It's More Fun to Ignore Taylor Swift, Says Taylor Swift

Last November, Taylor Swift released Reputation, an album that spawned as many conspiracy theories as it had tracks. Her lead single "Look What You Made Me Do," was an "edgier" Taylor Swift than we'd seen with images of zombies and snakes, visuals her country-turned pop career had not otherwise allowed. It was her attempt to establish that she was not the same girl Kanye West grabbed the mic from at the 2009 Video Music Awards. Her new visual for "Delicate" is a departure from that image. It's Swift playing the same cards she'd been dealt, tapping into her desire to be seen as the girl next door, although her ballooning fame shrunk her ability to fit into that archetype.

In "Delicate," Swift stands on a red carpet, feeling ignored as she spaces out in the middle of an interview. It's a moment that is reminiscent of Britney Spears' "Lucky," released in 2000, where the consequences of fame outweigh Spears' urge to remain in the spotlight. Moments later, Swift actually becomes invisible, snapping and barking for the attention of her security, who are unfazed. She dances throughout a hotel like no one is watching, although she really should dance like someone is. In pop, it's a routine we'd seen in visuals from Sia and Lorde, but feels like a costume worn on Swift.

Watching people who were able to ignore Swift, even if it were only for four minutes, is a luxury I wish I was able to have. She's become an inescapable pop star, one whose silence even draws media attention. If this video is any indication of how Swift feels, it could be a signifier that she feels lost in what she's had to do to amass this level of fame. She's no longer holding the pop genre on her own, and there's no amount of poor dancing that can hide that. The video is a cliche message pop stars lean on when fame gets to be too much. Coming from a woman who has made a career of being the victim, it's a move that feels disingenuous. When Spears released "Lucky," no one thought it would trickle down to the buzz cut moment of 2007. Will Swift get scissor happy in years to come? I doubt it.

Watch the video below.

Kristin Corry is a staff writer at Noisey. Follow her on Twitter.