The song's main themes include self-hatred, self-doubt, and depersonalization. It might be one of Swift's darkest songs in terms of lyricism and emotion. But true to her style of couching heavy emotions in bubble-gum pop instrumentals (see: her entire Loveralbum), the song feels peppy, almost triumphant.

YouTube's official blog explains that the song “takes fans on a journey inwards with Swift delving deep into her insecurities as an artist and as a person.” The music video features the pop star battling the more dysfunctional version of herself.

Self-Reflection as the Anti-Hero Swift admits to her own weaknesses - she stays up late, grapples with depression, ghosting people, struggling with eating disorders, and indulges in vices. By sharing these elements, she paints herself as an anti-hero, even acknowledging, "It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me."

An antihero is the main character of a story, but one who doesn't act like a typical hero. Antiheroes are often a little villainous. Traditionally, the protagonist — main character and focus — of a story has been a hero: someone good, noble, and brave.