Taylor Swift eviscerates Netflix over ‘lazy, deeply sexist’ jokes at her expense
Taylor Swift attends the 2020 Sundance Film Festival – “Miss Americana” Premiere at Eccles Center Theatre on 23 January 2020 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Taylor Swift has hit out at Netflix show Ginny & Georgia over a sexist joke about her dating history.
The “folklore” singer has been dogged by sexist coverage of her personal life throughout her career, and has been repeatedly mocked for having dated a number of high-profile men.
Swift’s dating history was turned into a joke yet again in an episode of Netflix’s new series Ginny & Georgia. In the season finale, Ginny Miller (Antonia Gentry), a teenager, argues with her mother Georgia (Brianne Howey) about her relationships.
When Georgia mistakenly thinks Ginny has broken up with her boyfriend, Ginny replies: “What do you care? You go through men faster than Taylor Swift.”
Taylor Swift fans have lambasted the show on social media for the joke, with many criticising it for its overt sexism. The hashtag #RespectTaylorSwift began trending worldwide as the backlash intensified.
Taylor Swift urged Netflix to ‘stop degrading hard-working women’
Swift responded to the backlash on Twitter on Monday (1 March), writing: “Hey Ginny & Georgia, 2010 called and it wants its lazy, deeply sexist joke back,” alongside a screen grab of the joke.
“How about we stop degrading hard-working women by defining this horse s**t as FuNnY.
“Also, Netflix after Miss Americana this outfit doesn’t look cute on you,” she wrote, referring to the 2020 documentary about her life and career which was released on the streaming platform.
“Happy Women’s History Month I guess,” she added.
The streaming giant has not yet responded to Swift’s comments. PinkNews has contacted Netflix for comment.
Taylor Swift fans have roundly criticised Netflix for using the joke, with many questioning why misogynistic content is making its way into television series in 2021.
hi @netflix this is something funny, just in case… seems like you need it pic.twitter.com/ybQbNOagx1
— amira (taylor’s version) ? (@amitoowell131) March 1, 2021
it's 2021 and there are people who still thinks "Taylor made her career off of her exes" no she made it because she's talented & one of the best songwriters…..it was fun while it lasted but misogyny is unacceptable now
RESPECT TAYLOR SWIFT pic.twitter.com/HTkQnPTILP— TS⁷ (@micdroptay) March 1, 2021
Others have heaped praise on Swift for calling out the series for its sexist joke.
yes queen SPEAK ?️ https://t.co/yPLZvm2BoV pic.twitter.com/U39qBrgWL7— zeynep but taylor's version¹³ (@icontaylor13) March 1, 2021
Other fans drew attention to all the television shows that have managed to make jokes referencing Taylor Swift that didn’t descend into drab sexism.
TV shows mentioning Taylor Swift in a respectful way: pic.twitter.com/S4DlZcBnay— Kusum?? (@fearlesstaylena) March 1, 2021
Swift, who has been in a relationship with actor Joe Alwyn since 2017, has addressed how the media discusses her relationships and her art on several occasions in the past.
Speaking to Maxim in 2015, she pointed out that a man writing about his feelings might be deemed “brave”, while a woman doing the same was “oversharing”.
In an interview with Australian radio station 2DayFM the previous year, she hit back at the claim that she only writes songs about her ex-partners.
“No one says that about Ed Sheeran. No one says that about Bruno Mars,” she said. “Frankly, that is a very sexist angle to take.”
She added: “I have a really strict personal policy that I never name names. So anybody saying that a song is about a specific person is purely speculating.”
