Here's What Taylor Swift's Peculiar "Sexy Baby" Lyric in "Anti-Hero" Is Actually Referencing
“Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby,” she sings.
Taylor Swift dropped a number of projects on October 21, including her Midnights album, a surprise extended 3 a.m. version featuring seven extra tracks, followed by a music video for “Anti-Hero” a few hours later. “Anti-Hero” stands out for several reasons — for starters, it contains a very peculiar lyric fans have been questioning: the “sexy baby” line. According to fans, it’s actually a reference to the series 30 Rock.
“‘Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby and I’m a monster on the hill too big to hang out’ is a reference to 30 Rock and a commentary on the male gaze,” read a tweet by the username @parkersrodrigo. “‘Sexy Baby’ on 30 Rock refers to how predatory men can be to women who act younger or more childlike.”
In the Season 5, Episode 16 30 Rock episode titled “TGS Hates Women,” Liz (Tina Fey) criticizes her new guest female writer, Abby Flynn (Cristin Milioti), for perpetuating what she believes is a negative female stereotype; she calls Abby a “sexy baby.” During a confrontation, Liz tells her, “Society puts a lot of pressure on us to act a certain way, but TGS is a safe place. So you can drop the ‘sexy baby’ act, lose the pigtails.” Abby then defends her appearance and voice. “What’s the difference between me using my sexuality and you using your glasses to look smart?” she asks Liz, who later responds, “You can’t be that desperate for male attention.”
Check out the scene from 30 Rock below and watch the “Anti-Hero” music video above.
