After the release of Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl, TikTok had some expectedly strong takes.

One popular TikTok claims that Swift’s album is a “case study in moral collapse” full of lyrics that demonstrate “pathological self-involvement” and “an absence of self-identity.” The user’s tone is confident, but their analysis is largely speculative. Another TikTok explains how the public has perceived Swift through her whiteness. The argument is equally lacking in rigor and includes some ahistorical claims. The video still received over 7 million views and tens of thousands of comments in agreement.

Outside of Swift’s release schedule, this sort of critical analysis is everywhere. The TikToker, talking straight to the camera, breaks down the latest pop star, reality show, cheating scan

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