At 12:12 a.m. on August 12, Taylor Swift announced her upcoming 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl, via a clip from her boyfriend’s podcast. The announcement naturally sent Swifties running to Reddit to discuss all the Easter eggs thus far and what they’re telling us about this new era. Let’s unpack what she’s putting down, shall we?
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Let’s start with the title. It seems Swift wants to conjure visions of old-school Las Vegas showgirls, the ones in the crystal bras and faux tails with massive plumes of tangerine feathers sprouting from their heads. When you Google Swift’s name on a computer, the search-results page explodes in confetti and a tiny message bubble floats up under a fiery-red heart emoji: “and, baby, that’s show business for you.” Based on this, some fans in her Reddit threads have surmised the record is a concept album that will take the point of view of famous showgirls of yore and tell their story through song (think folklore but with a more dancy, upbeat vibe).
I don’t discount that theory, but we cannot ignore a few other clues, such as how Swift dressed for the announcement. For one thing, she reportedly wore $30,000 worth of simple Cartier jewelry, which is channeling “red lip, classic thing that you like” far more than “woman of the theater.” Also, she has found herself deep in capital T, capital S territory — I’m talking a serious bang, a statement lip, winged eyeliner, and an airy white button-down. The last time she dressed like this was sometime around 2014, when she released 1989, famously moved to New York, and wrote music about the inner workings of her mind and heart. (This also tracks with a playlist Swift posted about the upcoming album, on which 1989 songs are prominently featured.)
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So what will this new podcasting version of Taylor be giving us lookwise? A lot of orange and mint green, if the briefcase she pulled her album cover out of is any indication. Beyond that, only Swift (and maybe a few really diligent Swifties) know what this all could mean — at least until Wednesday when her episode airs. Are you brave enough to listen to a sports podcast and find out?
