'Fat' scale edited out of Taylor Swift music video after backlash
Less than one week after its release, a controversial moment from one of Taylor Swift's latest videos has been removed, at least on one platform.
Swift's music video for the song "Anti-Hero" has been edited on Apple Music to excise a shot that sparked accusations of fatphobia, Vulture reports.
A scene in the video sees Swift step on a scale, which reads "FAT," as another version of Swift stands next to her and shakes her head. The Midnights singer has opened up in the past about her struggles with an eating disorder.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But some took issue with the moment and described it as fatphobic. "Fat people don't need to have it reiterated yet again that it's everyone's worst nightmare to look like us," one tweet read, drawing more than 42,000 likes.
In the version of the video available on Apple Music, the scene has been edited so we no longer see what the scale says, though the other version of Swift still shakes her head after looking down at it. The original version of the video with the "FAT" scale is still available on YouTube at the time of this writing.
Some had come to Swift's defense amid the backlash, including the hosts of The View.
"She was describing a personal experience, and quite frankly, it's a personal experience that a lot of women experience," co-host Sunny Hostin said, while Whoopi Goldberg agreed, "She's an artist. Let her do her thing."
-
Political cartoons for January 11Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include green energy, a simple plan, and more
-
The launch of the world’s first weight-loss pillSpeed Read Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have been racing to release the first GLP-1 pill
-
Maduro’s capture: two hours that shook the worldTalking Point Evoking memories of the US assault on Panama in 1989, the manoeuvre is being described as the fastest regime change in history
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
A postapocalyptic trip to Sin City, a peek inside Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour, and an explicit hockey romance in December TVthe week recommends This month’s new television releases include ‘Fallout,’ ‘Taylor Swift: The End Of An Era’ and ‘Heated Rivalry’
-
Taylor Swift’s Showgirl: Much glitter, little goldFeature Swift’s new album has broken records, but critics say she may have gotten herself creatively stuck
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
A Taylor Swift analysis, the digital-addiction solution plus what it means to be a gay Black artist — all in October booksThe Week Recommends This month's new releases include ‘Taylor’s Version’ by Stephanie Burt, ‘Enshittification’ by Cory Doctorow and ‘Minor Black Figures’ by Brandon Taylor
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
