If I Was The Man, Then I’d Be The Man: An Essay Inspired by Taylor Swift
An analytical-but-personal essay inspired by Taylor Swift’s song “The Man” and navigating a seemingly male-dominated music industry.
I n 2019, one of the most successful female artists of the century, Taylor Swift, released her seventh studio album Lover . However, it was only Swift’s first record she owned the full rights to. While it is true that Swift is not the only major artist to not own control of her entire catalog of masters — unless she rerecords each album , — she was notably receiving little-to-no support from her male musical peers.
It was only the other current female artists in the industry using their voices and standing up for her, Halsey and Lily Allen being just a few of the women rallying for Swift. Yet, when looking around at the discourse on the internet, predominantly on Twitter between white cisgender men, it’s these three chart-topping female artists (of many) that endure a slew of hatred online.
You might be asking, well, what do they all have in common? The answer lies in tracks with similar themes that present themselves, with descriptions of toxicity still present in all aspects of the music industry today. Whether it’s occurring or noticeable to your eyes, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Allen’s “URL Badman” was released in 2014, yet still rings true. Allen, while she does namecheck Pitchfork, speaks about a concept that expands to the music journalism field as a whole.
As Guardian journalist Laura Snapes recently shared, “The music industry is so profoundly toxic and resistant to change, it feels unethical to participate in it at all sometimes.” When even independent record labels are engaging in a toxic Twitter discourse through now-deleted tweets, that’s when we should all be aware that something seriously needs to change.
Speaking of Halsey, “929,” from her new album, includes the line, “ They said, ‘Don’t meet your heroes. They’re all fucking weirdos.’ God knows that they were right ,” which could arguably apply to a slew of bands in the #MeToo era being exposed for misconduct — some alleged, some confirmed. Nevertheless, accusations should be taken seriously, as the saying goes, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” It still fell, even if you weren’t listening or don’t believe that it did.
As for Swift, she has been the recent example and arguably, the bluntest, at portraying this disparity in the music industry on her latest Lover single “The Man.”
Swift writes from the perspective of how her life would be incredibly different if she were a man in music.
I would be complex I would be cool They’d say I played the field before I found someone to commit to And that would be okay For me to do Every conquest I had made Would make me more of a boss to you I’d be a fearless leader I’d be an alpha type When everyone believes ya What’s that like?
Watch: “the man” – taylor swift.
She faces these double standards head-on in her self-directed music video for “The Man,” donning prosthetics to become the man. Swift, as an embodiment of male privilege in the video, manspreads on the subway, surrounds themselves with models on a yacht, and is literally high-fived after leaving a one night stand. The man, in his eyes, can do no wrong.
After all, she’s experienced these double standards firsthand. If you analyzed charting male songs about relationships to the backlash they received about writing them, it would be near to non-existent. However, if Swift, a woman in her 20s at the time of songs like “Dear John” and “Back To December,” dates a typical amount of men and writes songs, it becomes punchlines for award shows on national television.
They’d say I hustled, put in the work, They wouldn’t shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve What I was wearing, if I was rude, Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves
Now slowly approaching my twentieth birthday, I have spent years working in various aspects of this industry since I was fifteen. Yes, it is true that there are a few good dudes out there that are focused on bettering the collective industry as a whole, compared to just the individual self. Notably, Ross Martin from the defunct UQ Music , Ariel Bitran, and Atwood Magazine ’s own Mitch Mosk.
However, there are other male peers I’ve encountered along the way, that as I’ve become more self-aware, I’ve become disillusioned by their inability to use their platforms to create change of any magnitude, especially if they have a large influence on social media. No matter what area of the music industry you work in, there is always room to grow and call for change, notably white cis males standing up and supporting those who are different than themselves.
Just last month, 98 KCQ, a Michigan-based country radio station, tweeted, “ We cannot play two females back to back. Not even Lady Antebellum or Little Big Town against another female .” This brought a larger conversation about women in the country music industry to the forefront, with heavy-hitters like Kacey Musgraves and Kelsea Ballerini joining in. This is best described in a brilliant and well-written article by Chris Willman about the situation. With a toxicity towards women in this musical subsection that’s been present long before the Dixie Chicks, it’s no wonder Swift made the switch to pop radio in an attempt to gain the respect she deserves.
Even with country radio being a smaller part of a current and relevant conversation about a woman’s place in the music industry, the men I knew who worked and performed in this specific subsection never said a word about it — neither for or against. Nor did they say a word in November of last year, when Jennifer Nettles arrived at the Country Music Awards with a cape that read, “ Play our f—-in records, please and thank you .”
Instead, they used their social platform and place in the industry to heavily promote their own record (a collaborative duet between two men), and I found myself increasingly disappointed and losing respect in them.
As Swift notes in her newly premiered Netflix documentary “Miss Americana,” she constantly was told regarding her place as, “A nice girl doesn’t force their opinions on people. A nice girl smiles and says thank you.” Yet, in an industry that as Swift describes as one that puts famous, yet successful, ladies in an “elephant graveyard by the time they’re 35,” when, in a career as a woman in music, do we cross the threshold of being “nice” and become someone worthy of respect?
I’ve urged other male writers I know to speak up about things that are happening, specifically the Reading and Leeds lineup debacle as one example. His response was one of, “Well, I support some women,” followed by a few paragraphs of mansplaining about money and indie publications, that I refused to open the can of worms into responding to before I could clearly articulate my thoughts.
If you are praising underground independent female artists, but tearing down chart-topping, mainstream ones, such as Swift, Halsey, and Allen from previous examples, in the same breath, that is not a pure and complete respect of women in the industry who went through consistent trials and tribulations to get to that success level. They tell us, “Respect your elders,” and in some exceptions, I do. Yet, at what point as a woman in music, do your elders start to respect you?
A few months ago, I attended a show for a New York-based band that I had been interested in working with and learning the business aspect of things. The members consisted of all men in their early twenties, older than myself, but not by much. Other attendees at the concert consisted of their manager and various attendees at the Bushwick venue that night. However, once their manager met a male music journalist from Kerrang! , he didn’t speak to me again.
The second red flag and reduction I felt from the group that helped me decide to officially cut ties, came from their lead singer, who texted me a few days after their show, inquiring if I could write a “pretty little article” for them. I suppose this is that article he wanted — not little, but hopefully he finds it pretty. As for the Kerrang! writer at this gig, I gave him my email when he asked. Needless to say, it’s been months of silence, so the disheartening feeling has subsided.
When it comes to the subsection of music journalism within the larger scheme of the industry, I am aware of the certain privileges I have operating the field as a white woman, however, it has still been a process filled with reductive experiences from men. While working as a booking intern at a New York concert venue, a drunk performer in a spin-off group, formed by a member of an iconic band, unaware of my internship status, inappropriately attempted to invite a clearly underage (X’s on each hand) girl to an “afterparty,” only to have his advances blatantly rejected.
If I was out flashing my dollars, I’d be a bitch, not a baller. They’d paint me out to be bad, So it’s okay that I’m mad
Swift’s lyricism within “the man” feels not only like a long time coming in terms of her personal experiences, but also a breath of fresh air..
It’s a spot-on description of how many women in this music industry — or any male-dominated industry, for that matter, feel. It’s a social commentary about double standards and working-hard-but-getting-nowhere, that makes it all the better option to become Lover ’s next single. It’s a song and a music video release that dig into something deeper than themselves. Not only does the song have an already universal relatability because of its themes, but as a single, “The Man” will hopefully, reach and inspire the young women in the next generation in the same way. It will also, hopefully, inspire at least some men in the music industry to make some serious changes within themselves. In the meantime, the rest of us ladies will keep on running as fast as we can…
Connect to Taylor Swift on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram
Discover new music on atwood magazine, roundtable discussion: a review of taylor swift’s ‘lover’, welcome to the new era of taylor swift, taylor swift’s “lover” is dramatic and dazzlingly romantic, “ the man “, a music video by taylor swift, an album by taylor swift.
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‘The Man’: Taylor’s feminism could go so much further
Taylor Swift’s ‘The Man’ promotes the idea of women being given the same standards as men, we should instead focus on not making ‘alpha male’ the standard
By Dana Fahadi, University of Melbourne
I’m going to say at the outset, I am a Taylor Swift fan. She is my Goddess and I am one of the millions of very excited Swifties going to her Eras Tour.
Taylor is known for her brilliant songwriting talent – something she’s been recognised for by becoming the first artist to win the Grammy for album of the year for the fourth time .
On top of her feel-good, self-loving and fun songs, she frequently incorporates social and political commentary into them.
You only need to think of ‘ You Need to Calm Down ’, ‘ Only the Young ’ and ‘ The Man’ .
‘The Man’ came out in 2019, as a part of her seventh studio album, Lover . In this song, Taylor addresses gender bias, namely how it manifests in the workplace and its disproportionate impact on women .
The official music video for ‘The Man’ features Tyler Swift – an ‘alpha’ male persona that Taylor adopts – who struts with hypermasculine traits like aggressiveness, entitlement complex, excess and promiscuity.
Swiftposium 2024
The message of the song and video is that while women like Taylor Swift face criticism and judgement for behaviour like this, men’s behaviour is normalised and even praised by society standards and values.
‘The Man’ reflects the idea that women need to ‘rise’ to a certain standard to be regarded as valuable as men. But this standard has always been determined by men.
And so we find ourselves walking right into the ‘hegemonic masculinity’ trap on our way to break the glass ceiling.
Hegemonic masculinity , a term coined and developed by Australian sociologist R.W. Connell , is a masculinity built on domination over women, as well as a sense of superiority over other men who do not have certain qualities of what we know better as the alpha male : think aggressive, powerful, physically strong, natural-born leaders, having no interests in their own or other people’s feelings, the breadwinner. You get the picture.
Other features of hegemonic masculinity include being part of the dominant social groups: heterosexual, cisgender, upper/middle-class, Caucasian, citizens of the Global North, and the list goes on.
But what does Taylor have to say about this?
“I would be complex, I would be cool, they’d say I played the field before I found someone to commit to, and that would be okay for me to do, every conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to you
I’d be a fearless leader, I’d be an alpha type
When everyone believes ya, what’s that like?”
'Dear John': Taylor's responsibility to her Swifties
Taylor’s lyrics describe what is rewarded in the capitalist-liberalist society we live in. She sings about ruthlessness, the ‘fearless leader’, ‘conquests’ and ‘playing the field’.
Because men are encouraged to have these qualities, she says, women should be too – instead of being shamed for them.
“They’d say I hustle, put in the work, they wouldn’t shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve
What I was wearing, if I was rude, could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves
…If I was out flashin’ my dollar, I’d be a bitch not a baller…”
Her lyrics are consistent with the concept of neoliberal feminism, which is the main -ism of feminism promoted in mainstream media and popular culture. The influential 2019 book Feminism for the 99% argues that (neo)liberal feminism is based on the notion of “ leaning in ” and “cracking the glass ceiling”.
Neoliberal feminism supports the capitalism agenda by creating more opportunities, in areas like education and a career, for women who ultimately would still make the ‘one per cent’ the principal beneficiaries.
In a capitalist society, productive work is valued more than reproductive work.
A woman needs to be ruthless and aggressive in the workplace and play by the men’s rules to even be given a chance to advance.
'Fearless': How Taylor Swift is owning her narrative
My view is that neoliberal feminism has created an illusion of liberation , while really, it’s just another form of oppression.
In the eyes of the 99 per cent, instead of fighting to erase social hierarchy, (neo)liberal feminism simply diversifies the social hierarchy itself, ‘empowering’ socially advantageous women to rise to the top and leaving the ‘others’ stuck at the bottom.
‘Others’ here refer to working class, ethnic, racial and linguistic diverse women, as well those of other minority groups.
In other words, neoliberal feminism is just hegemonic masculinity in a cloak.
“I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man
And I’m so sick of them coming at me again, ‘cause if I was a man, then I’d be the man"
For me, lyrics like this promote qualities that are destructive instead of nurturing, competitive instead of collaborative, fostering a ‘law of the jungle’ mentality.
It assumes that everybody starts from the same starting point, while in reality, some are given much more of a head start than others as part of a more privileged social group.
While it is important to address the issues faced by women like Swift – cisgender, straight, middle-class, able-bodied, neurotypical, ethnically and socially-privileged women – it is even more necessary to prioritise autonomy and social protection from an oppressive system to try and improve the quality of life of the “other” women.
And Taylor could be leading the charge.
Swiftposium is an academic conference for scholars discussing the impact of Taylor Swift. It runs at the University of Melbourne from 11-13 February 2024 with public events on Sunday 11 February and recordings of the keynote presentations available online after the conference.
Banner: Taylor Swift performing her ‘Lover Era’ in California/Getty Images
Song Meanings and Facts
Taylor Swift
“the man” by taylor swift.
by SMF · Published August 25, 2019 · Updated February 27, 2020
“The Man” is a brilliant tune in which Taylor Swift is using the issue of double standards in the entertainment industry and indeed society as a whole to both criticize sexism whilst simultaneously bigging herself up.
Concerning sexism, she points out the hypocrisy whereas it is considered okay and to some degree even applauded when male performers live promiscuous lifestyles. However, if one of their female counterparts were to live likewise, her actions would not be approved. Also, if Taylor was out bragging about getting paid, as many popular male vocalists, she, being a woman, would be labeled with an unprintable word. Overall the idea she is alluding to is that it is okay in the eyes of the masses for male celebrities to display controversial sides of their characters. Moreover, she seems to be also acknowledging the existence of a glass ceiling which inhibits women from reaching certain levels of success in the entertainment field.
She brings this point home most-metaphorically by stating that if she “ was a man ” then she “ would be the man ”. What Taylor is basically saying is that if she were a male instead of a female, she would be on top of the music industry. And this reality would be due to Tay Tay being unbiasedly acknowledged for all of the work and sacrifices she has made to reach the top of her craft. Another major point this is meant to illustrate is that Taylor Swift does not approve of being judged based on her sensual activities, since male entertainers are generally exempt from such scrutiny.
So once again, “The Man” is based on there being a strong-sexist double standard in the entertainment industry as well as in society at large. The existence of this norm has caused Taylor to pretty much conclude that there will be certain echelons she will never be able to reach in the field. But that is not due to lack of effort or accomplishment on her part. Indeed if the situation were reversed and she were a male instead of female, her selfsame actions would be exalted and put on a pedestal.
Writing and Production Credits of “The Man”
Taylor Swift and her steady musical companion, Joel Little, both wrote and produced “The Man”.
Release Date
The song came out on the 23rd of August 2019. It was part of Taylor Swift’s famed album Lover .
Did Taylor release “The Man” as a single?
No. Below are the official singles Taylor released from her Lover album:
- “ Me! ”
- “ You Need to Calm Down “
- “ Lover “
Is there an official music video?
Yes, there is. You can view it below:
Related posts:
- Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” Lyrics Meaning
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- Taylor Swift’s “Paper Rings” Lyrics Meaning
- “False God” by Taylor Swift
- “London Boy” by Taylor Swift
- “Soon You’ll Get Better” by Taylor Swift (ft. Dixie Chicks)
- “I Think He Knows” by Taylor Swift
- “Daylight” by Taylor Swift
- “Afterglow” by Taylor Swift
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Analyzing the Empowering Message of "The Man" by Taylor Swift
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