I’m not a Swiftie but I listened to The Life of a Showgirl anyways — here are my unfiltered thoughts

Addicted to being part of the conversation

Oct 03, 2025

This album, like most of Taylor’s recent ones, is just *meh.*

Before we dive in, I want to give you all a brief overview of my relationship to Taylor Swift. Like any white girl who grew up in the Midwest, I was a fan of the singer in high school. I tagged along with friends to her Speak Now and Red concerts at the Dome in St. Louis and had a fantastic time. I loudly sang to “Our Song” when I first got my license, whipping through the suburban streets.

As I grew up, my interest in TS waned. I wasn’t waiting on bated breath for her albums. Beyoncé took this spot — I’ve shared many, many times the memory etched into my mind of my high school friends and I all piled on top of each other in the hallway listening to her self titled album. My favorite TS album is folklore because it is witchy, folky, doesn’t feel like she is trying so hard? And I respect her for rerecording her albums.

But the adoration of TS exhausts me. She’s deified, treated like she is the originator of music, dance, and spectacle. Most of her fans refuse to listen to a single criticism, stanning her so hard they look past her many wrongdoings.1 And when a new TS album comes out, social media pauses. Every single post is about her, the new songs, the new lyrics. It just is a bit much!

Still, even with my exhaustion and quite frankly annoyance of TS, I enjoy some of her music. I love love, so I like knowing about her relationship with Travis Kelce and even watched their entire New Heights episode with my mom. I am a feen for pop culture and I hate not being in on the conversation, so I listen and participate, even if I don’t enjoy myself.

I didn’t have a countdown for The Life of a Showgirl, but when TS said this album would be similar to Red, I was a teensy bit excited. That was my favorite album of hers in high school. This morning, as I got ready for work, I turned on her 12th studio album and jotted down my thoughts as I listened. Here they are for you, dear Readers, unfiltered and unedited.

It is probably just a me thing, but I can’t stand Taylor’s song title names. “The Fate of Ophelia” like who is that and why is your song named that?
Also she does that thing where she sings all spooky-like? It is funny to me.
“Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes” ….. ? what? This is not good writing….
“Elizabeth Taylor“ is a weird song, why does she keep saying Elizabeth Taylor? *I’m being asked to write about this for work lol so I will get an answer*
Oh I like “Opalite”! A fun bop.
“Eldest Daughter” is so bad.
“I’m not a bad bitch, this isn’t savage” ???? Girl what? Maybe I think this song is so bad because I’m a youngest daughter(™) but it just feels extremely forced? Like she saw all the traits about being an eldest daughter on a TikTok and then wrote a song about it?

Everybody’s so punk on the internet/ Everyone’s unbothered till they’re not
Every joke’s just trolling and memes/ Sad as it seems, apathy is hot
Everybody’s cutthroat in the comments/ Every single hot take is cold as ice

My only note on “Ruin the Friendship” is: why does she keep writing about high school? She’s 35.
“Actually Romantic” has a really fun beat but per every news outlet and the lyrics, TS is dissing Charli XCX and that is not okay with me. “Everything is romantic” is one of my most favorite songs and it is just sooooo childish for TS to keep focusing on other people?? idk leave Charli out of it!

I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave / High-fived my ex and then said you’re glad he ghosted me / Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face/ Some people might be offended / But it’s actually sweet / All the time you’ve spent on me.”

Hahahaha she named a song “Wi$h Li$t”, and as someone whose name on a lot of social media sites is te$$, I find this so embarrassing. I should go change my name A$AP.
Wow “Wi$h Li$t” is so cheesy.
“Bring me a best friend who I think is hot” hahahahaha guys what, that is an inside thought?
“Wood” is very fun! But the lyrics! What is going on??? Her fans are mainly obsessed with her lyrics, call her the lyrical genius of our generation and she chose to write “New Heights Manhood” ?
I just do not stand by these lyrics.
Okay to me, “Cancelled” is about Blake Lively and here’s the thing, I’ve always been team Blake in that situation, I thought it was freaky that the internet was siding with Justin Baldoni — a loser who made his entire personality about feminism was creepy to me and gives very much Ezra Klein vibes [iykyk], so good on Taylor for sticking by her friend!
“Did you girl boss to close to the sun” hey guys, so internet lingo shouldn’t be in songs I think.
I have no thoughts on “Honey”
Title track with Sabrina Carpenter started with TS saying the word “legitly” so…
I love Sabrina’s voice so much!!! She has such a fun little vibrato and twang, it’s so fun.
And tbh I really think of Sabrina as a showgirl, and not so much TS, even though they both are.
Overall I give it a 5/10 — no further explanation needed!