Taylor Swift hit the Internet hard last week with the release of her sci-fi inspired music video for “…Ready For It?”, which is the second single off of her upcoming album, Reputation. Immediately upon the videos release, Swifties everywhere were left meticulously putting together the clues Taylor so carefully laid out for them, and to be honest, many of them we didn’t even catch onto right away!
At its core, many Taylor fans believe the song is mainly about Taylor’s current boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn, so it’s no surprise that Taylor had some possible references to her beau pop up several times throughout the vid. In one frame, on the walls behind her are the numbers “89” and “91,” which just so happen to be both of their birth years. Also, Joe’s name pops up a little later on in the video as well, when Taylor walks past a neon sign that spells out “Joseph” in Chinese (Note: this can also be a reference to the video’s director, Joseph Kahn).
There are many additional hints that relate back to Tay’s BF, including one frame where she types in numbers that correspond to his birthday, but despite all of the Joe Alwyn references, the video actually has a much deeper meaning. In fact, the song paired with the visuals led fans to uncover an entirely new theme that they wouldn’t necessary pick up on by just listening to the song itself.
So, what exactly is the theme? In the video, a caged Taylor (who represents the real Taylor) is standing face-to-face with the Taylor the media has created based on lies and exaggerations. Ultimately, the real Taylor breaks free from her cage and destroys the Taylor who has earned a bad, quote-on-quote, “reputation” over the years because of the sense of powerlessness the media has thrust upon her.
At the end of the video, the real, authentic Taylor is seen with a single tear streaming down her face. Finally, she is free, and despite all of the drama and celeb-on-celeb feuds she’s been involved with over the course of her career, in the end she was the only one who was able to free herself from the lies spun by the media. Maybe, just maybe, this music video was Tay’s way of letting the media know she’s not going allow it to go on any longer. She’s done with her bad reputation, and now she’s back and stronger than ever to show us who she really is, and what she’s really capable of.
… Are you ready for it?
Check out the music video below and let us know your theories in the comments, or tweet us @soundigest!
