Breaking Down All The References Easter Eggs In Taylor Swift’s The Man Music Video by thebreakup Lyrics
This article was initially published on the Genius editorial site.Taylor Swift released the long-awaited music video for her single, “The Man,” on Thursday morning, following a lyric video and an acoustic performance video. Its release on February 27 falls on the 98th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote.
The video follows a white businessman (played by Swift in special effects makeup) as he spends time in an office, commutes on the subway, and engages in sexual encounters. He gets praised for doing the bare minimum—like lifting his daughter up—and is celebrated for abandoning a woman after a one-night stand.
It marks Swift’s first video as the sole director, following her roles as a co-director for her “ME!,” “You Need to Calm Down,” and “Lover” music videos. She also enlisted Rodrigo Prieto as the director of photography, who notably worked as the cinematographer on the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street. Swift references the movie’s star, Leonardo DiCaprio, in the second pre-chorus of “The Man.”
The opening scene of the clip sees The Man looking out at a city from an office window, which may be a nod to the animated lyric video that takes place in a colorful city. He leaves his lavish personal office to enter the drab, gray room where his employees work, and tosses a crumpled paper to a group of female workers to throw away.
Following this inconsiderate move, the other employees applaud and praise their boss. A woman holds up a mug that reads “I’d be the man,” in a nod to the titular lyric.
This scene also includes an appearance by Owen Thiele, an actor, musician, and blogger who previously appeared in Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” music video. Some fans have also compared the shot compositions to those of The Wolf of Wall Street.
The next clip shows The Man commuting on the subway, “manspreading,” smoking a cigar, and making those around him uncomfortable. Although the subway is mostly filled with women—including one wearing a “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince” hoodie—there is a black man who is also getting squished. This could represent the idea that black men don’t always benefit from misogyny in the same way that white men do:The Man begins to read a male-centric newspaper, with the only mention of any women being a “who wore it better” section. Two movie posters on the walls highlight male action heroes. One tagline, “capitalize on the feeling,” seems to be a jab at Swift’s ongoing conflict with entertainment mogul Scooter Braun, who purchased the rights to her first six albums.
After getting off the subway, The Man pees on a wall of 13th Street Station, a nod to Swift’s lucky number. The wall is covered in graffiti, including the word “karma” and the titles of most of her albums that Scooter Braun owns the rights to: 2008’s Fearless, 2010’s Speak Now, 2012’s Red, 2014's 1989, and 2017’s reputation:Swift made a similar statement during her performance at the 2019 American Music Awards, during which she opened her set wearing a shirt emblazoned with the album titles. On top of the graffiti is a sign that reads “Missing: if found, return to Taylor Swift,” as well as a sign with a crossed-out scooter—another reference to Braun.
To the left of the graffiti, there’s a redesigned version of the poster Swift used to promote her January 2020 documentary, Miss Americana, which is directed by Lana Wilson and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival:This version is called Mr. Americana. It stars Tyler Swift and is directed by Larry Wilson, premiering at Mandance Film Festival.The next shot shows The Man drinking alongside slim models on a yacht as it channels the song’s second pre-chorus, which references Leonardo DiCaprio’s luxurious vacations:
>And they would toast to me, oh
Let the players play
I’d be just like Leo in Saint-Tropez
The Man wakes the next morning next to a nude woman—presumably one of the models from the yacht—and promptly abandons her. He exits through a hallway full of colorful arms that high-five him, rather than the infamous Walk of Shame women are often subjected to:This seemingly references the first verse of the song:
>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
The next scene places The Man in a park with his daughter, ignoring the child to make a phone call. After hanging up, he lifts up the child as several parents and teenagers look on, promptly awarding him with a “World’s Greatest Dad” banner and praise:Next, The Man spends an evening with friends at a strip club, derogatorily describing a woman’s body while other men fight and objectify the women working there. The scene draws from the song’s bridge:
>What’s it like to brag about raking in dollars and getting bitches and models?
And it’s all good if you’re bad, and it’s okay if you’re mad
After the bridge, The Man is shown playing in a tennis match for an unnamed women’s charity. This may be a commentary on performative allyship, during which a man will only uplift female voices when it benefits him or his reputation.
Swift’s father, Scott, makes an appearance as a referee who angers The Man when he points out foul play:The Man throws a temper tantrum, breaking his tennis racket and throwing a ball at Scott, while Loren Gray, playing a female employee at the court, rolls her eyes. Some fans believe this is a recreation of Serena Williams’ accusations toward a “sexist” referee at the 2019 US Open.
This scene features an array of Swift’s merch, most of which was made in support of the video. As The Man, Swift wears armbands reading “fearless leader” and “alpha type,” while Scott Swift and Loren Gray wear baseball caps with the same lyrics. There’s also a water bottle on the side of the court from Swift’s collaboration with British fashion designer Stella McCartney.
The next scene sees Loren Gray marrying The Man 58 years later and flaunting a large ring, suggesting she’s marrying him simply for money. This is meant as a commentary on how famous men—such as Hugh Hefner and Al Pacino—romance younger women with little criticism, while women are shamed for dating younger men. The media even called Swift a “cougar” for dating Conor Kennedy—who was 18 in 2012—when she was 22.
Joseph Cassell and Lorrie Turk, Swift’s stylist and makeup artist, appear as wedding guests.
After the wedding scene, Swift, now in the director role, yells “cut” and calls The Man over for feedback. The Man, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, asks what he could improve on, and Swift requests that he acts more “sexy” and “likeable.” Her choice of words seems to be a nod to her “ME!” music video. In a behind-the-scenes clip, she pledged to look “more likeable” in a scene where she’s meant to be assertive.
“The Man” is the third official single from Swift’s August 2019 album, Lover.
Watch the video above, and read all the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s “The Man” on Genius now.
The video follows a white businessman (played by Swift in special effects makeup) as he spends time in an office, commutes on the subway, and engages in sexual encounters. He gets praised for doing the bare minimum—like lifting his daughter up—and is celebrated for abandoning a woman after a one-night stand.
It marks Swift’s first video as the sole director, following her roles as a co-director for her “ME!,” “You Need to Calm Down,” and “Lover” music videos. She also enlisted Rodrigo Prieto as the director of photography, who notably worked as the cinematographer on the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street. Swift references the movie’s star, Leonardo DiCaprio, in the second pre-chorus of “The Man.”
The opening scene of the clip sees The Man looking out at a city from an office window, which may be a nod to the animated lyric video that takes place in a colorful city. He leaves his lavish personal office to enter the drab, gray room where his employees work, and tosses a crumpled paper to a group of female workers to throw away.
Following this inconsiderate move, the other employees applaud and praise their boss. A woman holds up a mug that reads “I’d be the man,” in a nod to the titular lyric.
This scene also includes an appearance by Owen Thiele, an actor, musician, and blogger who previously appeared in Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” music video. Some fans have also compared the shot compositions to those of The Wolf of Wall Street.
The next clip shows The Man commuting on the subway, “manspreading,” smoking a cigar, and making those around him uncomfortable. Although the subway is mostly filled with women—including one wearing a “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince” hoodie—there is a black man who is also getting squished. This could represent the idea that black men don’t always benefit from misogyny in the same way that white men do:The Man begins to read a male-centric newspaper, with the only mention of any women being a “who wore it better” section. Two movie posters on the walls highlight male action heroes. One tagline, “capitalize on the feeling,” seems to be a jab at Swift’s ongoing conflict with entertainment mogul Scooter Braun, who purchased the rights to her first six albums.
After getting off the subway, The Man pees on a wall of 13th Street Station, a nod to Swift’s lucky number. The wall is covered in graffiti, including the word “karma” and the titles of most of her albums that Scooter Braun owns the rights to: 2008’s Fearless, 2010’s Speak Now, 2012’s Red, 2014's 1989, and 2017’s reputation:Swift made a similar statement during her performance at the 2019 American Music Awards, during which she opened her set wearing a shirt emblazoned with the album titles. On top of the graffiti is a sign that reads “Missing: if found, return to Taylor Swift,” as well as a sign with a crossed-out scooter—another reference to Braun.
To the left of the graffiti, there’s a redesigned version of the poster Swift used to promote her January 2020 documentary, Miss Americana, which is directed by Lana Wilson and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival:This version is called Mr. Americana. It stars Tyler Swift and is directed by Larry Wilson, premiering at Mandance Film Festival.The next shot shows The Man drinking alongside slim models on a yacht as it channels the song’s second pre-chorus, which references Leonardo DiCaprio’s luxurious vacations:
>And they would toast to me, oh
Let the players play
I’d be just like Leo in Saint-Tropez
The Man wakes the next morning next to a nude woman—presumably one of the models from the yacht—and promptly abandons her. He exits through a hallway full of colorful arms that high-five him, rather than the infamous Walk of Shame women are often subjected to:This seemingly references the first verse of the song:
>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
The next scene places The Man in a park with his daughter, ignoring the child to make a phone call. After hanging up, he lifts up the child as several parents and teenagers look on, promptly awarding him with a “World’s Greatest Dad” banner and praise:Next, The Man spends an evening with friends at a strip club, derogatorily describing a woman’s body while other men fight and objectify the women working there. The scene draws from the song’s bridge:
>What’s it like to brag about raking in dollars and getting bitches and models?
And it’s all good if you’re bad, and it’s okay if you’re mad
After the bridge, The Man is shown playing in a tennis match for an unnamed women’s charity. This may be a commentary on performative allyship, during which a man will only uplift female voices when it benefits him or his reputation.
Swift’s father, Scott, makes an appearance as a referee who angers The Man when he points out foul play:The Man throws a temper tantrum, breaking his tennis racket and throwing a ball at Scott, while Loren Gray, playing a female employee at the court, rolls her eyes. Some fans believe this is a recreation of Serena Williams’ accusations toward a “sexist” referee at the 2019 US Open.
This scene features an array of Swift’s merch, most of which was made in support of the video. As The Man, Swift wears armbands reading “fearless leader” and “alpha type,” while Scott Swift and Loren Gray wear baseball caps with the same lyrics. There’s also a water bottle on the side of the court from Swift’s collaboration with British fashion designer Stella McCartney.
The next scene sees Loren Gray marrying The Man 58 years later and flaunting a large ring, suggesting she’s marrying him simply for money. This is meant as a commentary on how famous men—such as Hugh Hefner and Al Pacino—romance younger women with little criticism, while women are shamed for dating younger men. The media even called Swift a “cougar” for dating Conor Kennedy—who was 18 in 2012—when she was 22.
Joseph Cassell and Lorrie Turk, Swift’s stylist and makeup artist, appear as wedding guests.
After the wedding scene, Swift, now in the director role, yells “cut” and calls The Man over for feedback. The Man, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, asks what he could improve on, and Swift requests that he acts more “sexy” and “likeable.” Her choice of words seems to be a nod to her “ME!” music video. In a behind-the-scenes clip, she pledged to look “more likeable” in a scene where she’s meant to be assertive.
“The Man” is the third official single from Swift’s August 2019 album, Lover.
Watch the video above, and read all the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s “The Man” on Genius now.