Taylor Swift’s Style Music Video Analysis

Taylor Swift’s Style Music Video Analysis

I did not initially dig deep into the symbolism of the Style music video, and once again I underestimated Taylor. But looking again at the picture that Tay posted for Karlie’s birthday in 2015 (of Calvin in front and Karlie on the back in the kitchen), combined with its lustful caption …. and re-watching one of my favorite movies - Mulholland Drive …. I was reminded that Tay never leaves anything to chance and she always hides deeper meanings. So I have returned to look deeper at “Style”. “Style” is generally darker than Taylor’s previous music videos. The video focuses on two people, Tay herself and the young man, who seem sad or gloomy, depending on the mood of the viewer. The vision of the video is not pure aesthetics. There are some deep subconscious significances. Seen from this angle, “Style” is not about another person, but rather the relationship between the two sides of the same personality (how others perceive one and how you perceive yourself). From the outset, the video shows us the contradiction between her inner self and how she represents to the world.

The most interesting thing for me at least is that SHE identifies her inner self in this video as a man. We see how Tay and the man are doing exactly the same movement moving the hair from their face like we see the continuity of the movement of only one person from different angles. The video continues with footage out in the forest surrounded by fog, inside a cave in a dark room … then appears the airplane necklace (the smoke screen Harry for the last time throwing sand in the eyes of the sheep fans).

Just before the chorus, a symbol appears of a broken mirror in many variations …

Freud would say much the question of a split or hidden personality. I especially like this still frame.

At this moment is the most significant frame of the video 

My interpretation is that bearding literally clouds (even suffocates) her from the inside.  The next part is the mixing both faces by projecting his face above hers, she puts her hands and we see his face like a mask in front of her face. -  A metaphorical representation of bearding.

At the beginning of the second verse, the guy drives (Kar has shared how good of a driver Tay is) and looking in the rear view mirror we see Taylor. Again mirror shows the contradiction of the intimate inner self and the image shown to the world.

At this point we see for a moment how both selfs embrace each other but this is for a short moment and a second later we see again Tay with her back to the wall with retransmission of lightning and clouds again superimposed on them.

Close to the end we see again how Tay and the man are doing the same movement, both but mostly Tay in the stretched position, like crucifixion while Tay literally screaming the lyric

Take me HOME

Then at the end inner self’s finally finds the other self in the woods.