Taylor Swift has been the hot topic of pop culture for quite some time now, I mean just recently she passed 20 years making music. But that is not to say she has always been loved and adored, even now she has been hit with a massive hate train once again. For those who are unfamiliar, Taylor Swift hate is not a new hill she has had to climb. But in the time between her Reputation album and most recent, The Life of a Showgirl, she seemed to be safe from most criticism until recently. Let’s dig in.Â
It was first cool to hate Taylor Swift back in 2016, after her 1989 release. She faced some severe backlash during this time, and went into hiding. She wasn’t seen for awhile, and lived in comforting solitude alongside her partner at the time, Joe Alwyn. Swift decided to take a step back from the world after a series of social media feuds went viral involving her breakups at the time, a fallen relationship with Kim Kardashian, a trending hashtag #TaylorSwiftisOverParty, and a song released by Kanye West seen as a backstab. She went deeper into this story in her documentary, stating how she was struggling with an eating disorder at the time as well. The result of this backlash caused her to reevaluate her deep need to be loved by everyone and seen as perfect, so she decided to step away to reclaim her reputation. Thus, her comeback album was born.
I believe her Reputation album was the perfect comeback. Swift has always been careful when dealing with public feuds, and never directly targets those who targeted her. But this album clearly had some purpose, with revengeful tracks and a sound that was unheard of before by her fans. While, of course, not everyone came back around, she seemed to make it back on top.
More albums were released, and alas, the Eras Tour began. Swift was on top of the world once again. While the Eras Tour grew in popularity, so did Swift. From the outside perspective it seemed as if everyone adored her once again. It was almost impossible to get tickets due to the influx of buyers all around the world, literally.Â
But of course, now in 2026, we seem to be back at square one. Part of this, or all of this, has to do with her newest release last October, The Life of a Showgirl, and the extra songs from that album that just dropped recently. Many fans were disappointed by this album, comparing it to all the other albums they loved. (Honestly, I am the kind of person to just wonder why they can’t listen to those albums instead if they hate The Life of a Showgirl so much.) But anyway, people hated it, to be blunt. But my mom loved it, so there is a win for Miss Taylor.Â
Fans were upset at the writing and wanted more depth to her writing within the songs, comparing it to Folklore writing and 1989 sounds. When in reality, it is called The Life of a Showgirl for a reason. Showgirls perform on stage, you aren’t informed about what goes on behind the scenes and in the inner depths of her soul- it is simply just fun. But even so, the good news is that there is an album of hers for everyone if not this one. Hence, my moms new favorite.Â
All this to say, I think she will come back stronger once again. It was cool to hate her back in 2016, and then the Eras Tour took over the world. My thought is, it seems like this is her time- and honestly, the queues for the Eras Tour were far too long for my taste, so I am not extremely upset with the dwindling fans.Â