A video from 2012 where we see Ellen DeGeneres poking fun at the love life Taylor Swift has been talking about on social media for the past few days. While the ex-talk show host faces charges Misogyny and sexism begs the question: was the singer a victim of misogyny? bitch ashamed?
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In the interview, Ellen DeGeneres asks Taylor Swift to ring a bell when addressing the photo of the man to whom her then-released song We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together is addressed.
It is worth remembering that over the past decade, the romantic relationships of the singer, who was 23 at the time of the interview, have often made headlines.
Is about bitch ashamed?
“I think the phrase ‘I don’t want that’ should have been more than enough”, “This interview is very difficult to watch”: The uneasiness can be felt in the comments accompanying the shared interview clip on TikTok.
And Marie-Anne Casselot, a doctoral student in feminist philosophy, is certain: we are dealing with slut shaming. “Ellen DeGeneres makes a fool of herself, but also to judge a woman by the number of her romantic or sexual relationships,” she regrets.
Slut-shaming is the act of criticizing a woman for behavior or statements deemed provocative, overly sexual, or immoral, explains the Conseil du statut de la femme du Québec on its website.
Anthropologist Sylvie Genest sees it not as slut-shaming but as a form of communication violence. In her interview, Ellen DeGeneres emphasizes what could be perceived as Taylor Swift’s weaknesses and flaws at the time, namely her many relationships with men.
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The anthropologist also points out that the former talk show host only perpetuates the misogyny that permeates Hollywood and the television world in the United States.
“Misphobia is one aspect of the structure of America’s entertainment industry that will rub off on behavior [des personnes qui en font partie]», stresses the professor at the Faculty of Philosophy at UQAM.
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Are women treated differently than men?
Marie-Anne Casselot is clear: Taylor Swift would not have suffered the same treatment if she had been a man. As an example, she cites comedian — and Kim Kardashian’s ex, by the way — Pete Davidson, whose love life we’re celebrating.
“We’re going to appreciate Pete Davidson because he has a lot of conquests, but we’re going to judge a woman who has a lot of romantic relationships,” regrets the graduate student.
“We still judge a woman’s reputation by criteria that are extremely outdated,” she continues.
But for Sylvie Genest, Ellen DeGeneres isn’t the only one to blame.
In her opinion, it is not the host who claims that it is terrible for a woman to have multiple lovers, “we draw the conclusion because we are immersed in North American culture”.
“We’re part of the problem when we read that having multiple lovers is serious for a woman,” she adds.
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Is today better?
According to Marie-Anne Casselot, however, mentalities have changed since 2012, the year the interview was broadcast.
“Thanks to the #MeToo movement, the concept of rape culture, and all the discussions we’ve had about consent over the past few years, we’re better equipped than we were then to see problematic situations,” says -she.
Today, Marie-Anne Casselot believes the hostess might not have been so adamant about Taylor Swift taking part in her “game” after repeatedly telling him she didn’t want to. “In my opinion, there is an issue of not complying with Taylor Swift’s consent in this segment of television,” he points out.
Sylvie Genest, on the other hand, is more pessimistic about the entertainment industry in the United States, finding it neither less nor more misogynistic than before.