Taylor Swift has taken over the world; she’s broken every record in the book, has a legion of loyal fans and is currently engaged to Chiefs star Travis Kelce. 

Her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” has certainly provoked many opinions about her and her songwriting, both positive and negative. 

In my opinion, this album is really good for what it is and what it’s meant to be. 

I saw someone online say something that really resonated with me: “You don’t compare a rom-com to a documentary.” This album was meant to be fun and upbeat, unlike Folklore, where the poetry and lyricism were the primary focus. 

On the other hand, I do agree that some of the lyrics can come across as cringy or poorly written. 

Like the lines from “Eldest Daughter,” “I’m not the baddest and this isn’t savage,” and “We all dressed up as wolves and we looked fire.”

But I also think that’s kind of the point of the song? 

Swift is trying so hard to be cool and failing at it, which reflects in the strange word choice; it gets a point across even if it’s a bit hard to listen to. 

Some high points of the album include “Opalite,” which takes me right back to the “Speak Now,” “Red,” and “1989” era of sparkling synths and catchy lyrics. It feels like a quintessential Taylor Swift song, made for dancing to in your bedroom. 

I think a lot of the outrage and hatred towards this album stems from our society’s fear of being seen as uncool or cringy. 

The number of videos I have seen of people calling Swifties stupid or having bad taste has been alarming, and it makes me wonder why everyone is so upset that people are having fun. 

Even though I agree that this is not Swift’s best album and I wish it had a couple more hits, it still means something to people. 

It’s a source of happiness and escape for many. It might not be important to you, but it’s important to the new mother who’s trying to make it through the day, or the healthcare worker who needs a little positivity after her last patient. 

It doesn’t have to be perfect, and it doesn’t have to be art; it just has to bring people joy.