Taylor Swift Rhetorical Analysis

One of the biggest celebrity feuds in 2016 is Kim Kardashian versus Taylor Swift: Snapchat Gate. Snapchat Gate gave a worldwide audience an answer to the infamous question- did Taylor Swift give Kanye West permission to use the two lines referencing her in his song “Famous”? The answer to the question is an inconclusive “sort of,” however the repercussions of these snapchat videos provide an interesting peek into the social culture of the United States and how social media is used as a new rhetorical device. The feud between Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift would be nothing without the context of the feud between Taylor Swift and Kanye West. The “feud” between Kanye West and Taylor Swift began in 2009 at the MTV Video Music Awards. During the VMA’s, Swift won Best Female Video for her song “You Belong with Me.” When Swift went up on stage to accept her award, she was interrupted by West who grabbed a mic and said, “Yo, Taylor, I 'm really happy for you and I 'mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.” Swift’s response to West’s impromptu mini speech was a look of shock and embarrassment, an immediate appeal to pathos. The backlash from this incident painted West as a …show more content…
Kardashian claimed that West had video of Swift approving the lyrics referring to her in “Famous,” which Kardashian than proceeded to release the video on July 17, 2016 via Snapchat. Prior to releasing the video, Kardashian hinted through twitter that her followers and fans should make sure they check their Snapchat for her next set of snaps, utilizing her ethos to gain an audience for her directing debut. The dynamics of the feud between Kardashian and Swift drastically alter the social climate to a feminist versus feminist showdown, with both celebrities representing two different feminist