Taylor Swift's 'Life of a Showgirl' showcases new era with provocative album art
The pop superstar released on Aug. 13 the album cover for her 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl," out Oct. 3, that is expected to explore her decadeslong – and sometimes fraught – relationship with fame.
The cover and album rollout illustrate Swift's metamorphosis as one of the music industry's most powerful people. Once careful when exposing her fans to explicit parts of adult life, the 35-year-old now embraces more risqué thematic exploration.
The album's cover art features the "Cruel Summer" hitmaker sinking into water as her body is shown in a revealing burlesque-inspired outfit and alluring pose, while other cover images showcase the songstress exposing her navel and bare skin.
In one buzzy photo from her album art, Swift is biting her finger in a leaned back position as she gazes into the camera, wearing diamond-encrusted burlesque beads that expose parts of her chest and midriff. In another shot wearing the same outfit, she poses with one leg up and both arms out as the photo shows part of her backside.
Swift unveiled details about "Showgirl" during an appearance on the "New Heights" podcast cohosted by her NFL boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce.
Taylor Swift avoided showing belly button
Swift hails from the relatively conservative world of country music and later transitioned to pop stardom – but she never chose to play by the same rules as her genre counterparts. She's often rejected the standards many female pop stars face, especially when it comes to nudity.
Swift shared that she didn't like exposing herself in a 2014 cover story for Lucky magazine.
"I don't like showing my belly button. When you start showing your belly button then you're really committing to the midriff thing," Swift told Lucky. "I only partially commit to the midriff thing – you're only seeing lower rib cage."
"I don't want people to know if I have one or not. I want that to be a mystery," she added, telling Lucky that "as far as anyone knows based on my public appearances, they haven't seen evidence of a belly button."
And, like many women, Swift has been vocal about the pressure to conform to beauty standards. In her 2020 Netflix documentary "Miss Americana," Swift detailed her struggles with body image and an eating disorder: "There's always some standard of beauty that you're not meeting because if you're thin enough then you don't have that '(butt)' that everyone wants.
"But if you have enough weight on you to have (a butt), then your stomach isn't flat enough," Swift continued.
Showing her body on her own terms is important to Swift. In 2016, Swift foe Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) released a music video for his song "Famous" that featured a nude replica of the music superstar. In the song's lyrics, Ye raps that "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex" and says that he "made" her "famous."
She's also experienced AI deepfakes circulating sexually explicit images of herself without her consent.
Criticism surrounding Swift's appearance has even come from the White House.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump took aim at the pop star on right-leaning social platform Truth Social by asking his followers: "Has anyone noticed that, since I said 'I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,' she's no longer 'HOT?'"
'Bejewled': Taylor Swift is a burlesque fan
Swift has already forayed into the glitzy world of burlesque, known for its showgirls. According to Merriam-Webster, a showgirl is defined as a chorus girl in a musical comedy or nightclub show.
The role of a showgirl is commonly associated with Las Vegas performers, who, unlike traditional dancers, were known more for their flamboyant costumes than choreography.
Swift featured famed burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, known as the "Queen of Burlesque, in her "Bejeweled" music video in 2022 following the release of her 10th studio album "Midnights."Von Teese told USA TODAY in March that "(Swift's) assistant called and started talking to me about this project, and then Taylor suddenly got on. It was really an amazing conversation. She knew everything about what I'd done."
The behind-the-scenes video of the "Bejeweled" set was played at each of the Eras Tour stops before Swift took the stage, bringing the art of burlesque to Swifties. On the Eras Tour and throughout her career, Swift has covered up in semi-conservative dress like bodysuits and tights to cover bare areas.
Swift most recently explored girlhood and nostalgia with her record-breaking Eras Tour that ended in December and spanned each of her albums. Then, in May, she reclaimed total ownership of her music catalog or "masters." Now, as fall nears, Swift is reclaiming ownership over her body from the public.
No surprise for a superstar that has always known when – and what – to show.
Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY; Bryan West, The Nashville Tennessean
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