Taylor Swift Takes On Music Industry Gender Bias in Rediscovered 2014 Interview

A newly resurfaced interview with Taylor Swift by Barbara Walters is once again getting attention, partly for its focus on double standards in the music industry. The interview initially aired on  Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2014, with a then 25-year-old Swift addressing the public critique of her personal life and media coverage that examined where she draws her artistic inspiration. 

Swift elaborated on the way women's emotional honesty is often unfairly judged, saying, “If a guy shares his experience in writing, he's brave. If a woman shares her experience in writing, she's oversharing…or she might be crazy, or watch out, she'll write a song about you.” Swift went on to dismiss the frequent joke that dating her means ending up in a song, calling it “so old” and “coming from a place of such sexism.”

In response to Walters' question about whether she was still interested in romance as a young woman, not just as a songwriter, Swift replied, “I'm just really happy, and I'm really protective of that.” 

At the time of the interview, Swift had just released her landmark album 1989, which marked her transition from country to mainstream pop and a broader focus beyond romantic themes. Her comments now serve as a powerful example of how she was already working to reshape narratives around women and emotional expression in the entertainment industry.

The interview is featured in the trailer for a new documentary chronicling the most controversial moments of Walters' career, including interviews with Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey. One of the highlighted moments is a 1988 chat in which Walters asked Winfrey if she wished she were born white, triggering a poignant and honest reply from Winfrey about her own identity and upbringing.

The documentary will be released at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12 and televised on Hulu starting June 23.