I reached up to press the search bar, preparing myself for what I was about to see. I felt a wave of boredom rise up as the video began, but it changed into disbelief. For a moment, I couldn’t believe my eyes as I watched Taylor Swift pour all her work down the drain. Annoyance built up inside me as I watched this woman throw away all she worked for while people with actual talent never made it this far.

“Look What You Made Me Do” has become an interesting topic after its music video reached YouTube’s number 1 on Trending. The first 10 seconds, viewers are welcomed with an apocalyptic scene, but the video is still well-constructed with an opening scene that captivates the audience with the use of lighting, the birds and the city below. That is, until we watch Swift crawl out of a grave marked “Here Lies Taylor Swift’s Reputation” and start singing in a way that is not very appealing and lacks the sort of charm generally found in Swift’s songs.

The repetition of the chorus isn’t catchy. The video doesn’t make me want to watch it several times until I am sick of it. The lyrics are grating and seem forced to be catchy in a way which are not. “Look what you made me do” is not a phrase I would sing at the top of my lungs. Still, moments laced throughout the lyrics are easy to listen to and would have made a good song if the chorus structure included more than the same words repeated many times. The words and the beat don’t mix–the song is not offbeat, but it feels that way when listening to it.

The symbolism of the video features a variety of scenes with different costumes and settings. The themes are based on moments in Swift’s career, referencing times when people have been cruel when they criticized her. Then Swift decides to go deeper by making past versions of herself fight to be the one on top. This, however, does not work for them, as seen when Swift says the old Taylor is dead.

It is likely the song and video would not have as much harsh judgement if they had come from someone with a different reputation. Taylor Swift was seen as likable, charming and a real person from among many fake celebrities. Swift was a role model for young girls all over who wanted to be princesses, but instead of being that, she gave up.

Swift has a chance so many people can only dream of, but she has set herself down a path that may lead to immediate regret. It seems in some groups, Swift’s music has become something to be mocked. In doing what she’s doing, the possibility of having a song which lasts through generations is becoming less substantial.