Taylor Swift’s latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” has been received with mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. Since everyone has their own unique perspective on both the album and the phenomenon that is Taylor Swift, we at Her Campus Conn Coll decided to ask our writers what their opinion was– and we received some interesting but fantastic responses! No opinion is “wrong,” and we are so glad our writers brought forth such varied takes!
Personally, I was not a fan of this album. I grew up on Taylor Swift’s music, and still enjoy a lot of it (especially Folklore and Evermore), but this album fell very flat for me. I would no longer call myself a “Swiftie,” per se, as although I enjoy some of Taylor’s music and have had a lot of fun at her concerts I have attended, I don’t want to foster a parasocial relationship with any famous person, and am also deeply critical of her environmental impact and silence on just about every issue that does not directly impact her despite her claims that she feels she should not be silent. Despite that, though, I attempted to listen with an open mind– but found myself bored many times, and at some points full-on cringed. I am no pearl-clutcher when it comes to lyrical themes (one of my favorite albums is Ethel Cain’s Preacher’s Daughter), but I did not need multiple bad puns regarding Travis Kelce’s… well, in Taylor’s words… “manhood.” I also thought the interpretation of Ophelia’s character and fate in “The Fate of Ophelia” was a poor creative choice– I am all for varied perspectives on famous works as an English major, but it truly did not feel like Taylor read Hamlet closely enough. I do not think I could differentiate between most of the songs on the album– the only ones I enjoyed enough to remember were “The Life of a Showgirl” and “Opalite.” I would never make fun of anyone for what they find joy in even if I do not– this album just wasn’t for me, and did not feel appropriate given everything that is going on in the world.
Caroline Snyder, ‘26
As someone who has historically enjoyed almost all of Taylor Swift’s music and had the time of my life at the Eras Tour in 2023, I really looked forward to The Life of a Showgirl. My thoughts on The Tortured Poets Department were mixed — I thought that album felt like a rough draft, far too long-winded, with forgettable songs filling the space between masterpieces like Styrofoam. I still found some songs that I really loved, such as “Guilty as Sin?”, “The Black Dog,” and “Peter,” but I could never get behind the title track’s ramblings about Charlie Puth and tattooed golden retrievers. I attributed my lukewarm feelings towards TTPD to its excessive tracklist, oddly specific modern references, and the creative stagnation of working with Jack Antonoff for too long. When I found out that The Life of a Showgirl would be only twelve tracks long and produced with Max Martin, architect of 1989, I felt sure that we were poised for an epic comeback.
I was wrong. I was really, deeply wrong. I’ll admit that without hesitation. The moment I heard the opening lines to “Eldest Daughter,” I understood that we have truly diverged from the correct timeline. The woman who wrote “All Too Well,” “The Archer,” and “tolerate it” has now unironically used the phrase “trolling and memes” in a Track 5. I feel like she owes some sort of reparations for using the terms “bad bitch” and “savage” in the chorus. In “Actually Romantic” and “Honey,” we see a side of Taylor that is no longer interested in being a girls’ girl (what was the point of the “Better Than Revenge” lyric change if we’re just going to fully call women bitches now?). In “Wi$h Li$t,” Taylor is clearly trying to voice her annoyances towards specific individuals, but it ends up coming off as a condemnation of anyone who doesn’t get married and have babies behind a white picket fence. Of course, she has every right to want to be left alone and have a family, but why does this necessitate putting down those “living off the grid” or with “three dogs that they call their kids”? Less than a year ago, Taylor proudly proclaimed herself a childless cat lady, in a political statement that sparked ire from Donald Trump and a genuinely disturbing threat from Elon Musk. Now, she seems to have softened on that message. Nowhere on this album does she punch up against the powerful men who have disparaged her; instead, she focuses her anger on other women, in a world where almost no female celebrity can hold a candle to her level of influence.
But even setting aside my misguided expectations that she still maybe kind of believed in feminism, I also find myself annoyed with the overall lyrical style of this album. To put it bluntly, some of my favorite Taylor songs are the mostly sexually charged ones — songs like “Dress,” “I Can See You,” and the aforementioned “Guilty as Sin?” — but these songs are miles away from whatever is going on in “Wood.” I will never look at redwood trees the same again. I fear that this sort of tongue-in-cheek innuendo doesn’t work for someone who has historically taken herself seriously. It just feels like she’s writing fanfiction.
Kate Bridges, ’27
As someone who became a Swiftie at age 10 with the release of 1989 in 2014, I was excited for another 1989-like album. After listening to the first couple tracks, and seeing countless videos diving into and tearing apart the lyrics and questionable word choices Taylor has included; like “legitly” and “dickmatized”, have made me strongly agree. I also have to say I definitely did not need to learn about the size of Travis Kelce’s manhood in “Wood”.
While The Life of a Showgirl is certainly not my favorite Taylor album (I’m a longtime Swiftie), I think it’s getting more hate than it deserves. It’s a fun pop album with a lot of super catchy bangers! Many are arguing that it’s lacking Taylor’s usual lyricism, but I think a lot of great lyrics are being overlooked due to the upbeat production. My favorite track is definitely “The Life of a Showgirl”; the writing is great, and Taylor and Sabrina’s voices blend so nicely together. I also love the outro! I think it’s perfect for both the song and the album. In addition, I’m a big fan of “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Opalite,” and “Actually Romantic.” I don’t know (or really care) about the drama behind that song. I just think it’s a bop!
I will say, I have some qualms about “CANCELLED!” I believe it’s supposed to be a criticism of cancel culture and the way the public often unfairly places blame on peers, rather than the problematic individuals themselves. However, considering the current political context, it was a poorly timed release.
Overall, there are a few songs that I consider to be skips, but I am enjoying The Life of a Showgirl more everyday!
Allie Ziegler, ‘27
My take on this album is definitely controversial because I LOVE it. While I agree that the lyricism is nowhere near that of Folklore or Evermore, I believe this is intentional. To me, this album is fun and not meant to be taken too seriously. I can understand how people are thrown off by this stylistic change, but I think what we are forgetting is that Taylor has done this for every album she’s ever made. I’m sure her next album will be just as different, as she continues moving through different “eras” of her music. Some lyrics on the album definitely made me cringe, but I would argue that Taylor is being entirely ironic. I think Taylor is also just playing into a huge trend of this year, which is what I like to call “silly girl pop.” Artists like Audrey Hobert and Sabrina Carpenter have been releasing music just as light hearted and goofy, which have not received this level of criticism. I understand that this genre is not for everyone, and I truly respect that, but with our political climate being so heavy right now, I’ve found the simplicity of these albums to be a nice relief/distraction. I’m all for respectful criticism and difference in taste, but I don’t believe any music should be considered “bad.” To me, music is art, and art is meant to be subjective. I don’t think any music can be objectively “bad” as long as it is enjoyed by someone. Sure, the lyrics are not very profound, but I don’t believe everything should be weighed on a scale of intellectual quality. I also think that The Life of a Showgirl being so short and the fact that Taylor isn’t planning to tour it are indicators that this album was never meant to be taken too seriously.
Scarlett Adler, ‘28
The Life of a Showgirl was quite honestly just what I needed from Taylor at my current moment in time- something fun, light, and sparkly. Taylor has described that she has three main writing styles: songs written with a quill pen, fountain pen, or glitter gel pen. This is definitely a glitter gel pen album which is such a drastic contrast from her last album: The Tortured Poets Department that was wrenched with heartache. As a Taylor Swift fan, I am so happy that Taylor’s life has morphed into being inspiration for a joyful album, especially after the emotionally brutal TTPD.
My all-time favorite Taylor Swift album is Folklore, which is a drastically different vibe from The Life of a Showgirl, but I find that I can’t always listen to Folklore for obvious reasons- its themes are just really sad and I find that the mood of music I listen to affects my own mood too much. My favorite song on the new album is “Opalite” because it’s basically Taylor saying, “You got this girl! You’re too good for anything bringing you down!” and sometimes you just need a sparkly, uplifting song like that. Lastly, the aesthetic for this album is breathtaking and ethereal! I loved seeing Taylor as Ophelia from Hamlet in her “The Fate of Ophelia” music video and I love the fun dance that came from the video!
-Shannon Brock, ‘28