When Taylor Swift appeared on the New Heights podcast to announce her new album’s release, The Life of a Showgirl, I rounded up my kids to snuggle up on the couch and watch the episode on our TV. We were going to make a whole thing out of it. My kids are fans of Swift and her now-fiancé, Travis Kelce, and I thought they’d get a kick out of watching them interact.
But about three minutes into the episode, the complaints began. And after the third “this is boooorrrinnngggg!”, I decided to cut my losses and hand over the remote. It was a reminder: Yes, many things Taylor Swift puts out are mega hits with children. Songs like Shake It Off, Long Live, and Blank Space, and the overall brand of fancy outfits and friendship bracelets, to name a few.
But at the end of the day, Swift is a grown woman. Yes, her multigenerational appeal is unparalleled, but she is no longer the teenage girl who stepped onto the country music scene. She’s a woman. And not all of her art, or every aspect of her persona, is going to be a hit with kids…or, potentially, even appropriate for their consumption.
With the release of Swift’s 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl, it’s important that we keep that in mind. It’s also important to keep in mind that Swift doesn’t just release new albums; she also enters new eras with each drop.
Is Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl appropriate for kids?
In the weeks leading up to Showgirl’s release, we didn’t have any musical teases to judge the work, but we did have some context clues: One, the imagery, which is…well, sexy. Swift is giving hot Vegas showgirl clad in rhinestones and little else (as the album’s title might suggest). We also had a list of the album’s tracks, which showed us that many songs on the album have an “explicit” warning.
Some of the Showgirl lyrics aren’t for kids
And as I listened to the album this morning, I found myself thinking “yup, some of these lyrics aren’t for little ears”. Lines like “but my d*icks bigger” from Father Figure, for example? Well, I don’t really want my kids singing that one, especially not out in public (hello, mortifying!).
Is there a clean version of The Life of a Showgirl?
This may put some parents in a tough position: Maybe your kids have heard there’s a new Taylor Swift album coming, but you’re not comfortable with them listening to all of the songs, for example. Or maybe you let them listen, or choose the clean version, but cringe through some of the more adult lyrics and references (for example, in the clean version of track nine, Wood, the lyrics are changed from “opened my thighs” to “opened my skies”).
What about dressing up as the Showgirl era?
Or, given the time of year, maybe your child wants to dress up like their idol for Halloween… but the ~vibes~ of her current era feel way too sexualized for a child to emulate. Bedazzled showgirl getups at the elementary school parade? I’m not sure about that one. But many of her other eras feel plenty kid-friendly.
It’s up to parents to curate the exposure we can control
Whatever the case may be, as parents, we get to curate our kids’ media exposure, at least to some degree (we unfortunately can’t always control what they are exposed to, say, at school or with friends!). But what we don’t get to do is blame Swift or demand that she cater to her young audiences and their parents. And unfortunately, some parents need to be reminded of that.
“What we don’t get to do is blame Swift or demand that she cater to her young audiences and their parents.”
Swift is making art for the masses, but, perhaps more importantly, using her art to represent who and where she is at this given moment. That’s the whole crux of her genius: She taps into the things that are deeply personal, while also managing to make them incredibly universal.
That’s been the one constant throughout her evolution, which we’ve been fortunate enough to witness. Many of us millennial moms even grew up alongside her. And now, the privilege of introducing such an icon to our kids and watching them grow to love her and her music, too? It’s full circle in the most beautiful way.
But we don’t have the right to expect Swift to remain frozen in time, to be for our children what she was for us: A relatable symbol of the transition from girlhood to womanhood that we got to watch in real time.
Other stars have faced similar criticism
Swift isn’t the only star who appeals to kids but has come of age before our eyes. Sabrina Carpenter, Jojo Siwa, and Olivia Rodrigo are other examples of celebrities who kids love but whose work embraces more adult themes and language. As parents, it isn’t easy to walk that line of allowing our kids to indulge in their fandoms while remaining conscious of what they’re being exposed to through them.
At the end of the day, though, that’s our job. It’s not the job of artists to stay kid-friendly in the service of their young fans and their parents. Stars like Swift can evolve and step into womanhood and embrace all the things that come along with being an adult. And yes, that might make for some tough parenting moments on our part. But at the end of the day, we get to decide what’s best for our kids.
Taking my kids to see The Official Release Party of a Showgirl
Every parent can make their own decision about sharing Swift’s new album with their kids, and that’s okay, too. I plan on taking my kids to see the movie theater release party in celebration of Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl. I don’t know if the movie will appeal to them or even feel appropriate for them to be watching (as far as I can tell, the show appears to be unrated). The runtime is 89 minutes (because of course it is!), which feels like a pretty low-stakes endeavor with two first graders. Regardless, I know my kids will have a great time eating movie theater candy and popcorn.
Final thoughts on sharing The Life of a Showgirl with my kids
But at the end of the day, including my kids in the consumption of this album is something I have to be comfortable with as a parent. And if at any point it doesn’t feel right for them to be there? Well, I’ll have to keep in mind that creating kid-friendly art isn’t something we are entitled to demand of Swift—or any of her peers.
Zara Hanawalt, Contributing Writer
Zara is a twin mom and freelance journalist with over a decade of experience covering parenting, women’s health, and culture. In addition to The Everymom, she’s written for outlets like Vogue, Marie Claire, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Parents, Shape, Motherly, The New York Times for Kids, What to Expect, and many others. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, travel, watching TV, and trying new restaurants.
