Taylor Swift is friends with just about everyone from the expected Victoria’s Secret Angels to the World Cup winning U.S. Women’s National Soccer team. And apparently while performing in New Jersey last week for 60,000 people, she proceed to incite some bad blood from one of her squad members.
As she does at most of her shows so far, Taylor brings out some of the stars of her record breaking “Bad Blood” music video, who also happen to be some of her best friends. At the New Jersey show, she brought out Lily Aldridge, Hailee Steineld, Gigi Hadid, and Lena Dunham for the song. This is where the problem started.
It seems that while taking part in a panel conversation at the Film Society of Lincoln Centre with Judd Apatow, Dunham decided to vent her frustration with what she saw at the concert. “I was so thrilled to support my friend — and so displeased to learn about the truth of my own height. I’ve been feeling pretty tall, feeling pretty sturdy, and it was amazing to me, like, ‘Oh, I’m not tall, I’m chubby.’ It’s different.” Dunham said to Apatow of her post show thoughts.
We get it, she’s not the tallest or the fittest girl in Taylor’s long list of best friends and that totally okay. Not everyone in a friend group should look exactly the same, where’s the fun in that? Frankly I find it unfair that she can shame these women for being tall and fit. If Lily Aldridge were to say that she felt uncomfortable standing next to the Lena because she was shorter and not built like a Victoria’s Secret model, the internet would be blazing with backlash.
Dunham goes on to say that while she was flooded with text messages of affirmation from friends, she probably won’t be walking that cat walk again. “I don’t think standing next to, like, three supermodels or so is anything even the most confident woman needs to do.”
For someone who has been so open and in your face about her acceptance and ownership of her own body, this comes across as entitled. Taylor and all of her friends are allowed to look and dress however they please, they shouldn’t all have to dress the same, be the same height or have all the same interests. It’s not their fault that they chose to express themselves as they do and it would be wrong to shame them for that.
Frankly you don’t see Hayley Williams of Paramore complaining of standing next to Karlie Kloss or of fellow 1989 tour guest and “Orange is the New Black” stand out Uzo Aduba saying that she hated wearing tennis shoes while flanked by Candace Swanepool and Behanti Prinsloo. The only one to blame for Lena Dunham feeling out of place is Lena Dunham and honestly she should’ve had this conversation with Taylor not with Judd Apatow in a public forum.
No, it doesn’t sound like shaming of any kind. She made comments about her own body and did not mention anyone else. Why are you trying to manufacture anything else here? She said (and I’m paraphrasing here): I feel uncomfortable standing next to all these women that are the epitome of physical beauty in our culture. Wow! How dare she? No, she did not “shame” anyone. Yes, you did try to make it into something that its not. Are you hoping Tay Tay will mention your website if you’re the first ones to jump on her bandwagon in this brand new feud?