The Life of a Showgirl: Why Taylor Swift’s latest album is a full-blown Shakespearean tragedy | English Movie News

Seems like Taylor Swift has gone out of style, and even her ever-loyal fans – lifelong Swifties, who once used to be the frontline cheerleaders to her make-believe razzle-dazzle – are finally catching up!So… What happened?Well, let’s get the chronology right here. On August 13 (yes, everything about her happens on the 13th, get the gist), yet another entirely unnecessary podcast (New Heights), an absolutely unnecessary l-o-n-g episode made of mindless dinner table chit-chats and frequent swooning over each other, a not-so-surprising album announcement in between, and an already-saw-it-coming engagement post later, on October 3, Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, dropped – and how!Now, to say ‘dropped’, perhaps, is the most resonating one-word reaction to her latest compilation of scribbles from her dearest diary – because, if I’m being honest here (which I am), no other word could possibly express this mind-blowing deterioration, degradation, and descent of pop culture’s pretty little showgirl more accurately.

Seems a bit extreme? Wait till you hear the album.Honestly, if you’re yet to give it a go after a whole week of its release – either you’re living under a big fat rock, or you’ve simply unlocked the secret to remain unfazed in the face of an extremely manipulative and nagging algorithm. (And I have nothing but mad respect for you!) But after listening to The Life of a Showgirl, if you – being a lifelong Swiftie – are pleading with yourself (having an internal monologue with yourself, literally) to stay loyal to your dear white showgirl, and still feeling conflicted about it, THIS – is for you.

The Rise and Fall of the Showgirl

First things first, Taylor Swift is no stranger to being a showgirl – she’s charismatic, thrives on theatrics, ‘drama’ is the middle name of her performer self, and she presents herself on the stage in a one-of-a-kind revelation that claims to cater her soul bare before her audience. She dresses up in frills, frolics, glitter, and glamor, and while she sings about her distress like it’s the only misery that exists and hence is rightfully the end of the whole world – her fans hail her as the most enigmatic damsel they’ve ever encountered in their collective existence!Showgirl 101: decoded.Now, as the Oxford dictionary calls it, a showgirl puts out similar shows of singing, dancing, and frolicking around at various events, packaging them as different acts. Taylor follows the textbook definition of a showgirl to the T, and repurposes the same old story in every new album she launches of late. And by virtue of a well-orchestrated airtight loop, her fans seem to go into a literal frenzy to consume whatever she caters – be it friendship bracelets, or n number of vinyls for the same album’s different versions.

In a world of humans, wilderness, and AI – Swifties form a unique herd. Time and again, they’ve made an unbeatable point to prove that the lack of grey matter in their brains truly is ‘herd’itary, and an infectious syndrome of acute dumbness.Until now.Until The Life of a Showgirl.So, what changed?Because as it turns out, even the lifelong loyalist Swifties are calling out Taylor’s brand new studio album, and this time, not even with subtlety – they’re making reels, writing on social media platforms, participating in comment threads on community forums, almost in unison!But why? What flipped the switch?Turns out, Taylor did the deed herself!

The Fate of NOT an Ophelia

The album opens with the promotional single, The Fate of Ophelia.Context? Glad you asked!Ophelia is a character in one of William Shakespeare’s most prominent and remarkable tragedies, Hamlet. In Hamlet, she is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and the love interest of Hamlet. However, despite hailing from an aristocratic background, all Ophelia has is a miserable life: her father gets killed, her brother manipulates her, and her lover grows distant and cruel. Eventually, the weight of manipulation and grief drives her into madness, and she drowns in a river while surrounded by flowers, leading to her tragic and untimely death.

Now, Taylor takes “inspiration” from Shakespeare, sure, but being a self-proclaimed English teacher (a billionaire teacher) herself, she rewrites the story of her own Ophelia – one who is more of a Disney princess than a tragic Shakespearean character.And why is that problematic, you ask?Because, fundamentally, the two arcs are polar opposites – especially from a feminist lens.In Shakespeare’s creation, Ophelia was a woman who came from means and was still miserable. Despite having everything she could ever ask for, she didn’t have the one thing that could have anchored her life: the agency of herself over her own life. She was relentlessly manipulated by her brother, gaslighted by her lover, and hence was always conflicted about her standing in her own life. Shakespeare’s Ophelia met her tragic fate not because she didn’t have male saviors around her; she died drowning because her protectors suffocated her while she, being a woman, was stripped of her own agency.Here, in The Fate of Ophelia, Taylor sings,“And if you’d never come for meI might’ve drowned in the melancholy.”She goes on,“Late one nightYou dug me out of my grave andSaved my heart from the fate ofOphelia.”In this song, Taylor pictures (and portrays) herself as someone who’s been abandoned, left “alone in my tower,” and she confesses to her lover (Re: KillaTrav), “if you’d never come for me / I might’ve lingered in purgatory.”Girl, that’s Disney drama 101!

Be it Cinderella, Snow White, or Rapunzel – it’s the same old story of a Prince Charming coming to save the delicate princess in distress, and that arc is not even in the same galaxy as Shakespeare’s tragic woman!Ophelia died because she was smothered inside a patriarchal system. Men and their treatment of her were the reason behind her tragic end. She drowned herself in pursuit of an escape and eventually died.In The Fate of Ophelia, Taylor romanticizes the idea of being saved by the same patriarchy that drowned Ophelia – having no agency, being at the mercy of a man, endlessly waiting for them to come save her in the end.In short, Taylor glorifies what Ophelia died of.So much brilliance for an English teacher, eh?

The Irony of an Elder Daughter

But enough about the billionaire English teacher, now’s the time for the Elder Daughter.I’ll be honest: being an elder daughter myself, and having actually listened to Taylor’s past albums on and off, and even having liked *some* of her songs, I nurtured some hopes for this song – despite being aware of her track record from her post-Red era.Cut to listening to Elder Daughter…“Everybody’s so punk on the internetEveryone’s unbothered til they’re notEvery joke’s just trolling and memesSad as it seems, apathy is hot.”????“Everybody’s cutthroat in the commentsEvery single hot take is cold as ice.”????“But I’m not a bad bitchAnd this isn’t savage.”????A song named Elder Daughter, with these lyrics? As an elder daughter myself, I am personally offended not to have found a single word that I could relate to. And I have 110% conviction in my heart when I say this: no elder daughter in the real world can actually make out the meaning of this song and the reasoning behind naming it so.

Also, is the brainrot in the Swifties population too dense to realize that the lyrics of this song seem like the result of some AI-prompted, stereotypically clever words put together, rather hastily – without even fine-tuning them?Once again, such brilliance for a billionaire English teacher!

From the Classroom to the Bedroom: A Lyrical Landslide

Are you guys ready to take it to the bedroom from the classroom yet?Because Taylor Swift has done it in her ‘happiest’ album so far, and we have strong evidence.After talking so much about the need for privacy in her personal life – time and again – here she is, yet again, spilling bedroom secrets, and calling it an ode to her lover.Let’s talk about Woods first, shall we?Recently, during the leg of promotional appearances for her new album, Taylor told Jimmy Fallon (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon) in an interview that Woods is a song that began from a “very innocent place” and then, somehow, found its way… to become ‘cocky’?Well, cocky isn’t new in pop. But what is it about Woods that’s hit a wrong note?It’s her explicit commentary on the treasure of her boyfriend’s penile island!“He ah-matized me and opened my eyesRedwood tree, it ain’t hard to seeHis love was the key that opened my thighs.”????Really, Taylor? That’s how low does the lyrical prowess go?In case you’re coming at me with “erotica” pasted on your plaque, hold your pace. Erotica refers to the art form that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating, or sexually arousing – it doesn’t dial itself down to a level to become a subpar commentary, flexing how masculine a certain size is.If you’re unversed with good erotica, might I suggest getting started with Anaïs Nin’s literary works? Or if you’re more inclined to the visual appeal, maybe go watch Call Me By Your Name as a beginner’s journey?Because Taylor’s Wood, to put it mildly, is nothing beyond some cringey sexual innuendo, and it doesn’t fall anywhere near the rich universe of erotica. To call it an ‘ode’ to her love life with Travis Kelce (yes, big jock, strong guy, who wasn’t aware of Hamlet until his girlfriend explained it to him), sounds actually demeaning – even for those who don’t see eye to eye with her so-called lyrical genius.

Now, certainly, one can call it what they want, throw in some opalites and onyx and whatnot to make it more bejeweled; they can even make a wish list garnished with the billions of dollars they make recycling the same old fairytale! But to consider this songwriting “lyrical prowess”… it’s a lyrical landslide, mama! If she keeps up with this, there won’t be any survivors left, let alone Swifties!And it’s not just the lyrical cringefest that drowns The Life of a Showgirl’s boat, it’s the exhausting repetition of the tunes as well. A recurring theme of this album: it’s the synthetic sameness. Most of the tracks are drenched in familiar pop sound formulas – throw in some big chorus drops, bring in some layered synths, and there – glitchy production flourishes as a cunningly marketed pop masterpiece.Jack Antonoff, if you’re listening – you dodged a bullet, buddy! So did you, Aaron Dessner!Leave behind the art of storytelling that once used to be the forte of Swift; now, it’s all about hook-chasing, ooh-oohing, and ah-matizing in between. The subtle balance between artistic expression and mass appeal that she once strived to create, that layer is on thin ice now. Her songs are less about well-articulated, elaborate journeys; now it’s just about lame disses and major misses.

The Disses that didn’t Deliver

Take Actually Romantic, for instance.“I heard you call me “Boring Barbie” when the coke’s got you braveHigh-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted meWrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my faceSome people might be offended.”Um, okay.Then she goes on,“You think I’m tacky, babyStop talking dirty to meIt sounded nasty but it feels like you’re flirting with meI mind my business, God’s my witnessThat I don’t provoke itIt’s kind of making me wet (oh).”I *think*, you’re tacky??Oh well!

Now, if you need context here, Actually Romantic is seemingly a diss track about Charli XCX – yes, the British ‘brat’ singer who joined Taylor on her tour for Reputation as an opening act alongside Camila Cabello. In fact, in a 2019 interview with Pitchfork, Charli said while she was grateful to be on that tour, it felt like “getting up on stage and waving to five-year-olds.” Five years later, in 2024, Charli released a song, Sympathy is a Knife, with lyrics as these:“I don’t wanna share this spaceI don’t wanna force a smileThis one girl taps my insecuritiesDon’t know if it’s real or if I’m spiraling.”In the song, Charli even mentions her then-fiancé (now-husband) – The 1975 band member and drummer – George Daniel, singing, “George says, “I’m just paranoid”/ Says he just don’t see it, he’s so naive.”Later, she goes on to sing, “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show/ Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.”Now, here’s the tea.Back in 2023, Taylor was rumored to have dated Matty Healy briefly, the frontman for the rock band The 1975. At the same time, Charli XCX was involved with George. So, putting two and two together, Sympathy is a Knife was widely speculated as a diss track, allegedly against/ about Taylor.

However, in 2024, after an internet user tagged Charli alongside videos of her fans chanting “A Taylor Morreu,” which the user said translates to “Taylor is dead,” she responded to condemn their behavior in a post of her own: “Can the people who do this please stop. online or at my shows,” she wrote on a screengrab of the footage. She added, “It is the opposite of what I want and it disturbs me that anyone would think there is room for this in this community. I will not tolerate it.”Although there is not much ground to absolutely discard the lyrics of Charli’s song (Sympathy is a Knife), it’s quite clear that it basically speaks of her own experience with anxiety and the pressure of being in a highly competitive, metrics-driven music industry – rather than accusing Taylor of something directly.As a peer and a more experienced party here, perhaps it’d have been more prudent for Taylor to let go of the ‘beef’ and move on – especially when she’s a 35-year-old self-proclaimed father figure AND a billionaire pop star who never shies away from preaching how important it is to uplift fellow women in the industry at prestigious awards shows (Re: the one where she won the Woman of the Decade award).But what does she do? She fires back with Actually Romantic.Are the scores even yet?Perhaps, not quite.Because after Charli XCX, it’s time for Travis Kelce’s ex.In Opalite – as it appears – while singing praises for her man, Taylor hasn’t left any space to throw some shade at his former girlfriend as well.Kayla Nicole, a 33-year-old television personality, whom Travis dated for five years on and off – from 2017 until their final split in 2022.In Opalite, Taylor sings,“You couldn’t understand itWhy you felt aloneYou were in it for realShe was in her phoneAnd you were just a pose.”Context? Here it comes.After The Life of a Showgirl came out, a video resurfaced online where Kelce and Nicole are seen sitting at a restaurant table. When Kelce is seen asking Nicole to get off her phone so they can leave, Nicole responds by saying she wouldn’t need to “seek validation from a bunch of strangers on the internet” if Kelce paid more attention to her. Kelce then is seen responding by saying, “Oh my God. Get off your phone”.

Now, it’s not hard to put the puzzle in place, is it?While none of it is “confirmed,” patterns are proof enough to say it for sure: Taylor managed to throw her now-fiancé’s ex under the bus in the same song where she described her man resembling Opalite: a man-made joystone!Can we circle back to ‘tacky’ now?

The Fall of the Fragile Feminism

But maybe that part of her – super-obsessed with her rivals – has always been there, lurking beneath the layer of glamor and glitter. Remember the to and fro between Taylor’s Bad Blood and Katy Perry’s Swish Swish? The much-publicized beef needed an “olive branch” to be resolved after years. Or maybe refresh your memory from a more recent past when Taylor was accused of “chart blocking” by releasing new versions of The Tortured Poets Department in the UK, which prevented Charli’s album Brat from reaching number one on the UK charts?

For the unversed, in 2024, when Brat was released, Swift’s team announced six UK-exclusive deluxe versions of The Tortured Poets Department. While the added digital downloads helped her album reclaim the number one spot on the UK charts and boosted her Eras Tour ticket sales simultaneously, it pushed Brat to number two.But hey, Charli XCX wasn’t the only victim of Swift’s “chart-blocking.” In August 2024, it was noticed that Taylor released a new digital version of her album on the same day Chappell Roan’s album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which was a move allegedly made to prevent Roan from reaching number one on the Billboard 200. Quite expectedly, this time as well, Swift’s album surpassed Roan’s.Now, coincidences can’t be one’s sole way of life. It’s not a game of poker with Phoebe Buffay! Sure, it happens once in a while. But for it to happen twice, following and fitting the same patterns – that’s a consequence of a well-oiled witch-hunt.

To be honest, Taylor’s brand of feminism has always been slightly crooked – selective, superficial, opportunist, performative, misguided, calculative, and one that only serves her individualistic identity, ambitions, and purposes. She is the epitome of a rich, straight, white girl playing the victim card for not getting enough attention from her lovers – the real, the fantasized, and the potential ones. It’s always been the same old linear way of her saying/singing that she had been wronged by the man she thought was her savior, her prince charming. And while singing about her miseries from either strained, failed, or estranged relationships, she has always made a point to put herself in a space where her fans have come to believe: she’s the most wronged woman in the whole wide world, always nursing a broken heart.But here’s the thing. Taylor Swift is what happens to feminism when it becomes a brand strategy, a marketing tool, a performance aesthetic: it’s cute, it’s pretty, it’s demure, but it’s rarely ever mindful, hence not at all contributory to the actual movement. Her version of feminism is poised and polite, capitalism-coded and patriarchy-enabled: one that conforms, never confronts. It’s always safe, always apolitical. It never picks a side, even when one side is burning and the other is lighting the match – her version of feminism sugarcoats complicity as liberal neutrality.Taylor’s feminism is the one that takes her abuser to court, but doesn’t let her speak one word about the ongoing violence against women in Palestine, in Sudan, in Congo, or anywhere in the rest of the world – unless it falls within the scope of Hollywood.

Her feminism is polished, manicured, tidied up, and aesthetically pleasing – hence, easily consumable. It’s the handbook for women, especially for white, affluent, heterosexual women who have the system on their side – 9 out of 10 times. It’s individualistic, it’s identity-driven – and hardly ever intersectional. It only helps one win when they belong to the favored bubble of the patriarchal system, while the same system oppresses others who dare to break away and follow a different path from the already chalked-out one. It claps for individual victories – the easily profitable ones, while turning a blind eye to collective change that could actually be a value addition to the community.Why else does there need to be 32 variants of the “The Life of a Showgirl” album, including physical (CDs, vinyls, cassettes) and digital versions, each with different album art and exclusives like poems and voice memos – if not the sake of boosting endless consumerism? Why else wouldn’t she declare to block her music from being streamed in Israel, following the lead of her peers, like Lorde? Like Hayley Williams, like Paramore?It’s not like she’s new to removing her music from a streaming giant like Spotify, when back in 2014 – she felt – the streaming platform wasn’t compensating the artists fairly. So why not now? Is it possible that because that time, she perhaps was getting affected personally? And that, this time, it doesn’t pertain to her interests?Because her idea of being a feminist is simple yet carefully curated: keep pushing a narrative that protects her and only her, injecting the same narrative to the point where critiquing her actions and her “art” comes off as a misogynistic act. To the point where it’s widely believed: if you don’t like Taylor Swift, or her stuff, then you’re a “hater.”But that’s the kind of black and white binary, feminism isn’t about – at all.Coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 – ironically, the birth year of Taylor herself – the term “intersectional feminism” recognizes that women’s experiences are not a single, homogeneous struggle but are shaped by the unique ways different forms of inequality – like race, class, sexual orientation, disability, and more – intersect and compound, creating distinct challenges and forms of marginalization.Remind me, when was the last time Taylor did/said something that served any purpose other than enhancing her own profile?

The Politics of the Apolitica: Pretty, poised, and polite

Her songs are mostly about either a girl being heartbroken about a boy who doesn’t care much, or about her rivals whom she cannot stop obsessing over and wants to get back at, and now about her best and happiest life with her fiancé. Her “girl squad” is all about either 4th of July parties or taking a trip to some extremely posh establishment downtown to grab dinner.

Her politics are limited to being teary-eyed in front of a camera crew while her own documentary (Re: Miss Americana) is being filmed, and a few years later, being engaged to someone who says it’s a “great honor” to have the President of the United States attend the Super Bowl – both acts, contradictory to each other.For the unversed, in her documentary, Miss Americana, Taylor shared a moment with her parents where she was seen discussing her shift from a previously apolitical stance to becoming a vocal advocate for liberal policies, like LGBTQ+ rights and gun control. She had officially broken her political silence to endorse Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterm elections and then went on to endorse Democratic presidential tickets, including Joe Biden/Kamala Harris in 2020 and Kamala Harris/Tim Walz in 2024.On the other hand, the Kelces are more social with the MAGA lot. Travis Kelce shares a close bond with one of his teammates, Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who considers Kelce “like he’s my brother.” The Kelce and Mahomes families are quite close-knit, and Travis and Patrick are even business partners now – with their steakhouse, 1587 Prime, in Kansas City, Missouri. The restaurant, whose name is a tribute to their jersey numbers (Mahomes’ 15 and Kelce’s 87), officially opened this September.

Now, thanks to having her strings attached to Travis, Taylor is frequently seen partying and holidaying with Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Patrick Mahomes. While Patrick hasn’t openly endorsed any specific political party, Donald Trump’s generous praise of him paints a clear picture – given the US President isn’t that generous when it comes to talking about someone who opposes him, or doesn’t share his political views.Meanwhile, Brittany has been more open about her political opinions, publicly expressing support for Donald Trump, which has been acknowledged by Trump himself – all the more reason to believe that Mahomes belongs to the MAGA camp. Now, this has led to massive speculation and discussion, particularly regarding Taylor’s relationship with Brittany.One can always argue to keep their personal life and political endorsement separate, but is it truly possible, to keep personal and political separate – especially in today’s political climate around the world?Guess it indeed is possible for billionaire feminists like Taylor Swift, since she likes to keep her friends at any cost – especially if and when and despite they’re “cancelled!”After all, billionaires do own the privilege of convenience, without making those in power uncomfortable. And when they’re self-proclaimed feminists, they become patriarchy’s favorite vassal, capitalism’s prime face. Because why punish a woman who proves to be an obedient flagbearer of exploitation when you can partner with them to carry the legacy forward? Why fuel conflict when you can gag the people with glitter-coated amusement, an array of sparkly merchandise, in order to help them escape from the glaring inequality and injustice!

The Art of Hypocrisy: Trading ethics for AI-generated aesthetics

Perhaps, a major portion of Swifties could have let all of it slide, had Taylor Swift not made the latest cardinal mistake: using artificial intelligence for her promotional videos instead of hiring people to make them.Yes, you heard that right – no matter how unbelievable it might sound!Swift’s scavenger-hunt video campaign, meant to promote The Life of a Showgirl, has been receiving major backlash for allegedly being AI-made.The campaign videos look crappy, to say the least. It’s a lousy design: puzzle doors in cities, and QR codes unlocking cryptic video teasers. But wait, she didn’t train her fans – who are habituated with spending sleepless nights scouring for Easter Eggs in her posts, music videos, even in her outfits – for nothing! This time, too bad for Taylor, that skill came in handy, and how the tables have turned!Rather than decoding secrets, Swifties spotted inconsistencies in those videos. From disappearing coat hangers to half-missing limbs on animals, all those glitches screamed of one thing: it’s AI-generated. What’s more, betrayed Swift loyalists ran around social media with the hashtag #SwiftiesAgainstAI; so much so that it became a trending hashtag!What’s Taylor’s take here?The “ethical” billionaire, who has been vocal in the past about AI misuse and the harm to creatives, and now claims not to be an “art police”, has yet to break her silence on the matter. Rather, she’s keeping up with her appearances on Late Night TV, being her usual palatable, polite, pretty self.

The Rise, the Reign, the Steep Slump

Now, here’s the thing about Taylor Swift: she has always walked the line between pop spectacle and personal confession. In the past, she has managed to take challenges head-on, and she has come out of it all – like a conqueror queen.But lately, the cracks are appearing; and becoming more and more evident.And along with that, her tone-deaf attitude.Calling American football a “dangerous” sport with “gladiators without swords?” Claiming that Kelce “puts his life on the line” out on the field every week? Really? An overtly dramatized game of catch where the players use their hands to play ‘foot’ball, wearing helmets and all sorts of protective gear, have world-class medics stand by – on top of that, get paid in millions – is an extreme sport to put one’s life on the line for?? What about civilians of war-torn countries like Palestine, Taylor, where even children are killed as they go to fetch flour to eat??

And mind you, that’s not it.Her latest deal with Target for the album “The Life of a Showgirl,” which includes exclusive CD and vinyl editions with special features like posters and collectible artwork, also speaks volumes. Especially, after Target scaled back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives earlier this year – a decision that led to a significant boycott and backlash.But not from Taylor Swift, as her partnership with Target continues a long-standing relationship, outlining how little she cares about anyone else other than her own.Taylor Swift’s career arc is remarkable. The feats she has achieved – no matter at what cost – shall always belong to her crown and sing to her glory. From country kid songwriter to arena pop megastar, re-recording her masters, exerting control, dominating charts – the list truly is endless.But every empire crumbles when it loses touch with what built it in the first place. Sure, her platforms shall continue to churn profits – her initial sales figures of The Life of a Showgirl are a testament. But is the ‘Boring Barbie’ stature sustainable anymore? In an era where the world is going through a moral bankruptcy from an older generation, and simultaneously witnessing the rise of responsible activism from the younger lot – is Taylor’s model of pretty, polite, and apolitical sustainable?Seems unlikely.Because when the cracks come from the inside of the castle, the fall is inevitable.

Nurturing a sadistic desire to be a spectator of a billionaire’s fall is not really on my bingo card, but if that happens – and when it eventually does – will I shy away from a hush-hush cheer?Highly unlikely!