14-time Grammy-winning artist Taylor Swift poses during the 2024 Golden Globe Awards. January 8th, 2024. Photo Credit: iHeartRadioCA
Fans are feeling indifferent following the release of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album.
Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” was released on Oct. 3, 2025.
The album presents Swift as a “showgirl”, showing the glitz and glamor of life as well as the toll of the spotlight.
Taylor Swift is known for her different “eras” and how she reinvents herself for each album she releases. However, “The Life of a Showgirl” feels like it is no longer authentic and more for publicity than artistry.
The first issue is that fans suspect AI being used to promote her album.
Taylor Swift has publicly voiced her distrust and concern for AI in her field, but promotional videos on her social media are being flagged by viewers as AI-generated.
To fans, this has felt like a stab in the back. Swift branded herself as a real, human artist who would never renege on her word, and a lot of her audience was drawn to that. To take away that human quality removes the charm from her work.
The second dagger comes in the form of brand fatigue. Taylor Swift, despite her ever-changing “eras,” is “the girl next door,” not the glamorous showgirl.
Her appeal was that she was relatable, wore her heart on her sleeve, wrote about every date she’s ever had and was someone little girls could see themselves in.
Now, her image feels forced and an embodiment of something she isn’t but wants to be. The brand that once made her accessible is starting to age out of touch, and instead of evolving naturally, she’s clinging to glitter and spectacle to stay on top.
The biggest issue, however, lies in Swift’s shade towards Black women. Swift’s albums always revolve about real people and situations, but in “The Life of a Showgirl,” the people and situations had nothing to do with her. Instead, her insecurities got the best of her.
In “Opalite,” Swift writes the lines “living through her phone” and “just a post,” which have been speculated to be about social media influencer and Travis Kelce’s ex, Kayla Nicole.
In “Eldest Daughter,” she sings, “I’m not a savage, I’m not a bad b***h, I’m just doing my best.”
The terms “savage” and “bad b***h” are common phrases used by Black women. Notably, Megan the Stallion is one of many Black women who took these terms that were used against them and repurposed them with pride.
The problem isn’t the definition; it’s that Taylor Swift pinned herself against women of a color, drawing a line between her and “them”.
It’s a common racial pattern in the music industry, with white pop stars stealing and profiting off of the black image while dissing the culture.
With this in mind, “The Life of a Showgirl” seems like a desperate grab for money.
A brand that was built on being relatable and raw turned into an artificial glitterball. The AI promos, the forced glam and shots at black women for simply existing show an artist trying hard to stay relevant.
Swift’s brand of innocence doesn’t hit the same when it comes wrapped in contradiction. True growth is evolution, not imitation.
Right now, Taylor Swift looks less like a showgirl and more like a fleeting spotlight.
