Taylor Swift says she 'felt punished' when paparazzi mocked her non-flat tummy, called her pregnant at just 18
'Miss Americana', the new revealing documentary about Taylor Swift shows the popular singer at her most candid and vulnerable self. The Netflix Original feature (available on the platform on Jan 31) premiered as part of the opening night gala at the ongoing Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on January 23, and showed a troubled side of the singer that most fans had probably never seen before, including her struggles with an unhealthy eating disorder and negative body image issues.
Speaking to reporters shortly after the film's premiere, Swift opened up about her struggles with body positivity and actually managing to confront her demons, "I didn’t know if I was going to feel comfortable with talking about body image and talking about the stuff I’ve gone through in terms of how unhealthy that’s been for me," she admitted.
The 'Lover' singer also credited the director of 'Miss Americana', Lana Wilson, with making her feel comfortable enough to open up about her issues in a way that felt natural. "I’m not as articulate as I should be about this topic because there are so many people who could talk about it in a better way. But all I know is my own experience," Taylor revealed.
The 30-year-old artiste went on to say that her eating disorder was intrinsically tied to her 'this-or-that philosophy on life' - meaning if something wasn't good, it was probably bad. "If I was given a pat on the head, I registered that as good. If I was given a punishment, I registered that as bad."
For example, a punishment was when the paparazzi would comment on her appearance in the tabloids with a picture of her and "the headline was like 'Pregnant at 18?' And it was because I had worn something that made my lower stomach look not flat."
On the other hand, Swift revealed that she'd sometimes "walk into a photoshoot and be in the dressing room and somebody who worked at a magazine would say, ‘Oh, wow, this is so amazing that you can fit into the sample sizes. Usually, we have to make alterations to the dresses.'" While it wasn't an intentionally flattering comment, "I looked at that as a pat on the head," explained the young singer. "You register that enough times, and you just start to accommodate everything towards praise and punishment, including your own body."
You can see more about Taylor Swift's journey to self-acceptance, besides other revealing details of her life, in 'Miss Americana', which will be available on Netflix by January 31.