Why you gotta be so Mean?

SW, on "Mean:"

The movie Cinderella is about a beautiful girl named Ella who endures a saddening past. The girl’s childhood was interrupted by the sudden illness of her mother, who, while on her death0bed, tells Ella to “have courage and always be kind”. Her father then remarries and brings in his new wife and her two daughters to live with them. Some years later, Ella’s father leaves on a length business trip. Before her father’s departure, Ella requests that he bring back to her the first branch that his shoulder would brush while on the journey. A few weeks later, a servant arrives with the branch in his hand and the dreadful news that Ella’s father had died. The now isolated Ella becomes a victim of her wicked stepmother and obnoxious stepsisters, who bring upon her every type of cruelty and injustice. The story of Cinderella can be seen as an allegory to the human race. God created us as beautiful, indeed in his own image and likeness, but through sin and ministrations of the devil, we descended into dysfunction, and our beauty was covered over. One day while out riding in the country, Cinderella meets a handsome young prince. The two almost fall immediately in love. Because she returns home without identifying herself, the prince calls for a ball and invites all of the young women to attend. Though her stepmother tries everything to prevent Cinderella from attending, with the help of her fairy godmother, she manages to get to the ball where she, of course, entranced the prince. The prince in this situation can be viewed as Jesus, the Son of God, who was sent to save the human race, just as Prince Charming saves Cinderella. In the end of the movie, Prince Charming finds Cinderella and they live happily ever after. But, upon escaping from the cruel oppression of her stepmother, Cinderella turns to the wicked woman, not to curse her, but to offer a word of forgiveness. Forgiveness is an important aspect of Christianity, for god forgives us for our sins, just as Cinderella forgives her stepmother for treating her so poorly. Taylor Swift created a bullying anthem called “Mean”, which is about standing up for yourself and not letting other people push you around. This is how the stepmother treats Cinderella. The stepmother is a bully who walks all over Cinderella and makes her act as a servant to herself and her two daughters. The song relates perfectly to the movie Cinderella because in the end, Cinderella stands up for herself and lives happily ever with the prince. It sends an important message, to always be the bigger person and brush off the criticisms people give you. In Taylor Swift’s case, this meant believing in her singing and not listening to the harsh criticism of some people she encountered on her journey to fame. In Cinderella’s case, this meant not believing what her stepmother told her about her self-worth and pursuing what she believed in, true love.