Entertainment
A Timeline Of Pop's Other Showgirls
While we wait to see how Taylor's version compares.
Taylor Swift has long mastered the art of keeping our attention — but she’s not the first pop star to reach for feathers, rhinestones, and Vegas-level spectacle.
When news broke of her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, the internet lit up with plenty of playful side-by-side comparisons, some more accurate than others. Was Kylie Minogue the prototype? A Degas ballerina? Does it really matter? On that last point, however, it does help to know the history before casting judgment, which is why we’re looking back at some more modern examples to better understand how Taylor’s version plays on and adds to the past.
So while we wait for more hints about TLOAS — hello again, Max Martin! — here’s a select rundown of other pop stars who’ve embraced glitz, glamour, and showgirl aesthetics.
Shania Twain: “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” (1999)
In addition to boasting one of the most iconic song openings of all time, Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” also gave the pop-country star room to slip into a Vegas-ready alter ego. She grabbed her top hat, suit jacket, and gloves — and then delivered a timeless hit.
Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, P!nk: “Lady Marmalade” (2001)
For an entire generation of dreamers, one of the earliest introductions to showgirl aesthetics arrived in the form of this killer collaboration commissioned for 2001’s Moulin Rouge!. For the music video, Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, and P!nk can be seen dripping in gems and “getting that dough” in equal measure, empowering listeners to do the same.
Beyoncé: “Get Me Bodied” (2007)
This music video was co-directed by Queen Bey herself, who was allegedly inspired by one Bob Fosse sequence in Sweet Charity, a film set in the vibrant dance halls of the mid-‘60s.
Britney Spears: “Circus” (2008)
Underneath the spectacle of this 2008 single lies the dark side of pop stardom. “I’m like a performer, the dance floor is my stage,” she sings, leaning into the bedlam with a circus-themed music video. Sure, she’s more of a ringmaster than anything, but we still get the treat of a few more glittering costumes in the Francis Lawrence-directed music video.
Florence + The Machine: “Shake It Out” (2011)
While she typically leans towards earthier visuals, Swift collaborator Florence Welch dialed up the glam in 2011’s “Shake It Out.” Optimism and tragedy collide in the music video, and from the moment Florence descends the staircase in a golden gown, it’s clear we’ve entered distinctly dramatic territory. (Interesting that Welch resembles Millais’ Ophelia, to which fans have compared Swift’s TLOAS artwork.)
MISAMO: “Do not touch” (2023)
Momo, Sana, and Mina of K-pop group TWICE pulled out all the stops for their sub-unit release. In the slinky music video, the trio dons enormous hats that could double as chandeliers, then deliver perfectly poised dance moves against an increasingly striking series of backdrops. Ladies… the Bellagio is calling.
Lady Gaga: Paris Olympics Medley (2024)
Mother Monster has more than proven herself a force across genres, and jazz is no exception. Today’s Vegas showgirls can proudly trace their lineage to their French predecessors, whose energy Lady Gaga embraced in full during her show-stopping turn at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
Miley Cyrus: “Beautiful That Way” (2024)
The emotional climax of The Last Showgirl is backed by this aching ballad, in which Cyrus’ enormous vocals capture the bittersweet nature of the passage of time — especially as it relates to this longstanding Vegas tradition.
Laufey: “Silver Lining” (2025)
While the singer-songwriter typically feels more aligned with Old Hollywood, there’s something about Laufey’s 2025 “Silver Lining” that evokes the heart-rending sentimentality of showgirl life. If the masquerade visuals aren’t enough to confirm the narrative, let the sweeping sadness of the lyrics do the rest of the heavy lifting.
Sabrina Carpenter: “Espresso” & “Please Please Please” at The Grammys (2025)
Carpenter firmly established herself as a Taylor protégé in recent years, particularly during her stint as an opener on The Eras Tour. It’s not too much of a surprise, then, that the first formal collab between the two will be on this upcoming album’s title track — especially considering the slapstick energy Sabrina Carpenter brought to the Grammys. Theatrical, silly, and utterly charming, the performance lands as an homage to a bygone era in all the best ways.
