Inspired by the media scrutiny on Swift's love life that affected her girl-next-door reputation, "Blank Space" portrays a flirtatious woman with multiple romantic attachments.

In the United States, it spent seven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified eight times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Joseph Kahn directed the music video for "Blank Space", which depicts Swift as a jealous woman who acts erratically when she suspects her boyfriend's infidelity.

[5] Having been known as "America's Sweetheart" thanks to her wholesome and down-to-earth girl next door image,[6][7] Swift saw her reputation blemished due to her history of romantic relationships with a series of high-profile celebrities.

The New York Times asserted in 2013 that her "dating history [had] begun to stir what feels like the beginning of a backlash", questioning whether Swift was in the midst of a quarter-life crisis.

[8] The Tampa Bay Times observed that until the release of 1989, Swift's love life had become a fixed tabloid interest and overshadowed her musicianship.

[7] Swift disliked the media portrayal of her as a "serial-dater", feeling that it undermined her professional works, and became reticent to discuss her personal life in public.

[11] Talking to GQ in 2015, Swift said that she envisioned "Blank Space" to be a satirical self-referential nod to the media perception of her image as "a girl who's crazy but seductive but glamorous but nuts but manipulative".

[13] The lyrics in the verses are clipped, "Magic, madness, heaven, sin", which the musicologist Nate Sloan said set a mysterious and dreadful tone.

[18] According to Sloan, the narrator of "Blank Space" is unreliable, and therefore it is open to interpretation whether the song is a true portrayal of Swift's character or not.

[19] In contemporary publications, journalists commented that the track represented 1989's lighthearted view on failed relationships and departed from the idealized romance on Swift's past albums.

[23][24] Martin and Shellback employed a sparse production for "Blank Space" as Swift wanted the song to emphasize the lyrics and vocals.

[37] In August 2023, "Blank Space" re-entered the Hot 100 and reached number 46 after it increased in streams; this was brought by Swift's announcement of the re-recorded album 1989 (Taylor's Version) and her performances of the song on her Eras Tour.

[64] According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), "Blank Space" was the eighth-best-selling song of 2015, selling 9.2 million units.

[67] Drowned in Sound's Robert Leedham wrote that Swift succeeded in experimenting with new musical styles on 1989, specifically choosing "Blank Space" as an example.

[69] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Mikael Wood selected the track as one of the album's better songs because of Swift's songwriting craftsmanship.

[27] The New York Times critic Jon Caramanica deemed the song "Swift at her peak" that "serves to assert both her power and her primness".

[72] Selja Rankin from Entertainment Weekly also dubbed "Blank Space" the best track on the album, praising the over-the-top lyrics and its catchy 1980s pop sound.

Katie Atkinson wrote that the single consolidated Swift's trademark autobiographical storytelling in music while "setting the standard for a new, self-aware pop star" in poking fun at her perceived image.

[91] Kahn told Mashable that Swift was thorough in choosing the visual devices and imagery: "When you have an artist wanting to test her imaging, it's always great territory to be in.

[91] The video begins as the male love interest (Sean O'Pry) drives an AC Cobra towards the mansion of Swift's character.

[94][95] Kahn told Rolling Stone that the app was created with "superfans" who wanted to "feel even closer to Swift" in mind.

[92] Billboard praised the video's cinematic quality and aesthetics and found Swift's self-referential portrayal amusing, which served as "icing on the blood-filled cake".

[97] The Guardian's columnist Jessica Valenti complimented Swift's portrayal of her perceived image and dubbed the video "a feminist daydream", where "the narrow and sexist caricatures attached to women are acted out for our amusement, their full ridiculousness on display".

[103] The American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience app won Original Interactive Program at the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

[116] At the 2019 American Music Awards, where Swift was honored Artist of the Decade, she performed "Blank Space" as part of a medley of her hits.

[119] Following the song's debut at the 2014 American Music Awards, the rapper Pitbull uploaded a remix featuring his rap verse to SoundCloud on December 15, 2014.

[128][129] The indie singer Father John Misty released a cover version of the song in the style of the rock band the Velvet Underground in 2015.

[231] In NME, Hollie Geraghty praised the re-recording for showcasing one of the album's "deliciously polished belters that still feel brand new nearly a decade later".