Note: none of this actually matters.
If you have the Internet, you may have heard that there is a war going on between two camps: one headed by Taylor Swift, the other by Kanye and Kim Kardashian West. Basically, Taylor Swift is pissed about some lyrics in Kanye’s song “Famous,” but Kimye (referring to Kim and Kanye as a team) alleges that Kanye told Swift about the lyrics, she gave her approval, and is therefore a liar and a snake and all these awful things.
What really escalated things was when Kim released audio recordings of Kanye and Taylor talking about the song. According to Kimye, this proved that Taylor’s outrage was fake and that she knew what the song would be about. But here’s the detail that everyone is missing: Taylor took issue with one specific line: “I made that bitch famous.” BUT– crucially– even on the dubiously released phone conversations, Kanye never told Taylor about that specific line!
To recap: Taylor was pissed about said line. Kim and Kanye went in on her, saying she knew what the song was going to be about and released taped conversations. But there were no conversations about that line in question that Taylor took issue with! It was a Kimye bluff, and everyone fell for it.
Now, let’s break down why Taylor Swift was offended by that line: “I made that bitch famous.” The reasons are two-fold. First, he called her a bitch. For some reason, rappers are given a free pass when it comes to sexist and misogynistic lyrics. But if a woman takes issue with being called a sexist and derogatory slur, she is more than entitled to do so.
How are so many people missing that point? Yes, Kanye has poetic license to use whatever words he chooses, but if you call a woman a bitch, she has the right to be upset by that.
Secondly, and perhaps even more crucially, was Kanye’s lyrical assertion that he made Taylor Swift famous. This is where the sexism goes into overdrive. Here is a man saying that his shitty actions (specifically when he stormed the VMA stage in 2009 trying to take an award away from Swift) are what made an incredibly successful woman famous. He is trying to take credit for this woman’s success. And calls her a bitch while doing so.
(It’s important to note that prior to the infamous 2009 VMA’s, Taylor Swift was a global superstar who has toured the world, sold millions of records, and connected with millions of fans. She made herself famous, by the merits of her songwriting abilities. Kanye West did not, in fact, make that bitch famous.)
In summation, Taylor Swift was doubly justified in being pissed off at a monumentally sexist line. Kimye used smoke and mirrors to fake a backstory and make Taylor look like a liar, when in fact, it was the Kardashian-Wests doing the lying.
Again, none of this really matters, but it was very frustrating that everyone seemed to be missing such a crucial detail in this feud.
Now back to reality!
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