Why Taylor Swift topping Maxim’s Hot 100 list is a huge deal

According to Maxim Magazine, Taylor Swift is the hottest woman alive. And whether it’s the work of new Editor-in-chief Kate Lanphear, or the overdue understanding that the definition of “hot” is ever-changing (and in this case takes her talent/ambition/success into account), this list could spark the beginning of an evolution.

To start, the magazine’s existing legacy of awarding models (last year they gave the title to Candice Swanepoel, while Bar Refaeli and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley have also earned top spots in the past) has sent a very clear message: there is one acceptable way to look, and that is, well, like a model. And while Miley Cyrus earned the honour in 2013, and “Bad Blood” subject Katy Perry took it in 2010, Maxim’s focus on Swift’s personality and her approach to feminism—yes, feminism—in the interview indicates a major change.

“I didn’t have an accurate definition of feminism when I was younger,” she says. “I didn’t quite see all the ways that feminism is vital to growing up in the world we live in. I didn’t see myself being held back until I was a woman. Or the double standards in headlines, the double standards in the way stories are told, the double standards in the way things are perceived.”

“A man writing about his feelings from a vulnerable place is brave,” she continues. “A woman writing about her feelings from a vulnerable place is oversharing or whining. Misogyny is ingrained in people from the time they are born.”

So is that the new definition of “hot”? To sound off about social issues? To embark on a world tour that’s required months of planning, plotting, and choreography? To be a woman in charge of her own career? It’d be nice to think so. Especially since Swift prides herself on being a woman focused on friends and cats (Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson) over the appeasement of men. What’s even more interesting is the fact that her cover is a headshot—with natural makeup.

Perhaps it makes sense, then, that Swift’s evolution is being documented in a magazine that’s arguably celebrating its own. Lest we forget that less than a year ago, Swift was the punchline of double-standard-fuelled jokes built around her seeming inability to “keep a man” and her impressive ability to write a song about him (which she then parlayed into “Shake It Off” — a song that articulates her self-confidence and choice not to engage in public criticism). It was also less than a year ago we saw a Victoria’s Secret model dictate Maxim’s definition of hot, with her corresponding blurb describing her physical features above anything else.

Of course, we can (and should) remember that both Swift and Maxim are still evolving. Swift’s definition of feminism (“equality”) is accurate, but comes from a place of privilege: she says herself that she didn’t really cite the need for it until it became integral to her own life and career. Meanwhile, Maxim is still celebrating and ranking women based on their looks while abiding by a very conventional (read: white) code — after all, since the list started back in 2000, a black woman has yet to top the Maxim Hot 100.

So here’s hoping Swift’s placement on that list signals the start of bigger changes. Maybe we’ll see more women front covers of men-targeted magazine in minimal makeup, and with the focus on their faces and opinions. Maybe those women will be free to sound off about things that matter more than workouts or beauty regimens. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that — but it’s all part of a larger whole.) Maybe we scrap the word “hot,” or broaden its definition because it’s subjective and arguably outdated.

Maybe we quit ranking altogether.

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