Taylor Swift and Beyoncé Speak Through—Not to—the Media
Whether landing magazine covers or making political statements, stars are avoiding the scrutiny of traditional interviews.
by Spencer Kornhaber
Dec 06, 2017
4 minutes
Taylor Swift stares defiantly from the cover of her album Reputation, newsprint scrawled on the side. Taken together, the image and the title are a taunt to the media, to whom she hasn’t given any interviews about the album.
This week, though, Taylor Swift stares out from the covers of two mega-famous magazines: the Person-of-the-Year issue of Time, and the U.K. edition of . Both are striking examples of how she is helping pioneer a new image-management playbook, one in which politics and paparazzi have moved celebrities to speak through the media without necessarily speaking to it.
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days