Vanity Fair: In the just-released music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” the lead track of Taylor Swift’s new album The Life of a Showgirl, Swift struts through the decades, placing herself in the (often perilously high-heeled) shoes of glitzy leading ladies through the ages. She’s a Shakespearean heroine, a Busby Berkeley dancer, Marilyn Monroe, a pop star, and more, showcasing how our culture has always been obsessed with some beautiful woman or another.
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The first thing that into my head as I started reading this article was “diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” And honestly, if it’s not actual diamonds why not be crystals or rhinestones or something shiny. Learning that Bob Mackie has been the source of two rhinestone shortages was something new to me. Like other people, I’ve obviously seen his work around, but haven’t always clocked the full depth of his impact on costume design, though I knew it ran deep. The fact that Mackie has been around long enough to watch the birth, apparent death, and the resurgence of show girls seems wild, but something I heard years ago was that fashion is cyclical. We were wearing items inspired by the 80s in the 2000s and now in 2025 things from the mid 90s to mid 2000s are making a resurgence, so I would say that this new infatuation with showgirls is just another cycle of time.
Taylor Swift’s newest album is all about the life of a showgirl and what goes on behind the scenes, and there are a lot of subtle nods or references to theatrical productions. For example, in the music video for The Fate of Ophelia, the camera follows her around backstage as scenery flies in. However, I hadn’t realized she had gone as far to as search for more theatrically trained designers. I have been wondering about what the production process is like when you're creating something on film that's meant to be very referential to live theater. Do you have a stage manager? Do you have a dramaturg who specializes in the concept of theater?I'm also interested in seeing if this showgirl aesthetic becomes somewhat of a trend in some type of way. Taylor Swift is very popular, so I wouldn't be surprised if her new aesthetic made other people adopt the same glitz and glamor.
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