems clear to me in the video that she is ridiculing this form of toxic masculinity. This is why the eye-rolls and negative reactions are in the video. I disagree with BoyForm that it's inconsistent. Men get praise for being successful despite their assholish behavior, but women quietly roll their eyes and scoff when it happens. To me, that's the reality of patriarchy. There's nothing admirable about the character she presents - him being old and marrying the hot woman to me was the ultimate indictment of his entitlement. If she did what boyform said and showed herself as a woman trying to do those things THEN it would have the message that women should be able to do it too
@@lees2404 Not all the women were eye-rolling during that video. Only feminists did. Patriarchy still romanticizes toxic masculinity and a lot of people of all genders fall for it. She literally says it herself in the song - "I'd be a fearless leader I'd be an alpha type". She wants to be that man, she longs for it. But that's a classic liberal feminist, in your culture also known as Karen, I think. She knows that men will never allow her to be one of them but what she doesn't know is that no responsible feminist of any gender would ever support her struggle of becoming THAT man.
I delayed transitioning for the same reason you did- I thought it was more honorable to keep struggling as a woman than to flip the damn table and do what I wanted.
Man, I didn't even think about that when I started cracking. I think because I had such a low self esteem that I just threw my female identity away without looking back. It wasn't a proud moment because I had already accepted myself as trash.
@@lindsaypaige4628 Wait that's not what being trans is though. I'd really recommend rewatching the video, especially at 5:48 because Dylan specifically speaks to this and I think you may have misunderstood. We're not trans because of misogyny, we're trans because we're not women. That's the gender we were assigned and it doesn't match our truth.
lindsay paige this is ideology ripped straight from the TERF playbook... so, I’d recommend you educate yourself, or refrain from spewing transphobia within trans spaces.
@@MicahRion and what makes you not a woman? I really would love an answer to that question that isnt based on stereotypes. And funny that part you point out have the same energy as the comments I'm responding to. "I think because i had such low self esteem that i threw my female identity away without looking back" literally escaping womanhood.
Im not saying shes not, nor do i affirm that statement but like... karlie kloss and taylor swift are so similar that... idk ... like... isnt it kind of fucking your own clone...??? Idk idk
Related to how you and Korviday talk about the difference between impersonation vs drag: The way I saw the "The Man" video, Taylor isn't doing drag in much the same way a woman cosplaying a male character wouldn't inherently be drag. It feels much more like a character, than a persona, which I would classify drag personalities as. Sure, they gave "The Man" a name, but he was clearly meant to be just a vague man-shaped character on which to place the stereotypical qualities and base the video around. On the other hand a drag king will have a solid identity, defining characteristics, and an actual personality, even if he is based around some amount of stereotypical ideas of masculinity.
Seriously, my dad is a cis man and 50 and he has had probably half the life opportunities of Taylor. Why? He's poor. The man is smart af and works harder then anyone else I know. But he was raised by a single mom in the 70s, grew up poor and lived his adult life as working class and struggling to get by check to check.
I always appreciate how easy you make it to find the sources you use. I discovered Laura Crone's channel via your best of 2019 video (and playlist), and I look forward to finding even more cool content creators via this video's music playlist! As always, your analysis feels both piercing and earnest. Thanks for making the things you make.
great video! i really appreciated the comparison/analysis with mamamoo's "um ou ah yeah" - that really helped bring into focus why my gut feeling after watching "the man" was that it wasn't drag. moonbyul's character was butch and i loved it
i mean... i agree, it feels more like a very expensive, stale gimmick. its inconsistent, and the biggest thing one takes of it all is that she cant get out of her own head -its not bout women, or about men -its about A Woman, and A Man. i didnt know about most of the other music videos youve shown -all of them, even without the music, already feel more of an actual commentary or at least more self aware than The Man. the ones ive seen are Christine and the Queens' and of course Tout Le Memes -a great song and a great video. i think that one is a much better analysis of what the relationship really is, was and probably still is between men and women, between cis straight partners. its not a song about one person, but, as the title says, all of them. but its taylor whos got the money and the fanbase, even if she doesnt seem to have much critical skills or education regarding topics of gender beyond "sexism is bad!"
also this is Dumb but when i heard that Taylor Swift had made a song named "The Man" i thought she had made a cover of the latest The Killers song.... that bop, covered by a woman dressed as a man, would carry a bigger punch than the song/video she made.
Hey, I really liked how you put and commented on Mamamoo's "um ou ah yeah" in this video! You also added a lot of clips from "Tous les même" from Stromae. Personally, I'd love a comment from you about this video, especially because it seems to be very popular outside of France and Belgium.
I think the way the male character is revered in some contexts (work) and eye-rolled in others (the subway) actually isn’t inconsistent. It gets into the different power dynamics between her employees who need to suck up, and some general public who’s disapproval she can safely ignore. I’m not sure if it’s a specifically gendered thing that a rich person can ignore the scorn of the general public if they choose too. I’m sure there are some differences there.
what about the "general public" at the park in the "world's greatest dad" scene who revere him? or the male assistant on the boat who is his employee but seems consistently unimpressed?
@@rob0tt4rmy Yeah it looks like the dichotomy I proposed doesn't really usefully encompass everything presented in the video. Looking at it again, what I'm getting is that Taylor has identified a few circumstances where being perceived as male or female draws different reactions from people and she's giving an exaggerated demonstration of her observations for what a reactions a particular archetype of male presentation draws in those circumstances. To try to make my original point better - I don't think it's a flaw that the reactions the male character receive change as the context changes, because social reactions to male embodiment and presentation are always contextual. You can imagine a series of scenes where a woman presents high femininity and receives a wide variety of reactions based on the situation at hand. You can also imagine those same scenes with the same visual male presentation but the character reacting to people's reactions very differently, which is why I think this can't really be a commentary on male-ness itself. Like it's super easy to envision a man who behaves some what carelessly in public, notices people disapproving, and then corrects his behavior because he likes for people to be comfortable and happy around him. So it's more like the commentary is on gendered reactions to callousness. I don't think the scene about child-rearing particularly fits into that reading but oh well.
I'm going to be thinking about this a lot now. The video does feel off, with a lot of conflicting narratives in it. Maybe if Taylor was seen in the narrative failing whilst doing the same things the man was doing, showing her frustration. Then something like the tennis match where she wins but the man freaks out and throws a tantrum. Idk it all does feel very 2017 social commentary.
really good video! i also had extremely weird feelings when i saw this video, and you really hammered out the reasons in a way i never did. also, really cool to see luxander involved in this :D
it hadn't even ocurred to me that what taylor did in that video could be considered drag. this was a great video btw! you're so well-spoken and it's a delight to watch your analysis. ps. i thought my youtube subscription page was glitching when it started showing the preview for this and mamamoo's um oh ah yeh appeared
Well that was a whole playlist I didn't ask for but definitely needed! Taylor Swift has never been my bag, and Gwen betrayed me deeply (and lyrically) when she left NoDoubt, but the rest of this was a musical adventure coupled with a really interesting discussion! Thanks for the fresh thoughts and musical suggestions. :D
I’m happy with how nuanced your take on this video is. I’ve been a Taylor Swift fan since I was a kid but something about this song doesn’t quite work for me. Honestly, I feel like the album tracks on Lover were much better than the singles/hits. I see her as an auteur who uses her detailed and personal lyrics to paint a picture of who Taylor is at the time. Sometimes it doesn’t work (Look What You Made Me Do) but other times it’s insightful (Style).
Def love all three of you and subbed to all. Amazing to see everyone collab on one piece!! Dylan, I'm really impressed and inspired by your insight, creativity, and technical skill💜Always love seeing you pop up in the recommended vids!!
I like your hair! That's actually one of my favorite hair cuts on men and it looks good. You're very handsome! Great analysis. I think you summed up my feelings perfectly with Taylor's recent political videos about it coming across " like she's making her way through the backlog of politics she opted out of". This especially applies to 'You need to calm down' for me, felt very much 2010ish for me. Same with 'The Man' but to a lesser extent. I loved the dialogue about what makes drag versus just a straightforward impersonation!
"cis people have genders too" I don't know, seems sus. Have they like, even seen a therapist about it? I'm just worried about them making a mistake they're going to regret later when they realise being cis is a phase.
This music video makes me feel...a lot of things. Like, I thought The Man as a song was boring until that bridge hit and it's like two really good lyrics that really stand out. I liked the parody of the alpha male she did, the persona that most media is telling us to admire and relate to. But I do agree her messaging is confusing, portraying the man as both someone resented and someone loved. Honestly, I'm just glad that she has a message. As milk toast as it is, it sure still got a lot of people mad about it.
one thing that disappointed me about the music video was when i was listening to the song i expected her male counterpart to also be a popstar, but in the music video he's not? so it doesn't make any statements about how men are treated specifically in her line of work. in her documentary she makes a lot of interesting observations on how male popstars are treated vs female popstars so idk why she didn't take advantage of that
the fact that I knew most of the videos and had an emotional connection to them in some way or another, not really connected to if I like the song or not says something about my gender tho I'm not exactly sure what
yeah like i think a cis straight woman often does a cis straight male impersonation, where that’s not the feel of a lot of king performances I’ve seen (done by any flavor of LGBT). I’m usually performing as an angsty genderfuck. I don’t even bind or tape usually, I mostly just use pasties. So I’m never trying to “pass” as cis. I’m just a fun masculine-ish entity. That being said that’s just me.. some kings are trans men or even cis men and have a different type of performance than I. But, yeah I think even when it comes to genderbending, if that’s an ok term still, cis people (especially cis straight people) will have a different meaning to that than people who are told that something about how they are their gender is wrong (LGBT people, bc in some way we’re all breaking the rules of what it means to be a Man or Woman, and obv if we’re not binary to begin with)
The interesting thing about the song for me is that a lot of the things Taylor says she could do/get away with as a dude are things dudes shouldn’t bet away with. Like if she was a man she would be “the man”, but should anyone want to be “the man”? He seems like an asshole.
the music video was really uncomfortable to watch, for me. i went into it expecting taylor swift dressing in drag and talking about gender inequality, and instead got taylor swift dressing in drag and acting like a douchebag. aside from the total non-sequitur of the mv from the lyrics, it made me feel like, to taylor, the swagger and aggression and cruelty in the vid is all masculinity and maleness is - and the fear of turning into that, or being seen like that is what *i* used to talk myself out of transition. i dont think portraying All That as the only way men act helps anyone. also taylor swift isnt even trans and she passes So Fucking Well :'(
It is easy to pass well when you have make up people, stylists, and wardrobe people, whose sole job at the time is to make you look good. And yeah, I hated the video because it felt like the classic "if I was my oppressor then I would do the same shit" kind of gloating. Which is bafflingly common.
I definitely agree that the music video comes off as somewhat confused; the mixed reactions from the background characters especially. In your video, I was kind of confused by the mixing of the “drag or not drag” discussion into the crit of the video’s message. It was interesting for sure, but was it supposed to pertain to the effectiveness or goodness of “The Man”? Like, I don’t think she was claiming it was drag, and is drag inherently good gender content? The line between drag and impersonation is really fuzzy imo. In YNTCD, Jade Jolie is absolutely there doing a Taylor Swift Impression, and she’s also doing drag. I was also kind of surprised that Taylor being cis was brought up more than being probably straight-my impression of drag king stuff is that it tends to be more lesbians than trans men (though to be fair I have definitely seen a fair few nb drag kings.) Personally as a trans man I was intrigued by the transformation at first, then realized it isn’t something I felt connected to due to the temporaryness and...artifice I guess? Like a prosthetic face or muscle suit is definitely not something I want for myself. I really like the idea of showing the two Taylors more throughout the video, especially since she has a history of doing that (You Belong With Me). However, it might be kind of hard to really show a contrast since Woman Taylor is in fact a very successful person. Idk I’m sure there would have been ways to do it though. I liked seeing Mamamoo talked about here just cause I like their music lol. (btw their debut was actually in 2014 with Mr. Ambiguous!) Anyway this was a pretty fun video to watch and interesting to think about. I really enjoy your channel.
I didn't intend to review the song so much, I'm not so much a music reviewer; I started the drag conversation because my thesis was "why do I and all the queer people I know feel uncomfortable and unable to relate to this song"; researching the thinkpieces that came out of the video always brought up drag if they were talking about the queer context at all.
Boyform makes sense! I hadn’t really thought to look up much discussion about the man before this video, so I guess I hadn’t realized how much drag was a part of the larger conversation around it.
As a drag queen, my opinion is that Taylor was 100% in drag. If she were a man dressed and acting like a woman for the entire video I don’t think it would even be a question. Although drag has many facets, in one of its most basic forms and definitions, drag is simply performing as the opposite gender. Taylor did that very convincingly.
really incredible video, great writing and great editing! i feel like there's a lot of complicated feelings but if i could boil down my personal thoughts it'd be that i agree that despite the effort, it's shallow coming from someone who has these resources who didn't need to be a man to become successful and these videos like you need to calm down, at the end of the day- just come across as performative and inauthentic and missing the real root of these issues
eeeeeeyyyyyyyyyy nice haircut my dude (also good video, i also found the mans politics shallow and dated. like thats 2015s discourse taylor honey keep up)
12:16 thats not mamamoos first single.... their first single was Piano Man over a year before um oh ah yah was thier second single off their second album. They were already a very established group and just starting to make their own creative decisions which is how a video like that was allowed. Sorry as a big kpop fan I had to add that.
I guess this is an old video here, but just as an aside, the two Christine and the Queens videos you brought up (for "Nuit 17 a 52" and "5 Dollars") as examples of boy drag raised an eyebrow for me. I can see how Jo Calderone fits a classical idea of drag more, but wouldn't "Nuit 17 a 52" be more in line with Taylor's video, closer to acting (ie. Cate Blanchett) than any sort of gender commentary or exagerration? You even brought this up, so I curious what you felt like those videos had that Taylor's didn't, exactly. I kind of feel like this video needed to establish a stronger baseline of what we're comparing Taylor's video against. It's easy to see Kesha and Beyonce as in their own category of mainstream feminism and cis female gender commentary, but I didn't track with lumping in Lady Gaga and Christine and the Queens exactly. Idk, there's just a LOT of different artists and approaches touched on here, and it ended up feeling a little over simplified to me. Also, I feel the need to mention that the character in "5 Dollars" is not a male drag character, but a butch woman. I was a little surprised you didn't make any distinction there. The video definitely has to do with male codes, but it's very much about owning them as a queer woman. If there is drag in 5 Dollars it would have more to do with class and wealth I think, which does have deep roots in drag performance. It actually might have been interesting to hear you talk more about class in relation to drag as more than just a dissonance with Taylor's status. I hope I didn't misrepresent any of your points, but tbh I just found this video hard to track with. I feel like you touched on a ton of interesting topics but I didn't find any point here to walk away with.
This discussion looks reeeeeally similar to the one feminists were having about Bad Bunny's video for "Yo perreo sola". The song is fine and i quite like it, but the video, although fun, i feel it's pandering to feminist causes that i don't think he can fully understand.
Matt Baume made a good video on Drug. As I understood, Drug is 1) form of self-expression 2) subversion of gender and gender norms 3) inversion of power dynamics, (as _I_ understood). So, man from swift’s video is none of this things - it’s not version of Taylor if she was man, she doesn’t subverts anything and she doesn’t become any more powerful by doing this.
I may be wrong abt it being cultural appropriation but I have only heard black Londoners say "mandem" outside of the Jessie J song. At the very least "do it like a brotha" is questionable and the WOC extras are framed questionably
@@rob0tt4rmy I've heard alot of pompey chavs saying it, put I wouldn't put appropriating black slang past any of them... Most chav slang has black roots really.
It's so interesting to see how Taylor crafts a great Male impersonation, but have it be so stale and uninspired. Drag started out as "female impersonation" and celebrity impressions, but those old clips of that era of drag are definitely drag. I agree I think the fundamental flaw in Taylor's performance is that she just doesnt get it. A lot of people I know think drag and gendedbending is just to be as convincing a disguise as possible, and I'm always kind of surprised by how they can look at drag, and only have that as the takeaway.
Both "You need to calm down" and "The Man" felt really shallow and performative to me, but its frustrating that when you try to point out the issues, everyone just tells you to be thankful Taylor's bringing awareness and supporting these causes. So it was nice to hear your take on it, and hear you talk through some of the issues that I (as a transmasc individual) also had with The Man but that I wasnt really sure how to bring into words. I also think Taylor doesn't acknowledge the privilege she as a rich, white, cis, individual holds, which is why a lot of her "activism" can feel so flat to other marginalized folks.
The hair is FANTASTIC, the video's lovely. I'm always excited to see crossdressing, but it felt like something was missing, and I think you pretty much pinpointed what that was
I think you're super right about all of this. I've especially felt her kinda ineffectual feminist and lgbtq messaging, not to gain "clout" or "woke points" (ugh hate that term), but more to extract and continue to extract profit from lgbtq folks and feminist leaning girls. but maybe i'm coming too hard down on her because i never liked her music. Idk i just can't really connect with the mainstream big music production companies because i know the exploitation they do and the stranglehold they have on Intellectual property as a legal concept. They've thrown their weight around in such harmful ways causing ridiculous lawsuits all to extract wealth out of each other in the name of "protecting the artist". Profit motive is toxic and harmful and stifles creation. Anyway, fuck the big record labels, fuck capitalism, fuck profit motive, and may those who've died at the hands of the state receive justice and may their memories be a blessing.
I like your energy but I'd be careful equating Taylor Swift the individual with "big music production companies" because Taylor has unquestionably been a victim of those practices (google Taylor Swift Scooter Braun) and despite being "apolitical" for years she has consistently advocated for artists' rights (google Taylor Swift Apple Music letter). You're right about the mainstream media machine and I'm not trying to let Taylor off the hook (I just grilled her for 25 minutes). Bur we can be critical of an artist's work and message without equating a songwriter with the label that manages them.
@@rob0tt4rmy Boyform true true. That was unfair of me. I guess I still end up feeling like listening to the music that these companies own perpetuates and is an endorsement of their practices, directly funding them. If TSwift got out of her contract and went to self publishing I would 100% give her music more of a chance. For me harmful practices are a really big deal and it honestly contributes to my mental health issues (lol oof) but idk it just seems like she could have a lot of power not just to lobby slowly for better treatment from within the system but to make some serious changes while not participating in and benefiting from the harmful system.
the extras reacting negatively is the point. he's going to upset a bunch of people but still get away with it because he's the man. how is this stale? pointing out sexism is stale?
All the celebrity women she showed in the video, all convinced you that they were dressing in these sexual ways for their own self expression and empowerment. You now felt empowered by emulating the behaviour they were paid to influence you into.
(I'm transmasculine) I definitely see this as drag, I think you just felt uncomfortable because it feels like appropriation by a cishet person, I felt that way too. Though it's debated whether Taylor was coming out as bisexual in her You Need To Calm Down video, which makes me wonder, if she is bisexual, would it still feel like appropriation and would I still feel uncomfortable by it? I don't know.
Yes because being bisexual doesn't automatically mean that you're trans. The two are not exclusive. Also, no, Taylor was probably not "coming out" in the "You Need To Calm Down" video. That was just another lazy ploy at allyship by attempting to compare her "haters" with LGBTQ+ oppression. Basically: "It's all about ME... oh and the gays, but mainly ME!!" As someone who is bi and nonbinary, I'm tired of this white girl with her thin vocals and pigeontoed dancing attempting to play the role of ally so late in the game, simply because she has a large LGBTQ+ audience for some unknowable reason, and she finally figured out she can make money off them through lazy representation because we're so straved for it, many will still devour scraps and call it a four-course dinner because they still think we need to be grateful any time the heteros and cis acknowledge our existence.
It feels more like she's revealing her shadow self. Like a confession, that is actually who she'd be as a man........which is...........probably accurate...................... :/
"I'm told cis people have genders too and they're allowed to make art about it" hahahha
[CITATION NEEDED]
Kilo Charlie iconic
Cis people don't have genders the same way staight people don't have sexual oientation and white people don't have a race.
@@M-CH_ They think so, at least. Which is much different.
@@Niminos91 They actually don't, as they - within their respective native cultures - don't need the notion of "gender". That's what the old cannard of "biological 2 genders" is about. People towards whom the hegemonic discourse is geared don't need the labels of "cisgender" or "white" to understand themselves. They understand themselves as "normal".
Somehow I didn't notice after several script revisions that "Um Oh Ah Yeh" is not actually Mamamoo's debut and was in fact the title track from their third EP. It was their biggest hit for a long time so I forgot about "Mr. Ambiguous" and "Piano Man." My apologies! Himbo here!
I think the thing that sits wrong with me about that "I can do everything alone" message at the end is that it sounds closer to toxic masculinity than it does feminism. I would love to see a woman make a video like this where she wasn't trying to literally become a man, but rather redefining what feminine power can be.
But that’s not the point of the song or video. As this video showed with Kesha and other examples, there are ways of doing that. Taylor wanted to show something different. The contrast between how successful men act and are treated vs successful women. If she instead showed how she can be a powerful woman, it would lose the entire concept.
You can be a strong woman and be respected. Need I remind people of the likes of Cher and all the other great diva icons? They were celebrated for their feminity and uncompromising attitudes. So much so that they became the image that many drag queens emulate as the epitome of female beauty and power.
Even if her wokeness isn't performative-- even if she genuinely believes in everything she advocates for, it doesn't mean that her "woke" content isn't in poor taste, doesn't mean it can't miss the mark, doesn't mean it can't be pandering.
Im scared that it’s always going to feel pandering because Taylor Allison Swift is never going to get that being a woman isn’t like. Holding her back at all
@@marshalinehamismother i think she thinks its holding her back because when guys write breakup songs nobody really cares but when she does it people get super mad? shes still wrong btw im just trying to think of how it might look from her perspective:p
it’s also exploitative and honestly really gross. she’s making all this “woke” content to boost her own ego, get The Left off her back for being silent on politics for so long, and to get acclaim and praise from cishet people for “pushing boundaries” despite only doing less than the bare minimum
A strange personal anecdote: my conservative cis-woman family members loved the man music video. It was kind of refreshing but left me feeling empty in a way that I think you really helped put a point on in this video.
Thank you for recognizing that cis people have genders too. The biggest issue I have about this song and the video is that it actually reinforces patriarchy! Feminism is about convincing men to stop playing the game of power and control over every aspect of society, and here she is - PR "feminism" at its worst - encouraging women to be equally oppressive and obnoxious.
That's not how I interpreted the video. It seems clear to me in the video that she is ridiculing this form of toxic masculinity. This is why the eye-rolls and negative reactions are in the video. I disagree with BoyForm that it's inconsistent. Men get praise for being successful despite their assholish behavior, but women quietly roll their eyes and scoff when it happens. To me, that's the reality of patriarchy. There's nothing admirable about the character she presents - him being old and marrying the hot woman to me was the ultimate indictment of his entitlement. If she did what boyform said and showed herself as a woman trying to do those things THEN it would have the message that women should be able to do it too
@@lees2404 Not all the women were eye-rolling during that video. Only feminists did. Patriarchy still romanticizes toxic masculinity and a lot of people of all genders fall for it. She literally says it herself in the song - "I'd be a fearless leader
I'd be an alpha type". She wants to be that man, she longs for it. But that's a classic liberal feminist, in your culture also known as Karen, I think. She knows that men will never allow her to be one of them but what she doesn't know is that no responsible feminist of any gender would ever support her struggle of becoming THAT man.
@@TheLeksilijum i was gonna interject but your point hit home for me and that is definitely a perspective i never initally thought about
I delayed transitioning for the same reason you did- I thought it was more honorable to keep struggling as a woman than to flip the damn table and do what I wanted.
Man, I didn't even think about that when I started cracking. I think because I had such a low self esteem that I just threw my female identity away without looking back. It wasn't a proud moment because I had already accepted myself as trash.
It makes me so sad that the world is full of misogyny that it is forcing young girls to identify as men as a way to escape it.
@@lindsaypaige4628 Wait that's not what being trans is though. I'd really recommend rewatching the video, especially at 5:48 because Dylan specifically speaks to this and I think you may have misunderstood.
We're not trans because of misogyny, we're trans because we're not women. That's the gender we were assigned and it doesn't match our truth.
lindsay paige this is ideology ripped straight from the TERF playbook... so, I’d recommend you educate yourself, or refrain from spewing transphobia within trans spaces.
@@MicahRion and what makes you not a woman? I really would love an answer to that question that isnt based on stereotypes.
And funny that part you point out have the same energy as the comments I'm responding to. "I think because i had such low self esteem that i threw my female identity away without looking back" literally escaping womanhood.
"playing on Easy Mode like a casual"--love it!
I love your hair. You look like a hot 90s boy now
"Taylor Swift is... probably straight" - I appreciated this. Everyone knows she was dating Karlie Kloss in secret, the truth is out there.
Im not saying shes not, nor do i affirm that statement but like... karlie kloss and taylor swift are so similar that... idk ... like... isnt it kind of fucking your own clone...??? Idk idk
@@cindyscrawly1672 fucking a clone? sign me up lol
@@cindyscrawly1672 correct
@@cindyscrawly1672 Joe Alwyn (sp?) is basically a male version of T-Swizzle....they are Cercei and Jaime Lannister IRL
Related to how you and Korviday talk about the difference between impersonation vs drag:
The way I saw the "The Man" video, Taylor isn't doing drag in much the same way a woman cosplaying a male character wouldn't inherently be drag. It feels much more like a character, than a persona, which I would classify drag personalities as. Sure, they gave "The Man" a name, but he was clearly meant to be just a vague man-shaped character on which to place the stereotypical qualities and base the video around. On the other hand a drag king will have a solid identity, defining characteristics, and an actual personality, even if he is based around some amount of stereotypical ideas of masculinity.
Yes! Great male drag looks I love are Cher as feminized Elvis (Walking in Memphis cover video) and Gaga as her male alter (U and I video).
All of Taylor’s “wokeness” is so performative and she tells on herself with her thinly veiled classism
No untruths have been detected in this comment.
Seriously, my dad is a cis man and 50 and he has had probably half the life opportunities of Taylor. Why? He's poor. The man is smart af and works harder then anyone else I know. But he was raised by a single mom in the 70s, grew up poor and lived his adult life as working class and struggling to get by check to check.
I always appreciate how easy you make it to find the sources you use. I discovered Laura Crone's channel via your best of 2019 video (and playlist), and I look forward to finding even more cool content creators via this video's music playlist! As always, your analysis feels both piercing and earnest. Thanks for making the things you make.
great video! i really appreciated the comparison/analysis with mamamoo's "um ou ah yeah" - that really helped bring into focus why my gut feeling after watching "the man" was that it wasn't drag. moonbyul's character was butch and i loved it
a pop music videos analysis by boyform and korviday? that sounds like a video specifically made for my taste!!
I keep coming back to this several years after the upload. I think its a really good analysis.
i mean... i agree, it feels more like a very expensive, stale gimmick. its inconsistent, and the biggest thing one takes of it all is that she cant get out of her own head -its not bout women, or about men -its about A Woman, and A Man.
i didnt know about most of the other music videos youve shown -all of them, even without the music, already feel more of an actual commentary or at least more self aware than The Man. the ones ive seen are Christine and the Queens' and of course Tout Le Memes -a great song and a great video. i think that one is a much better analysis of what the relationship really is, was and probably still is between men and women, between cis straight partners. its not a song about one person, but, as the title says, all of them. but its taylor whos got the money and the fanbase, even if she doesnt seem to have much critical skills or education regarding topics of gender beyond "sexism is bad!"
also this is Dumb but when i heard that Taylor Swift had made a song named "The Man" i thought she had made a cover of the latest The Killers song.... that bop, covered by a woman dressed as a man, would carry a bigger punch than the song/video she made.
Snapping the entire time, that was immaculately phrased and constructed. Please do more of these!
Hey, I really liked how you put and commented on Mamamoo's "um ou ah yeah" in this video! You also added a lot of clips from "Tous les même" from Stromae. Personally, I'd love a comment from you about this video, especially because it seems to be very popular outside of France and Belgium.
aaaa !!!!!! this is so good oh my god
I think the way the male character is revered in some contexts (work) and eye-rolled in others (the subway) actually isn’t inconsistent. It gets into the different power dynamics between her employees who need to suck up, and some general public who’s disapproval she can safely ignore.
I’m not sure if it’s a specifically gendered thing that a rich person can ignore the scorn of the general public if they choose too. I’m sure there are some differences there.
what about the "general public" at the park in the "world's greatest dad" scene who revere him? or the male assistant on the boat who is his employee but seems consistently unimpressed?
@@rob0tt4rmy Yeah it looks like the dichotomy I proposed doesn't really usefully encompass everything presented in the video. Looking at it again, what I'm getting is that Taylor has identified a few circumstances where being perceived as male or female draws different reactions from people and she's giving an exaggerated demonstration of her observations for what a reactions a particular archetype of male presentation
draws in those circumstances.
To try to make my original point better - I don't think it's a flaw that the reactions the male character receive change as the context changes, because social reactions to male embodiment and presentation are always contextual. You can imagine a series of scenes where a woman presents high femininity and receives a wide variety of reactions based on the situation at hand.
You can also imagine those same scenes with the same visual male presentation but the character reacting to people's reactions very differently, which is why I think this can't really be a commentary on male-ness itself. Like it's super easy to envision a man who behaves some what carelessly in public, notices people disapproving, and then corrects his behavior because he likes for people to be comfortable and happy around him.
So it's more like the commentary is on gendered reactions to callousness. I don't think the scene about child-rearing particularly fits into that reading but oh well.
I'm going to be thinking about this a lot now. The video does feel off, with a lot of conflicting narratives in it. Maybe if Taylor was seen in the narrative failing whilst doing the same things the man was doing, showing her frustration. Then something like the tennis match where she wins but the man freaks out and throws a tantrum. Idk it all does feel very 2017 social commentary.
i feel blessed to be this early love your videos man
really good video! i also had extremely weird feelings when i saw this video, and you really hammered out the reasons in a way i never did. also, really cool to see luxander involved in this :D
STAN RINA
it hadn't even ocurred to me that what taylor did in that video could be considered drag. this was a great video btw! you're so well-spoken and it's a delight to watch your analysis.
ps. i thought my youtube subscription page was glitching when it started showing the preview for this and mamamoo's um oh ah yeh appeared
Well that was a whole playlist I didn't ask for but definitely needed! Taylor Swift has never been my bag, and Gwen betrayed me deeply (and lyrically) when she left NoDoubt, but the rest of this was a musical adventure coupled with a really interesting discussion! Thanks for the fresh thoughts and musical suggestions. :D
I’m happy with how nuanced your take on this video is. I’ve been a Taylor Swift fan since I was a kid but something about this song doesn’t quite work for me. Honestly, I feel like the album tracks on Lover were much better than the singles/hits. I see her as an auteur who uses her detailed and personal lyrics to paint a picture of who Taylor is at the time. Sometimes it doesn’t work (Look What You Made Me Do) but other times it’s insightful (Style).
this is fantastic. Hard same on wishing I passed as well as Taylor in that costume lmao, that getup is wild.
the sbahj reference forced me into astral projection like in doctor strange
I love your eboy hair, it appears we got the same quarantine cut.
During your description of how you would redo the video, all I could think was: "Damn, I'd watch that for sure."
Hair looks good, since you asked.
Yes! You're back!
Very articulate, thoughtful take, thank you !
1:53 waS THaT a hOMeStucK
Def love all three of you and subbed to all. Amazing to see everyone collab on one piece!! Dylan, I'm really impressed and inspired by your insight, creativity, and technical skill💜Always love seeing you pop up in the recommended vids!!
I absolutely appreciate your discourse. I have also had these same emotions and the video fell flat for me as well.
My two new favourite youtubers in one video? Yes!!!
I like your hair! That's actually one of my favorite hair cuts on men and it looks good. You're very handsome! Great analysis. I think you summed up my feelings perfectly with Taylor's recent political videos about it coming across " like she's making her way through the backlog of politics she opted out of". This especially applies to 'You need to calm down' for me, felt very much 2010ish for me. Same with 'The Man' but to a lesser extent.
I loved the dialogue about what makes drag versus just a straightforward impersonation!
"cis people have genders too" I don't know, seems sus. Have they like, even seen a therapist about it? I'm just worried about them making a mistake they're going to regret later when they realise being cis is a phase.
i love this comment so much
I'm a simple man, I see Korviday and I hit the thumbs up.
Delightfully incisive. I never knew about this song until you dove into it
The joy I felt when I saw a new Boyform video on my feed jdjsjdnbd
ya hair looks dope. good vid
This music video makes me feel...a lot of things. Like, I thought The Man as a song was boring until that bridge hit and it's like two really good lyrics that really stand out. I liked the parody of the alpha male she did, the persona that most media is telling us to admire and relate to. But I do agree her messaging is confusing, portraying the man as both someone resented and someone loved. Honestly, I'm just glad that she has a message. As milk toast as it is, it sure still got a lot of people mad about it.
Another great video mr.form!
sorry im only a few mins in but im just so thankful the algorithm gave me a transguy, FINALLY some content i can actually relate to
1:53 are you kidding me, a homestuck reference ? a sb&hj reference ? yes please
Ill be back shortly (after listening to some music) glad to see you again :)
ty for comme des garcons, that was really good and I hadnt heard it :)
one thing that disappointed me about the music video was when i was listening to the song i expected her male counterpart to also be a popstar, but in the music video he's not? so it doesn't make any statements about how men are treated specifically in her line of work. in her documentary she makes a lot of interesting observations on how male popstars are treated vs female popstars so idk why she didn't take advantage of that
the fact that I knew most of the videos and had an emotional connection to them in some way or another, not really connected to if I like the song or not says something about my gender tho I'm not exactly sure what
This is a great video, thank you!
yeah like i think a cis straight woman often does a cis straight male impersonation, where that’s not the feel of a lot of king performances I’ve seen (done by any flavor of LGBT). I’m usually performing as an angsty genderfuck. I don’t even bind or tape usually, I mostly just use pasties. So I’m never trying to “pass” as cis. I’m just a fun masculine-ish entity. That being said that’s just me.. some kings are trans men or even cis men and have a different type of performance than I. But, yeah I think even when it comes to genderbending, if that’s an ok term still, cis people (especially cis straight people) will have a different meaning to that than people who are told that something about how they are their gender is wrong (LGBT people, bc in some way we’re all breaking the rules of what it means to be a Man or Woman, and obv if we’re not binary to begin with)
Both of my kings collaborating? I feel unworthy 😔🙏
Ikr??
really great discussion!
Wow, that costume was so well done!
Seeing stromae and Mamamoo.... Your taste is exquisite !!!!
The interesting thing about the song for me is that a lot of the things Taylor says she could do/get away with as a dude are things dudes shouldn’t bet away with. Like if she was a man she would be “the man”, but should anyone want to be “the man”? He seems like an asshole.
the music video was really uncomfortable to watch, for me. i went into it expecting taylor swift dressing in drag and talking about gender inequality, and instead got taylor swift dressing in drag and acting like a douchebag. aside from the total non-sequitur of the mv from the lyrics, it made me feel like, to taylor, the swagger and aggression and cruelty in the vid is all masculinity and maleness is - and the fear of turning into that, or being seen like that is what *i* used to talk myself out of transition. i dont think portraying All That as the only way men act helps anyone.
also taylor swift isnt even trans and she passes So Fucking Well :'(
It is easy to pass well when you have make up people, stylists, and wardrobe people, whose sole job at the time is to make you look good.
And yeah, I hated the video because it felt like the classic "if I was my oppressor then I would do the same shit" kind of gloating. Which is bafflingly common.
Why did piss shot remind me of Shrek?
I definitely agree that the music video comes off as somewhat confused; the mixed reactions from the background characters especially.
In your video, I was kind of confused by the mixing of the “drag or not drag” discussion into the crit of the video’s message. It was interesting for sure, but was it supposed to pertain to the effectiveness or goodness of “The Man”? Like, I don’t think she was claiming it was drag, and is drag inherently good gender content? The line between drag and impersonation is really fuzzy imo. In YNTCD, Jade Jolie is absolutely there doing a Taylor Swift Impression, and she’s also doing drag. I was also kind of surprised that Taylor being cis was brought up more than being probably straight-my impression of drag king stuff is that it tends to be more lesbians than trans men (though to be fair I have definitely seen a fair few nb drag kings.) Personally as a trans man I was intrigued by the transformation at first, then realized it isn’t something I felt connected to due to the temporaryness and...artifice I guess? Like a prosthetic face or muscle suit is definitely not something I want for myself.
I really like the idea of showing the two Taylors more throughout the video, especially since she has a history of doing that (You Belong With Me). However, it might be kind of hard to really show a contrast since Woman Taylor is in fact a very successful person. Idk I’m sure there would have been ways to do it though.
I liked seeing Mamamoo talked about here just cause I like their music lol. (btw their debut was actually in 2014 with Mr. Ambiguous!)
Anyway this was a pretty fun video to watch and interesting to think about. I really enjoy your channel.
Oh youre right!! I thought I remembered Mr. Ambiguous coming later, good catch!
I didn't intend to review the song so much, I'm not so much a music reviewer; I started the drag conversation because my thesis was "why do I and all the queer people I know feel uncomfortable and unable to relate to this song"; researching the thinkpieces that came out of the video always brought up drag if they were talking about the queer context at all.
Boyform makes sense! I hadn’t really thought to look up much discussion about the man before this video, so I guess I hadn’t realized how much drag was a part of the larger conversation around it.
Never thought I would see Mamamoo here.... this video has left me a lot to think about
As a drag queen, my opinion is that Taylor was 100% in drag. If she were a man dressed and acting like a woman for the entire video I don’t think it would even be a question. Although drag has many facets, in one of its most basic forms and definitions, drag is simply performing as the opposite gender. Taylor did that very convincingly.
That song playlist has some bangers
really incredible video, great writing and great editing! i feel like there's a lot of complicated feelings but if i could boil down my personal thoughts it'd be that i agree that despite the effort, it's shallow coming from someone who has these resources who didn't need to be a man to become successful and these videos like you need to calm down, at the end of the day- just come across as performative and inauthentic and missing the real root of these issues
eeeeeeyyyyyyyyyy nice haircut my dude
(also good video, i also found the mans politics shallow and dated. like thats 2015s discourse taylor honey keep up)
Great fucking video! I really like Korviday and I will be checking Lux's content :o)
comme de garcon slaps super hard tho
IT DOES
Taylor swift as the man looks like will menaker
Will's face ... but Felix's body
12:16 thats not mamamoos first single.... their first single was Piano Man over a year before um oh ah yah was thier second single off their second album. They were already a very established group and just starting to make their own creative decisions which is how a video like that was allowed. Sorry as a big kpop fan I had to add that.
I was surprised to see Mamamoo mentioned here
I'm so proud of myself for having watched all those music videos except Rina Sawayama's one. Time to catch up!
Good stuff!
This is just a honor to the men women love
Your hair looks nice
I guess this is an old video here, but just as an aside, the two Christine and the Queens videos you brought up (for "Nuit 17 a 52" and "5 Dollars") as examples of boy drag raised an eyebrow for me. I can see how Jo Calderone fits a classical idea of drag more, but wouldn't "Nuit 17 a 52" be more in line with Taylor's video, closer to acting (ie. Cate Blanchett) than any sort of gender commentary or exagerration? You even brought this up, so I curious what you felt like those videos had that Taylor's didn't, exactly. I kind of feel like this video needed to establish a stronger baseline of what we're comparing Taylor's video against. It's easy to see Kesha and Beyonce as in their own category of mainstream feminism and cis female gender commentary, but I didn't track with lumping in Lady Gaga and Christine and the Queens exactly. Idk, there's just a LOT of different artists and approaches touched on here, and it ended up feeling a little over simplified to me.
Also, I feel the need to mention that the character in "5 Dollars" is not a male drag character, but a butch woman. I was a little surprised you didn't make any distinction there. The video definitely has to do with male codes, but it's very much about owning them as a queer woman. If there is drag in 5 Dollars it would have more to do with class and wealth I think, which does have deep roots in drag performance. It actually might have been interesting to hear you talk more about class in relation to drag as more than just a dissonance with Taylor's status. I hope I didn't misrepresent any of your points, but tbh I just found this video hard to track with. I feel like you touched on a ton of interesting topics but I didn't find any point here to walk away with.
I heard a Luxander!
The hair is great
This discussion looks reeeeeally similar to the one feminists were having about Bad Bunny's video for "Yo perreo sola". The song is fine and i quite like it, but the video, although fun, i feel it's pandering to feminist causes that i don't think he can fully understand.
LOVE LOVE THE HAIR ,SUPER HOTT
I'M TOLD CIS PEOPLE HAVE GENDERS TOO XD
Your hair looks like mine. But shorter.
Matt Baume made a good video on Drug. As I understood, Drug is 1) form of self-expression 2) subversion of gender and gender norms 3) inversion of power dynamics, (as _I_ understood). So, man from swift’s video is none of this things - it’s not version of Taylor if she was man, she doesn’t subverts anything and she doesn’t become any more powerful by doing this.
I miss you dude
just a question: what does "mandem" mean?
It's English roadman slang for your group of friends
e.g; going to smoke up with the mandem
www.dictionary.com/e/slang/mandem/
I may be wrong abt it being cultural appropriation but I have only heard black Londoners say "mandem" outside of the Jessie J song. At the very least "do it like a brotha" is questionable and the WOC extras are framed questionably
@@rob0tt4rmy I've heard alot of pompey chavs saying it, put I wouldn't put appropriating black slang past any of them... Most chav slang has black roots really.
Handsome white male (like me) made me cackle, and your haircut looks great
It's so interesting to see how Taylor crafts a great Male impersonation, but have it be so stale and uninspired. Drag started out as "female impersonation" and celebrity impressions, but those old clips of that era of drag are definitely drag. I agree I think the fundamental flaw in Taylor's performance is that she just doesnt get it. A lot of people I know think drag and gendedbending is just to be as convincing a disguise as possible, and I'm always kind of surprised by how they can look at drag, and only have that as the takeaway.
Both "You need to calm down" and "The Man" felt really shallow and performative to me, but its frustrating that when you try to point out the issues, everyone just tells you to be thankful Taylor's bringing awareness and supporting these causes. So it was nice to hear your take on it, and hear you talk through some of the issues that I (as a transmasc individual) also had with The Man but that I wasnt really sure how to bring into words.
I also think Taylor doesn't acknowledge the privilege she as a rich, white, cis, individual holds, which is why a lot of her "activism" can feel so flat to other marginalized folks.
Like the hair love the video
The hair is FANTASTIC, the video's lovely. I'm always excited to see crossdressing, but it felt like something was missing, and I think you pretty much pinpointed what that was
I think you're super right about all of this. I've especially felt her kinda ineffectual feminist and lgbtq messaging, not to gain "clout" or "woke points" (ugh hate that term), but more to extract and continue to extract profit from lgbtq folks and feminist leaning girls. but maybe i'm coming too hard down on her because i never liked her music. Idk i just can't really connect with the mainstream big music production companies because i know the exploitation they do and the stranglehold they have on Intellectual property as a legal concept. They've thrown their weight around in such harmful ways causing ridiculous lawsuits all to extract wealth out of each other in the name of "protecting the artist". Profit motive is toxic and harmful and stifles creation.
Anyway, fuck the big record labels, fuck capitalism, fuck profit motive, and may those who've died at the hands of the state receive justice and may their memories be a blessing.
I like your energy but I'd be careful equating Taylor Swift the individual with "big music production companies" because Taylor has unquestionably been a victim of those practices (google Taylor Swift Scooter Braun) and despite being "apolitical" for years she has consistently advocated for artists' rights (google Taylor Swift Apple Music letter). You're right about the mainstream media machine and I'm not trying to let Taylor off the hook (I just grilled her for 25 minutes). Bur we can be critical of an artist's work and message without equating a songwriter with the label that manages them.
@@rob0tt4rmy Boyform true true. That was unfair of me. I guess I still end up feeling like listening to the music that these companies own perpetuates and is an endorsement of their practices, directly funding them. If TSwift got out of her contract and went to self publishing I would 100% give her music more of a chance.
For me harmful practices are a really big deal and it honestly contributes to my mental health issues (lol oof) but idk it just seems like she could have a lot of power not just to lobby slowly for better treatment from within the system but to make some serious changes while not participating in and benefiting from the harmful system.
the extras reacting negatively is the point. he's going to upset a bunch of people but still get away with it because he's the man. how is this stale? pointing out sexism is stale?
All the celebrity women she showed in the video, all convinced you that they were dressing in these sexual ways for their own self expression and empowerment. You now felt empowered by emulating the behaviour they were paid to influence you into.
(I'm transmasculine) I definitely see this as drag, I think you just felt uncomfortable because it feels like appropriation by a cishet person, I felt that way too. Though it's debated whether Taylor was coming out as bisexual in her You Need To Calm Down video, which makes me wonder, if she is bisexual, would it still feel like appropriation and would I still feel uncomfortable by it? I don't know.
Yes because being bisexual doesn't automatically mean that you're trans. The two are not exclusive.
Also, no, Taylor was probably not "coming out" in the "You Need To Calm Down" video. That was just another lazy ploy at allyship by attempting to compare her "haters" with LGBTQ+ oppression. Basically: "It's all about ME... oh and the gays, but mainly ME!!"
As someone who is bi and nonbinary, I'm tired of this white girl with her thin vocals and pigeontoed dancing attempting to play the role of ally so late in the game, simply because she has a large LGBTQ+ audience for some unknowable reason, and she finally figured out she can make money off them through lazy representation because we're so straved for it, many will still devour scraps and call it a four-course dinner because they still think we need to be grateful any time the heteros and cis acknowledge our existence.
@@cannibalisticrequiem You don't need to be trans to do drag - in fact, many people who do drag are not trans. She isn't appropriating
There's also the fact that straight, cis, conventionally attractive, middle-class white women benefit the most from affirmative action.
My main take away from this is how good TS looks as a guy. bruh. As always I really appreciate your in depth analysis.
It feels more like she's revealing her shadow self. Like a confession, that is actually who she'd be as a man........which is...........probably accurate...................... :/
I like the hair! Very Leon from Resident Evil.
Gwen with Harajukus is cringey AF
Hooo-boy is it ever!
I think I get what was the intention but seeing Taylor act in super femme ways while dressing like that would have a so much cooler video.