Christine and the Queens rejects claims of Taylor Swift ‘cat fight’ after criticism of queer video
Christine and the Queens performs in concert during Primavera Sound Festival on May 30, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Xavi Torrent/WireImage)
Christine and the Queens has spoken out about attempts to create drama with Taylor Swift.
The singer made headlines in September after admitting feeling “conflicted”over Swift’s use of queer aesthetics in anti-homophobia anthem ‘You Need to Calm Down’.
Two months on, Chris reflected on the “sexist narrative” being pushed by the headlines.
Christine and the Queens: Taylor Swift feud is part of ‘sexist narrative’.
Speaking to Puss Puss magazine, Chris explained: “I didn’t comment on that situation because as it happened I thought, ‘Oh, there it goes.’
“The old trope of women being pitting against each other. This was not even a conversation aimed at someone specific.
“When I said, ‘Queer cannot be sold,’ I really truly do believe it. It’s not even a diss. It’s just a reality, because I do believe that queer itself is a deconstruction of capitalism, so it cannot be digested.
“So then I was like, ‘Oh, really original. To make it about two women hating each other when it’s actually not the case.'”
Christine and the Queens at The BRIT Awards 2019 (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Chris added that queerness “has become more fashionable”, adding: “I can’t really relate to everything that is now labelled as queer… I don’t want to be like the bitter queer artist either, so it’s hard to know when to stop talking about that. I mean it’s cool if it’s fashionable, but it will never not be dangerous to me.”
Queer aesthetic ‘cannot be sold’
In the original interview with Cosmopolitan in September, Chris had said of Taylor Swift’s video: “I’m conflicted. I guess somewhere, young gay men might watch that Taylor Swift video and feel a sense of relief.
“Five years on [since she entered the industry] and you can tell that being queer has been glossed out as this super-fancy accessory.
“You can tell that the queer aesthetic is being used to sell things. The mainstream needs that life because it’s so vibrant. But I think the core of the queer aesthetic cannot be sold.”
Speaking about gender identity, Chris added: “When I changed my name from Christine to Chris on the second album, some people said, ‘That’s a cool marketing thing you did.’ It was so painful.
“I’ve been singing ‘iT’ [a song about gender expression] for the past five years. It’s never been marketing for me.
“It’s about jumping into the unknown and saying things loudly.”
