Earl Sweatshirt and a number of other Twitter users have accused ‘s new video for “Shake It Off” of being racist. In the video, Swift pokes fun at her own image by taking on a number of personas, including a Lady Gaga knockoff, a ballet dancer, a cheerleader and a rapper. She’s also shown surrounded by young black dancers in booty shorts twerking over her. Although Swift is attempting to mock herself in the video, the tween idol has managed to outrage quite a few people.
Some critics and fans are angry about Swift’s appropriation of black culture, including Sweatshirt, who said she is, “perpetuating black stereotypes to the same demographic of white girls who hide their prejudice by proclaiming their love of the culture.”
The Twitter community quickly took aim at the video; here are just a few of the tweets expressing their outrage.
for instance, those of you who are afraid of black people but love that in 2014 it’s ok for you to be trill or twerk or say nigga
— EARL (@earlxsweat)
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Taylor swift so ignorant and whats sad is she dont even know how racist that video is.
— Yung $aavage $tunna (@Markis_Apollo)
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And, seriously, how did Taylor Swift’s PR people NOT say “Maybe we should save this racist video for a time where…
— Mary Cyn (@sadisticseraph)
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taylor swift tried to play the “quirky white girl who can’t fit in!” and all she accomplished was being ridiculously racist
— susan (@queerreid)
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Aww, cute!!! Taylor Swift made a mockery of black culture and black womanhood in her new music video! What a sweet, absolutely racist phase.
— nez (@nezariel)
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Taylor Swift seems like the type of person to say “i’m not racist, i’ve had three black people in my house before!”
— Sex FÃ bregas (@abake6)
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To white teenage Taylor Swift fangirls who are saying her video isn’t racist & offensive: you don’t get to decide what’s racist & offensive!
— Bex Thomas (@BexThomas92)
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why are white girls ballerinas and the ones that twerk black thats racist af
— mashycomehometome (@KhanjanPandya16)
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Stephanie March is a Denver-based writer and new contributor at Reverb.
