Gossip’s Beth Ditto on Taylor Swift: ‘Great anthem… straight white girl?”
Beth Ditto is the lead singer for the recently reformed band Gossip. (Cowan/Getty)
Beth Ditto, of the recently reformed band Gossip, has voiced her concerns about the “pink pound” and said of Taylor Swift’s single “You Need to Calm Down”: “Great anthem… straight white girl?”
Ditto, who announced Gossip’s return in March this year, said in an interview with the Independent that the “pink pound,” which she describes as “a whole market deliberately aimed at gay men to take their money,” bothers her.
She continued: “That’s what Taylor Swift did [with “You Need to Calm Down”]. I was like, great anthem… straight white girl? Cool, thanks.
“Released just in time for Pride! I wonder where the proceeds are going for that, you know? That’s the thing that bothers me about it.”
When the song was released in June this year, there was controversy on social media, with Swift facing accusations of pandering to the LGBT+ community during Pride month.
However, in April Swift did make a six-figure donation to the Tennessee Equality Project in April, a non-profit group fighting for LGBT+ rights in the southern state.
When questioned about this, Ditto responded: “She did? She is doing that?
“Good, she should! Especially if you’re releasing a song like that. That makes me happy, I’m glad she’s doing that.”
Shot from the music video for Taylor Swift’s single, “You Need to Calm Down.” (YouTube)
Beth Ditto also questioned Taylor Swift’s portrayal of “rednecks”
Ditto also questioned the”You Need to Calm Down” video’s portrayal of homophobic protesters as “rednecks,” and said it could add to negative portrayals of Southern women.
She said: “It gets very academic very quickly, doesn’t it? And I never went to college, so I don’t even f***ing know.
“My mum used to say when we were growing up: ‘You’re poor, you’re not stupid.’ And when you do equate being poor with being ignorant, I think that is when it gets insulting.”
