Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” Proves a Lack of Media Literacy in Today’s Society
Taylor Swift’s latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” is all about love. But many people, fans and critics alike, responded with hate.
“The Life of a Showgirl” features 12 tracks, many of them about her fiancé, Travis Kelce. Most of the songs are upbeat and fun, except for a few slower songs, such as “Father Figure,” “Ruin the Friendship,” and “Canceled.” All 12 songs are cohesive and have a distinct pop style, but with Swift’s unique flair, of course.
Personally, I enjoyed the album. But many critics and consumers were disappointed, and expected poetic, melancholy songs like “Folklore,” “Evermore”, and “The Tortured Poet’s Department.”
They called her lyrics cringey, outdated, and shallow. A song doesn’t have to be sad to be meaningful. “The Life of a Showgirl” has deep lyrics and literary references sprinkled throughout, despite the primary themes being love and happiness.
The hate of “The Life of a Showgirl” goes beyond personal taste. In the song “Wi$h Li$t,” Swift dreams of living in a suburban neighborhood with Travis Kelce and having children with him.
On social media, people accused Swift of being MAGA and promoting the tradewife lifestyle. But she’s not saying that’s the only way to live. In the verses of the song, Swift talks about how everyone has different dreams, and she hopes they get what they want, but having a family with Kelce is what she wants.
She was also accused of promoting anti feminist ideals in the song “The Fate of Ophelia,” since she says Kelce saved her from the fate of the character Ophelia from Hamlet, who drowned after losing her mind from grief.
Taylor Swift writes songs about her life and experiences. She’s not telling women that they need a man to save them, but simply writing about a personal experience.
The third track, “Opalite,” is about finding love and happiness in life after difficult past relationships. Opal is also Travis Kelce’s birthstone.
Controversy sprang from the lyric “Sleepless in the onyx night, but now the sky is opalite.” The dark stone, onyx, and light blue, opalite, describe night and day. Some speculate that the lyric is a blow at Kelce’s ex, Kayla Nicole, a black woman, and claim that onyx and opalite are meant to symbolize skin tone.
However, when looking at the lyrics in context, the metaphor has nothing to do with race and is contrasting depression and happiness with night and day.
The “Opalite Necklace” on Swift’s official merch store features lightning bolts on the chain and a star in the middle. Content creators pointed out how the lightning bolts look like SS bolts, a symbol that is used by white supremacists and neo nazis. However, fans believe that she is referring to the song lyric “you were dancing through the lightning strikes.”
Swift hasn’t commented on the matter, but her actions prove that she’s not a white supremacist. She’s cast people of color as her actors and background dancers in music videos and on tour. Her most recent video for “The Fate of Ophelia” is no different. If Swift were a true while supremacist, wouldn’t she only cast white people in her videos?
All of these allegations are easy to dispute, but in this day and age, media literacy is dwindling. Many of Swift’s haters make strong arguments to prove these points, despite having to twist facts. Others see these claims online and blindly believe them, rather than researching the songs and their true meanings.
As a Swiftie, I don’t have anything against people who don’t like Taylor Swift. But the hatred towards “The Life of a Showgirl” is extreme, and there are better ways to spend your time than trolling Taylor Swift on the internet.
