LIT112: The Life of a Showgirl with Mara Eller

For our last episode, I sit down with functional mental health practitioner Kelley Erickson to explore The Life of a Showgirl through the lens of emotional integration, identity, and resistance.

We unpack why this album feels so different, the emotional arc of Taylor’s discography, and why this album is a culmination, not a contradiction.

We talk about performance, power, and what it looks like refuse to play by patriarchy’s rules while remaining within the system—and we go DEEP. 

I learned so much from this conversation, and it unlocked a whole new level of appreciation for both the album and the brilliant artist behind it.

You don’t want to miss it!

Find Kelley on Instagram here.

And here’s a direct link to her original post about The Life of a Showgirl.

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It's not too late to snag the replay for Write Like Taylor Swift: a 90-minute immersive workshop to help you apply Taylor's most powerful techniques to whatever you already write.

Get all the LIT112 writing prompts in one place: www.maraeller.com/prompts.

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Come join the discussion! 

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Threads 

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Check out my new podcast, The Soul and Science of Great Writing! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you usually listen. 

You can find my personal writing and writing tips on Substack. 

And visit my website to learn more about my editing, book coaching, and upcoming courses.

In this episode, we uncover the secrets hidden in the six poems that fans are calling a prologue for the album. 

From the meticulous preparatory rituals to the unspoken rules that keep a showgirl sane under the gaze of adoring—and sometimes ruthless—crowds, these poems deepen our understanding of the album but also add a missing element. We explore the “monotonous thrill” of performing night after night, the moments of connection that make it all worth it, and what it truly means to love the life of a showgirl.

I encourage you to read the poems in full first before diving into my analysis in this episode. You can view the poems on my website here.

And don’t miss the bonus writing prompt at the end!

_______________________________________

It's not too late to snag the replay for Write Like Taylor Swift: a 90-minute immersive workshop to help you apply Taylor's most powerful techniques to whatever you already write.

Get all the LIT112 writing prompts in one place: www.maraeller.com/prompts.

_______________________________________

Come join the discussion! 

Instagram

TikTok 

Threads 

_______________________________________

Check out my new podcast, The Soul and Science of Great Writing! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you usually listen. 

You can find my personal writing and writing tips on Substack. 

And visit my website to learn more about my editing, book coaching, and upcoming courses.

For our second bonus episode and our first interview, I’m joined by musician and scholar Micah Vandegrift.

Micah and I met in graduate school when we both studying American culture at FSU. He specialized in music culture, specifically local post-punk scenes. In short, NOT a swiftie.

I invited him to listen to the album for the first time with me and share his thoughts and impressions after each song. We ended up talking about musical cohesion, sonic arcs, and whether authenticity and performance are mutually exclusive.

You can find Micah on his website or on his porch in Raleigh, North Carolina.

_______________________________________

It's not too late to snag the replay for Write Like Taylor Swift: a 90-minute immersive workshop to help you apply Taylor's most powerful techniques to whatever you already write.

Get all the LIT112 writing prompts in one place: www.maraeller.com/prompts.

_______________________________________

Come join the discussion! 

Instagram

TikTok 

Threads 

_______________________________________

Check out my new podcast, The Soul and Science of Great Writing! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you usually listen. 

You can find my personal writing and writing tips on Substack. 

And visit my website to learn more about my editing, book coaching, and upcoming courses.

In this first bonus episode, we step beyond the showgirl’s story to explore the bigger picture of Taylor's reception as an artist. 

I’m sharing an essay I wrote that’s been getting a lot of attention on Substack about why some art—like Taylor Swift’s songwriting—is dismissed as “popular,” while other work—like Shakespeare's plays—is celebrated as “serious” or "literary." It's about artistic hierarchies, who gets to decide which art is considered important, and what those decisions say about who we are as a society. 

You can see the piece (including citations) and join the conversation over on Substack. 

_______________________________________

It's not too late to snag the replay for Write Like Taylor Swift: a 90-minute immersive workshop to help you apply Taylor's most powerful techniques to whatever you already write.

Get all the LIT112 writing prompts in one place: www.maraeller.com/prompts.

_______________________________________

Come join the discussion! 

Instagram

TikTok 

Threads 

_______________________________________

Check out my new podcast, The Soul and Science of Great Writing! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you usually listen. 

You can find my personal writing and writing tips on Substack. 

And visit my website to learn more about my editing, book coaching, and upcoming courses.

This final track takes us back to our showgirl’s beginnings when her idol warned her of the harsh reality behind the shimmering facade of sequins and lace.

From star-struck encounters at glittering performances to the bruises that are the price of admission, this episode examines how the showgirl claims her calling, embraces her reality, and shares the hard-won wisdom of a life lived in the spotlight. 

Plus: a motif treasure hunt, discussion questions, and writing prompts to help you dive deeper!

Here are the motifs I found:

1.    Love and commitment

2.    Happiness

3.    Hot and cold

4.    Friendship

5.    Jealousy and cattiness of other women

6.    Public scrutiny

7.    Fate vs agency

8.    Fantasy vs reality

9.    Innocence/kindness/sweetness

10. Games and play

11. Commodification and objectification

12. Personal/emotional cost of success

13. Flowers

_______________________________________

It's not too late to snag the replay for Write Like Taylor Swift: a 90-minute immersive workshop to help you apply Taylor's most powerful techniques to whatever you already write.

Get all the LIT112 writing prompts in one place: www.maraeller.com/prompts.

_______________________________________

Come join the discussion! 

Instagram

TikTok 

Threads 

_______________________________________

Check out my new podcast, The Soul and Science of Great Writing! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you usually listen. 

You can find my personal writing and writing tips on Substack. 

And visit my website to learn more about my editing, book coaching, and upcoming courses.

In “Honey,” the showgirl steps into a life she once feared was only a mirage: a relationship so secure she can finally let her armor drop.

After years of battling manipulation, half-truths, and outright deception, the showgirl delights in a partnership built on honesty, transparency, and mutual respect.

Performance gives way to play, and the golden glow of relational safety begins to feel like home.

Don’t miss the discussion questions and writing prompts at the end!

_______________________________________

It's not too late to snag the replay for Write Like Taylor Swift: a 90-minute immersive workshop to help you apply Taylor's most powerful techniques to whatever you already write.

Get all the LIT112 writing prompts in one place: www.maraeller.com/prompts.

_______________________________________

Come join the discussion! 

Instagram

TikTok 

Threads 

_______________________________________

Check out my new podcast, The Soul and Science of Great Writing! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you usually listen. 

You can find my personal writing and writing tips on Substack. 

And visit my website to learn more about my editing, book coaching, and upcoming courses.

In "CANCELLED!", the showgirl confronts the forces that try to keep women small head on. She’s done trying to play nice. Instead, she embraces infamy and forges a sisterhood with other women who refuse to conform.

This episode unveils the showgirl’s journey from reactive victim to empowered advocate, turning public criticism into a badge of honor. Through allusions to classic myths and Macbeth’s witches, Swift points to the double standards of our patriarchal system, the internalized misogyny that pits women against one another, and the transformative power of refusing to let shame define you.

Our showgirl is scarred but strong, ready to live in the freedom that comes from facing your worst nightmare and surviving.

_______________________________________

It's not too late to snag the replay for Write Like Taylor Swift: a 90-minute immersive workshop to help you apply Taylor's most powerful techniques to whatever you already write.

Get all the LIT112 writing prompts in one place: www.maraeller.com/prompts.

_______________________________________

Come join the discussion! 

Instagram

TikTok 

Threads 

_______________________________________

Check out my new podcast, The Soul and Science of Great Writing! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you usually listen. 

You can find my personal writing and writing tips on Substack. 

And visit my website to learn more about my editing, book coaching, and upcoming courses.

Perhaps the most divisive song on the album, “Wood” might sound like little more than raunchy puns about how much Taylor loves her fiancé’s… assets. But beneath the playful surface lies a daring critique of patriarchy, double standards, and the policing of female desire. 

In this episode, we unpack this audacious performance’s cheeky innuendo and Shakespearean echoes to reveal how the showgirl flips centuries of expectation on its head, manipulates the audience, reclaims her power.

Scandalous wordplay, bold sexuality, and literary mischief await!

Plus discussion questions and writing prompts to help you take it even deeper. (No pun intended!)

_______________________________________

It's not too late to snag the replay for Write Like Taylor Swift: a 90-minute immersive workshop to help you apply Taylor's most powerful techniques to whatever you already write.

Get all the LIT112 writing prompts in one place: www.maraeller.com/prompts.

_______________________________________

Come join the discussion! 

Instagram

TikTok 

Threads 

_______________________________________

Check out my new podcast, The Soul and Science of Great Writing! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you usually listen. 

You can find my personal writing and writing tips on Substack. 

And visit my website to learn more about my editing, book coaching, and upcoming courses.

No, Taylor hasn’t gone tradwife.

In this episode, we look at “Wi$h Li$t“ not as a love letter to domesticity, but as the showgirl’s fantasy of escape, her quiet breaking point in Act II.

We’ll unpack the ironic dollar signs, the list of luxuries our showgirl says she doesn’t want, and the line that reveals the real enemy in this story. 

“Wi$h Li$t“ isn’t a retreat into tradition—it’s the showgirl imagining the one thing she can’t buy, can’t outrun, and can’t ever fully have.

Plus: discussion questions and writing prompts inspired by the song’s themes.

_______________________________________

It's not too late to snag the replay for Write Like Taylor Swift: a 90-minute immersive workshop to help you apply Taylor's most powerful techniques to whatever you already write.

Get all the LIT112 writing prompts in one place: www.maraeller.com/prompts.

_______________________________________

Come join the discussion! 

Instagram

TikTok 

Threads 

_______________________________________

Check out my new podcast, The Soul and Science of Great Writing! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you usually listen. 

You can find my personal writing and writing tips on Substack. 

And visit my website to learn more about my editing, book coaching, and upcoming courses.

Our unreliable narrator is back!

In this lesson, we dive into “Actually Romantic,” the album’s grunge-pop, razor-edged exploration of envy, fixation, and the fine line between love and hate. 

We’ll unpack the layers of verbal and dramatic irony, the unsettling sexual bravado, and the emotional whiplash of a persona caught between tender vulnerability and savage self-protection.

Along the way, we’ll consider why the showgirl reaches for seduction as a weapon, whether this track signals her turn toward villainy, and how pretending not to care can be its own tragic performance.

Plus: discussion questions and writing prompts inspired by the song’s themes.

Step into the classroom—this one’s sharp, messy, and definitely not romantic.

_______________________________________

It's not too late to snag the replay for Write Like Taylor Swift: a 90-minute immersive workshop to help you apply Taylor's most powerful techniques to whatever you already write.

Get all the LIT112 writing prompts in one place: www.maraeller.com/prompts.

_______________________________________

Come join the discussion! 

Instagram

TikTok 

Threads 

_______________________________________

Check out my new podcast, The Soul and Science of Great Writing! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you usually listen. 

You can find my personal writing and writing tips on Substack. 

And visit my website to learn more about my editing, book coaching, and upcoming courses.