Opinion | Time to reevaluate the Swiftie identity if we can’t agree on changing that line

A year ago, I wrote a column about how Taylor Swift should change the sexist lyric of her song “Better Than Revenge” when she rerecords it. And I’m happy to report that, as of last Friday, there is a new lyric. Where Swift used to sing, “She’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress,” she now sings in her rerecorded version, “He was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches.” Not only has Swift eliminated the slut shaming line, but she’s also replaced it with a poetically clever one. Anna — one, misogyny — zero. Actually, misogyny still has many points. But Anna won this round. 

For years, Swift has been on a soapbox about sexism and slut shaming and the ways people come after her because she’s a woman. The previous line blatantly shamed a girl for her supposed sexual behavior. If Swift hadn’t changed the lyric, she would have been a hypocrite — the alteration was a necessary one. But not all Swifties see this, and honestly, I think this whole situation might be a wake-up call for Swiftie culture. 

For months, I’ve watched Swifties threaten to stream the “stolen version” — meaning, the original version — if Swift changed the lyric. Even before “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” was announced, people would joke that feminism was canceled if Swift dared change the “mattress” line. And now here we are, with a new line, and surprise! Many Swifties aren’t happy. Scroll through @taylornation’s comments or @pittswifties’s story, and you’ll see. People are mad. To them, losing this line is losing a part of the Swiftie identity. 

But why are we aligning ourselves with a sexist line? Why do so many of us feel so strongly about this? I know that growing up with this line, discovering its sexism and then listening to it anyway has been something many of us Swifties have gone through together. For myself, I vividly remember the moment I finally realized what that line meant. I didn’t understand it until a friend explained it to me at summer camp when I was thirteen, four years after I started listening to it. 

Coming to terms with the cognitive dissonance of listening to this song while supporting Taylor’s burgeoning feminism is a common Swiftie experience. We cope by joking that we sacrifice feminism when this song comes on. But did we really need to continue doing that with Taylor’s version? Is that “mattress” line really that worth it? 

It seems we’ve all become so attached to this struggle that we forgot it was a struggle. 

Obviously it can be jarring and uncomfortable to get used to a new line, but isn’t it jarring to get used to the new sound on every song? Because they aren’t all exactly the same once they’re rerecorded. Drums are pitched slightly differently, vocals are mixed slightly differently and Swift’s voice has matured. These are all changes we adjust to. Why do we give this lyric change such a hard time, when its change is not just a chance difference, but a morally motivated decision? 

Swift tries her best to stand for the right things. This is why many of us, myself included, have stood by her and identified as Swifties for all these years. But we are not coming together as a group to support her as she sticks her neck out to make this change. In fact, many people are ridiculing her for it and choosing to stream the stolen version. Can we really have faith in our identity as Swifties if we aren’t supporting Swift when she does the right thing? And for myself, I ask — is this really a group I want to identify with?

I mean, it’s not as if Swifties don’t have a history of harassing people on the internet. I watched and cringed as Swifties berated Jake Gyllenhaal after the release of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” in fall of 2021. Listen — I don’t really think the guy is that great either. I’m sure he sucks. Whatever. But did anyone actually have any reason to harass him like that? Everything we think we know about Swift’s experience with him was speculation. It was narratives that people made up on the internet. Whether or not he truly is a bad person, none of us can really say, so there’s no solid basis for starting an internet bullying campaign against him. 

This is why, three weeks ago, Swift warned her fans against such behavior. “I’m not putting this album out so you can go on the Internet and defend me against someone you think I wrote a song about,” she said at her concert in Minneapolis before playing her song “Dear John,” which is speculated to be about John Mayer. Usually Swift opts to stay quiet on matters like this, so for her to say anything was surprising and sent a clear message — she sees Swiftie behavior as a problem, too. And don’t get me wrong — I resent John Mayer for dating a 19-year-old too, but sending him death threats in Swift’s name just isn’t going to accomplish anything useful, and that’s why Swift spoke out. 

I’ll be honest, I didn’t actually expect Swift to change that line. Even when writing my column about it a year ago, I kept thinking that no one would agree with me. And while my friends expressed support, whenever I went online, all I saw were comments about how she shouldn’t change the song. 

Internet comments are never a good metric of true public feeling. Loud people want to be loud. People who feel very strongly about something are going to yell about it, and people who feel moderately about something will behave normally and not post about it on the internet. But it was still hard not to believe that all the aggressive comments I read didn’t represent everyone, and then I concluded that Swift wouldn’t change the lyric. And then, happily, I was wrong. 

Swift will definitely lose some listeners for it. Some people will still listen to the original version, like they threaten to in their comments. But frankly, it would have been really gross if Swift had continued to berate a girl for her supposed sex life. If Swifties really think they deserve to continue Swift’s regrettable legacy of slut shaming someone, then something has gone very wrong, and we all need a wake up call. 

I know it’s hard to deal with change, and I know it had become fun to defend that song. But we all, as Swifties, need to quit it with the belligerent indignation. The change Swift made aligns with the values that she has made part of her brand, and we all need to support her making a moral, rather than financial, choice. And never listen to the stolen versions. And please stop bullying people on the internet. 

Anna Ehlers listens to Taylor Swift religiously. You can reach her at ane45@pitt.edu.