Is That Lady Really a ‘Showgirl’?

My second video essay! This time, we're talking about Taylor Swift. This is not a track-by-track analysis, instead I just wanted to dig deeper into the meaning and history of the showgirl theme of her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” I would love to hear your thoughts! Enjoy and stay tuned for more. Recommended Viewing: “13 Reasons Why TLOAS is Taylor Swift’s Most Conservative Album to Date,” IG: @ audrey.the.autistic.author, https://www.instagram.com/p/DPcB02CDuYu/ TikTok: @ 1araquinn, https://www.tiktok.com/@1araquinn/video/7557179070618815774 “This Video Isn’t About Taylor Swift. It’s About You,” YouTube: Alexander Avila, https://youtu.be/Mdmhiv7O5m8?si=EM4zIslsezUcSvB3 “Taylor Swift and Championing the Average,” IG: @ jaytibbitts, https://www.instagram.com/p/DPZVE94jdbA/ “Taylor Swift is Unchallenging is Therefore Popular,” IG: @ davidsonboswell, https://www.instagram.com/p/DPWwjRUDq8t/ Credits: Films Footlight Parade (1933, dir. Lloyd Bacon) Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935, dir. Busby Berkeley) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953, dir. Howard Hawks) Gypsy (1962, dir. Mervyn LeRoy) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958, dir. Richard Brooks) Showgirls (1995, dir. Paul Verhoeven) The Last Showgirl (2024, dir. Gia Coppola) (All films used under fair use for commentary) Songs The Fate of Ophelia – Taylor Swift (2024) Sympathy is a Knife – Charli XCX (2024, Copacabana (At the Copa) – Barry Manilow (1978) (All songs and music videos used under fair use for commentary) Quotations Jane Merrill, The Showgirl Costume: An Illustrated History (2018) Karina Longworth, You Must Remember This Podcast, “Showgirls, Jade, and the Tall of Joe Eszterhas.” (2023) Youtube @ RnGSR @ angel girl @ maldeeni @ TheJudyRoomVideos @ Warner Bros. Classics @ Veronique Laurent @ Stan Twitter @ Marilyn Monroe Diamond @ DragonBoss JPX @ To Old Hollywood and Beyond! Chapters 0:00 Intro 4:29 Showgirl History 9:34 Elizabeth Taylor 14:51 Showgirls and The Last Showgirl 20:14 Charli xcx, Gen Z, and Beyond 26:06 Conclusion/Thesis 27:00 Outro Tags #videoessay #popcultureanalysis #taylorswift #thelifeofashowgirl