Taylor Swift's new album 'The Life of a Showgirl' feels like a step backward

The album everyone was apparently waiting for really doesn't need yet another review. But since I was made to listen to it and ended up forming quite the opinion, I might as well share it.
 
A quick disclaimer (probably unnecessary, but context matters): I'm not a Swiftie. Not a die-hard fan. She's had her moments, and there are songs of hers I still enjoy to this day, but I spend most of my time listening to rock and metalcore. My guilty pleasure? German hip-hop and rap.
 
That said, I don't think you can separate Taylor Swift's music from Taylor Swift the person. Like all of us, she's changed immensely since the start of her career. Yet somehow, this album doesn't feel like growth – it feels like regression. Does that have to do with the political tension in the US? Possibly. Either way, it's hard to ignore.
 
Once relatable and lyrically sharp, she's now released an album with questionable lyrics, references no one asked for, and oddly petty jabs at other women in the industry.
 
We're talking about a billionaire here. Maybe she didn't start completely from the bottom, but she built a one-of-a-kind career, shattered records, and mastered marketing. She has nothing left to prove – yet she still felt the need to allegedly call out Charli XCX in her song Actually Romantic for once calling her a "boring Barbie", implying Charli was coked up. Really? We're not in high school anymore. When they go low, we go… lower? That's not quite how the saying goes.
 
Since August, Taylor's been engaged – and good for her. She deserves happiness, especially after a long relationship that, by several reports, was strained by her fame. She's living the American dream: marry the football star, have the kids. Except she built her career in between. And now, it feels like that's all she wants – Travis and children. 
 
Which is fine, but then why mock others for chasing fame or ambition? Why dig at women like Charli, or hint in her song Wi$h Li$t that wanting an Oscar is somehow shallow? (If that was a jab at Kate Winslet, who keeps hers in the bathroom so everyone can enjoy it, honestly – great idea, Kate.)
 
The biggest crime of this album, though, is Wood. Musically, it's fantastic – playful, glamorous, the perfect soundtrack to a Vegas sunset drive. It screams showgirl to me. But lyrically? A disaster. We didn't need the graphic references to her fiancé's manhood. Where were the trigger warnings? It's a guilty pleasure track I'll only admit to liking in secret, because celebrating it out loud feels wrong.
 
And please, don't frame this as feminism.
 
Then there's her recurring issue: taking digs at other women. Why? Fear of competition?
 
The closing track, The Life of a Showgirl feels like a farewell. She thanks everyone for the bouquet, implying she's ready to bow out. Maybe she is. The song itself is dull, but the message is clear – she's ageing (nothing wrong with that, just do it gracefully). And roping in Sabrina Carpenter won't make her more relevant, especially not with this attitude.
 
Honestly, she should take a break. Have her husband's kids if that's what she wants. Maybe then she'll find her spark again, because whatever trace of feminism she once had seems to have vanished. Right now, we're witnessing Trad Wife Taylor – belittling other women and, apparently, her own legacy.
 
In the end, this is the same woman who once wrote songs that spoke to millions of women. But maybe she really did "girlboss too close to the sun", because I genuinely have no idea what's going on here.

For anyone who actually came for the music review

The production is clean, the vocals are what you'd expect, and the melodies are catchy enough. But it's not the sound that's the problem – it's the message. Still, next to the incredibly catchy Wood, I'd argue that The Fate of Ophelia and Elizabeth Taylor are the album's strongest tracks.

Opalite earns a spot near the top as well, while Eldest Daughter was disappointing in every sense. Actually Romantic has lyrics I can't get over – for all the wrong reasons – and Wi$h Li$t is pleasant enough, though again, I just can't separate the song from its words. CANCELLED! gave me unexpected 90s vibes, in a good way.

Not every song is inherently bad – she is Taylor Swift, after all, and this album will no doubt find its success. But perhaps she should have waited a little longer before releasing it. Between The Tortured Poets Department and the Eras Tour, we've barely had time to breathe. If this really is meant as a sort of goodbye, it feels rushed – and that's a shame for someone who usually knows exactly how to close a chapter.