61 Comments
User's avatar
sarah cucchiara's avatar

i’d buy 30 vinyl variations of this essay

Valerie's avatar

LOLLL adore you

Vanessa Torres's avatar

the most accurate review i’ve read on the album.

Valerie's avatar

thank you 😭 I was afraid it’d come across too bitter

Vanessa Torres's avatar

its so honest, she’s lost her craft

Nadav's avatar

they're saying it's the second best life of a showgirl essay on substack

Valerie's avatar

going to pull a swift on you and block you from #1

hailey's avatar

The lack of artistry in her lyrics on Showgirl pisses me off because I also was a fan of the Folklore/Evermore album and I know what she's capable offffffff

Crimson's avatar

A real man protects his woman, even from herself. Like, veto that shit bro.

"Hey honey, that's a cool song but it sounds a little bit like it's about my dick. Is everything ok?"

Valerie's avatar

please hahaha

Sherry Ning's avatar

I missed the I wear tshirts she wears short skirts love story baby just say yes era ✋😔

Valerie's avatar

life used to be so good and innocent

noam's avatar

so real i was yawning and falling asleep listening to that album like no matter what she comes up with it's gonna be extremely overplayed so at least do something interesting!!! i think she truly has lost her ability to find a way to relate to us "normal girls" she supposedly writes for and her lack of relatability completely unravels her brand like that's supposed to be Her Thing. anyways great review i was reading this going "yes!!! exactly!!!"

kaitie's avatar

lovedddd this essay and this point of her losing her ability to relate to us !! I agree that folklore / evermore were her last works of art so is it a coincidence that so many of those songs were written from the perspective of other people? I recall watching her long pond sessions where she spoke about how empathy drove her during those times during the pandemic. is that the only way she can create great art now, by narrating someone else’s story? ….. something to chew on

Jubilee Rayne's avatar

Found the perfect words to describe how I felt about the whole situation. I too used to be a big fan, but something has really just shifted, truly.

Yeah and what the fuck was with wood, like hello??? 😭😭

thea ‧₊˚♡'s avatar

literally this - i heard sm stuff abt the newest album and there was something under the surface i was trouble putting words to but this said it all

Valerie's avatar

❣️❣️so much frustration writing this lolll

corinne behnke's avatar

this was a correct take on TS in 2025. It was more than “give us nothing,” and more like “who are you even taking to???” Thanks for unpacking that in a more thoughtful and well-written way.

Valerie's avatar

exactly! She’s been speaking into the void lately 💔

Zoe 🪷's avatar

insane read on a sentiment we're all feeling rn </3

Lau - Hey Lovely Girl's avatar

i was waiting for this essay

stargirlabbyyy's avatar

this take!!! i think that she’s just so in her billionaire bubble that she has lost the ability to story tell. her life and brand is so public now she can’t make up a narrative to save her life, which honestly just proves ur point… yikes

Pluto's avatar

Taylor has always been petty though. That is why her songs are comfort songs. Nothing too hard or complicated

Hannah Cao's avatar

Amen

Arpreet Kaur's avatar

I'm a swiftie myself for 3 years now, but I'm starting to question if i like her as a person now. Why hasn't she spoken about the Gaza situation? Why would she write a song supporting blake lively?

Arpreet Kaur's avatar

And the lyrics "I'm not a bad bitch this isn't savage" what was that??