Taylor Swift battles her reputation in ' . . . Ready For It' music video

Last week, Taylor Swift dropped the music video for her song " . . . Ready For It?," the second single off her upcoming album "Reputation."

The music video takes place in a science fiction universe where the Evil Taylor has locked up the good Taylor in a large electronic box. Throughout the course of the video, the Good Taylor attempts to set herself free while Evil Taylor continues to knock her down.

This sequence of back-and-forth between the two Taylors continues for a seemingly never-ending amount of time until finally the Good Taylor frees herself. When she does this, the electronic box breaks and burns off the skin of the Evil Taylor, revealing that she's actually a robot.

The video ends with Evil Taylor and her army of robots burning on a platform which reads, "They're burning all the witches," while the Good Taylor walks up a staircase and symbolically rises above the drama taking place below her.

Like most of Swift's music videos, there are hidden references and symbols throughout the video to help the viewer understand its meaning. Some of these references and symbols include the Good Taylor riding a white horse to recall her song "White Horse," and a backwards "1989" written on a wall (that's self-explanatory).

However, the most important symbols are the different versions of Swift. Evil Taylor is the version of Swift that's been depicted by the media, while Good Taylor is the true version of Swift trying to be set free. The battle between the two Taylors is representative of how Swift feels she's in a constant battle with the media to reclaim her reputation.

For this video, Swift has yet again paired up with director Joseph Kahn, the mastermind behind many of her other projects such as "Look What You Made Me Do" and "Bad Blood." Swift and Kahn both deserve credit for creating a visually stunning video, however its storyline does not match well with the song.

" . . . Ready For It" describes the start of a new romance between Swift and, presumably, her boyfriend (actor Joe Alwyn). It would have been more fitting for the song to see a video similar to the one for "Wildest Dreams," which chronicles a troubled Hollywood relationship.

The video is also quite dull. At its start, you expect it to be action packed, however much of it is dedicated to the fight sequence between the Evil and Good Taylors. Similar to most science fiction and action films, this video simply becomes boring to watch eventually.

Despite its flaws, the video sets the tone for the meaning behind "Reputation." Swift is battling her image in the press. She wants the world to hear her side of the story behind the feuds and drama she's been involved in during the past year.

By the end of the video, as Good Taylor rises above the chaos below her, it's assumed that Swift has left much of her mistakes and feuds in the past. By letting go of her past, she's ready to reclaim her "Reputation" and live as her true self.

finfrobd@miamioh.edu