“The Life of a Showgirl”

I, like many burlesque dancers at this time, have mixed feelings about Taylor Swift’s latest album reveal.
On one hand it can be a great thing for more of the general public to find out that burlesque exists. We will get new audiences at our local shows. I will have another easy explanation as to what it is that I do (“Burlesque” the movie isn’t the best representation but it is something that can be familiar to people).

But on the other hand, it’s disheartening to see someone that isn’t really a showgirl pretending to be one. Now, Taylor is absolutely an artist and a star. But there is a very big difference in what a true Showgirl does and what Taylor just did on her Eras Tour. I have a lot of respect for Taylor, in fact, I think we are quite similar. It is amazing what she has done on her tour and I cannot imagine all of the hard work she truly puts in for her art. But she also has a team, she has money, she has an incredible fan base. We use taglines in burlesque to give us a unique title, and for Taylor, I would call her “The Billionaire of Burlesque” because she is the only one.
Many of burlesque shows have been cancelled due to low ticket sales. One of the largest hits our community as of late is the permanent closure of The Burlesque Hall of Fame. They have released more information about why and what this means in this article. It’s a shame when rich celebrities will profit off of our history and culture and not support us. We’ve seen this with a few different celebrities over the years. While I also love the images that Taylor is already putting our for this new theme, I am noticing it’s all very thin show girls being represented. Taylor has had a mix of bodies in previous shows and performances. I really hope there’s more coming and that it shows more inclusiveness that is so important to have in burlesque.
One saying I love is that ‘Burlesque is for every body’. So I am excited to see what Taylor does with this theme, but I am cautious as well. Guess we’ll just have to wait for the show to start.

If you’re curious what my Showgirl life is like, read this article: My Life as a Showgirl