Taylor Swift has reinvented herself through several different eras of music, but it seems like there's one common denominator: Kanye West. His infamous VMAs interruption in 2009 started a domino effect of songs and music videos and falling out and making up, all culminating in Kim Kardashian West releasing video of Swift and West's "Famous" phone call on Snapchat, which sent the singer into hiding for a year. All of Reputation seemed to be in direct response to that incident, while Swift's latest album, Lover, appears to have moved on. But not entirely. Swift teased an image from her upcoming music video for "The Man," and fans have spotted something they think is a Kanye Konnection.
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"There are 19 hands in the hallway ... but only 2 days until The Man Music Video," Swift captioned the photo, a sly dig at the way her fans often scrutinize every little thing she posts in search of clues. But it turns out, the number of hands may not be the clue at all. Take a look:
There are 19 hands in the hallway
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) February 25, 2020
... but only 2 days until The Man Music Video pic.twitter.com/pePLcEwxtQ
People started noticing that the hallway the hands are in looked somewhat familiar. And then it clicked:
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) February 3, 2020
The West family home is as infamous for its sinks as it is for its minimalism, and the hallway, in particular, stands out due to the sheer scale of its bare-bones terror — and it might just be the setting of Swift's new video.
Oh, and those 19 hands? Per BuzzFeed, those might be a clue after all. Swift was 19 years old when the VMAs moment went down, marking a significant age in her career.
As we learned in her Netflix documentary Miss Americana, so much of her ensuing struggle in the industry can be traced to that moment. And after all, "The Man" is all about the double standards that likely exacerbated those struggles. It would make a lot of sense, but it would also stir the pot. Now that Kim Kardashian is almost a lawyer, it's even less advisable to get on her bad side. But then again, I'd say the same thing about Swift.
"The Man" music video premieres 7 a.m. EST.