Taylor Swift released her 12th album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” on Oct. 3. Due to the extensive marketing of Swift’s media team, many were very excited for its release.
However, after its release, some fans ended up disappointed. On popular platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, many are still debating whether or not the album was good.
Self-identified “Swiftie” Aahana Gupta ’27 said, “I think really [the album] didn’t really fit the promotional materials. In my opinion, I felt like it was kind of just underwhelming in general.”
Both Swifties and non-fans have united in making criticisms of things such as the lyricism, claiming that the lyrics are nowhere near as good as albums like “The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift’s 11th album.
“In my opinion, it’s one of her worst albums, but I think that’s because…at this point, she’s shown us that she can write better lyrics,” Gupta said.
However, some enjoyed the departure from previous albums. Lily Colleran ’28 said, “I think it was definitely a lot different from ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ which I didn’t like that one at all. I just couldn’t get with any of the songs. But I think it was similar to her early albums that were more catchy, but she was also still being a lot more honest with it.”
Despite this album being different from Swift’s previous lyrical style, it is still highly criticized compared to other albums from different artists. Another popular pop artist, Sabrina Carpenter, released her album called “Man’s Best Friend,” which is also a fun pop album, on Aug. 29. This album was also criticized for its lyrical style, which is similar to Swift’s, yet not nearly as critiqued as “The Life of a Showgirl.”
The different reactions are partially due to Swift’s popularity; Swift’s global fame incurs a lot of criticism, but it isn’t always warranted.
“I think people are just needing to hate. They’re not listening to the actual music. Everyone’s gonna like different things, but this album is just a short, sweet, good album that’s just fun, and I have a feeling it’s a lot more about her as a person than the actual songs that they’re hating on,” Colleran said.
Along with the baseline prejudice and hate, LOAS has been surrounded by numerous controversies and scandals that have hurt its reputation.
Preceding the album’s release, Swift promoted numerous merchandise collections, including eight different vinyls, 14 CDs and a cassette tape. However, this also led fans to question if the album was motivated more by money rather than sharing musical talent.
She also released many clothing items following the release of her album, including a necklace that was soon taken off the shop, but not before it sold out. The necklace, featuring symbols some associated with the Nazi Party, sparked a lot of controversy, as people accused Swift of being a white supremacist and using neo-Nazi symbolism in her merchandise and lyrics. Many people took their opinions online, calling the necklace a “racist dog whistle.”
Aside from merchandise, she released a movie that features her music video and its production process. She also plays each song and talks about the meaning behind the lyrics.
The album promotion followed Swift’s engagement to Travis Kelce. Many fans loved watching Swift and Kelce fall in love; they followed their story up to the day he proposed.
Kelce’s feelings for Swift first became public on an episode of Kelce’s and his brother Jason Kelce’s podcast “New Heights.” In July 2023, Kelce mentioned that he was hurt Swift wouldn’t see him before a showing of the Eras Tour and gave his number on a friendship bracelet to a bodyguard to give to Swift.
In August, Swift made her first appearance on the podcast, and its popularity rose as Swift continued to make guest appearances.
Swift’s fan group has recently started to listen to the podcast, adding to its consistent viewers. Along with this, Swift’s appearances at Travis’s football games have enticed her fans to watch the National Football League, which has sparked lot of criticism from the old NFL fanbase.
However, track nine of LOAS, titled “Wood,” has been getting a lot of attention due to its sexual allusions to Kelce. Some appreciate the song’s boldness and departure from her past music, while others criticize its innuendos because her listeners’ demographic is largely young girls.
“There’s some “Wood” things. I really love the melody, okay, but the lyrics in that song, it just takes me out,” Gupta said.
Despite all the controversies, many Swifties still enjoy the album. “I think it was her best one, really. It was one of my favorites. I like her originals…but this one, even though it’s a shorter album, I think each song was thought out really well,” Colleran said.
