Taylor Swift’s single Shake It Off is a commentary on what she thinks other people think of her. The first line of the song is: “I stay out too late, got nothing in my brain, that’s what people say.” Swift released the song’s video today. It features Swift in a montage of music video scenarios. By mocking different dance genres – from ballet to breakdancing – Swift dresses each part and then adds a goofy move or expression to note that she’s not like the rest, or she can’t abide by the rules or stereotypes associated with other artists. She plays ridiculously inept in the modern dance ensemble, and plays curiously lost as she crawls under the spread legs of women twerking in short shorts (a jab at Miley Cyrus). The best dancing happens when Taylor is out of the frame. But Taylor fans, looking at the news, are realizing there are some things you can’t shake off.
Hillary Crosley of Jezebel pointed out the poor timing of the Shake It Off video release—while President Obama was addressing the nation to discuss the protest and police conduct surrounding the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. “Problem is this week is rife with crappy real news that is a stark contrast to her simple pop song,” wrote Crosley. But what week isn’t?
