Taylor Swift's New Song "The Man" Calls Out Leonardo DiCaprio in Saint Tropez and Sexist Double Standards
Taylor Swift has no time for sexist double-standards about dating, and she's name-checking Leonardo DiCaprio to spotlight all of the inconsistencies. The shout-out to Leo's own romantic history is one of many incredibly good lyrics on "The Man," the fourth track from her latest album, Lover.
In the fierce song, Taylor addresses criticisms that have been thrown at her and other women about their love lives, career choices, and overall behavior, and she reframes certain actions by wondering aloud what would happen if she were a man. When teasing "The Man" in her Vogue September interview, Taylor commented that the song "plays with the idea of perception." "It's a thought experiment of sorts: 'If I had made all the same choices, all the same mistakes, all the same accomplishments, how would it read?'" she said.
The Leo-centric line in "The Man" gets at this idea perfectly. The lyric goes, "And they would toast to me, oh, let the players play / I'd be just like Leo in Saint Tropez." The line jabs at Leo's famed annual Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation gala, held in Saint Tropez, and his habit of vacationing there with his substantially younger girlfriends (while still retaining his respected actor status).
But Taylor, like many female and femme folks, knows that men get a lot of the shine and more than a few passes from society for living their lives however they please. The Leo callout may be the most blatant dig in "The Man," but other lyrics in the song help illustrate this point. Taylor's love life has been a source of contention and scrutiny for as long as she's been a celebrity. The first verse in "The Man" hits on this, pointing out just how different people would treat her for having a series of romantic interests if things were different: "They'd say I played the field before / I found someone to commit to / And that would be okay for me to do / Every conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to you."
Another lyric that hits so, so hard is part of the second verse. Here, Taylor points out how women are frequently judged on an all-or-nothing basis: "What I was wearing, if I was rude / Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves." Taylor points out that unlike women, men get the benefit of being treated in a more compartmentalized way; how they act doesn't always reflect on the quality or perception of their work.
"The Man" gives women permission to keep challenging sexist double standards, and fans are here for it. Reactions have been positive to the song on Twitter, with fans showing tons of love for the Leo callout. "The Man" might just be the next great T-Swift anthem for female fans everywhere.
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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Taylor Swift's New Album "Lover" Is Out and Here's All the Hidden References You Missed
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
