Miss Americana ( Arts and Culture)

Lana Wilson

Release date: January 23, 2020

Netflix

Summary:

Lana Wilson documentary Miss Americana is centered around pop star Taylor swift and the trials she has faced in her career. Wilson frames Swift’s chronological rise in pop music largely as the very public story of someone who worked hard to fit into ideals for women—which created a body image insecurity that led to an eating disorder—and now seeks to not let such forces control her. The doc also touches upon the slut-shaming she has faced for her public relationships, and the damning accusation of being branded as "fake." In between all of the behind-the-scenes footage that millions of Swift fans will no doubt enjoy is a narrative of someone navigating her career in a ruthless business that, according to Swift, “puts women in an elephant graveyard when they’re 35.” She’s also, as the doc reminds us in a powerful passage, someone who did experience sexual assault, and was close to having her story silenced. Only Swift speaks about these concepts, and it’s like watching a woman trace her awareness. It becomes a bummer that this compelling approach must fight so much against briefly amusing fan service for screen-time.

Response:

Miss Americana documentary is too staged. As much as this film tried to paint Taylor Swift as something relatable to, it doesn’t challenge her about what she has faced. Instead the director seems to pull back on swift when she’s opening about her eating disorder. Everyone seems to be on her side in this film, no matter the subject everyone around her just stayed a yes man. This film just felt like a promotion for whatever new album she’s promoting, then an insight into a real human being. Wilson doesn’t show us anything new or deep about Swift we couldn’t just search up for ourselves. Most doc aim to push the main person to really expose him or herself, but this film seems to inflate Swift fake persona. Wilson doc make her seems like a fan who’s trying to create sympathy for her idol. If Wilson aim was to show fans a deeper side of Swift, she would’ve asked her to not to be so vague about what she has endure. Sometimes it’s not good to push someone too far but this doc didn’t do much to make Swift open. No one is denying her talent, but to say we will ever know the real Taylor Swift feels impossible.

-MELVIN