Everybody Wants To Be A Showgirl: How A Burlesque Queen Sparked a Viral Movement
Queen of Sin City Burlesque Aquarius Moon Photographed by Smauel Prudencio
When Taylor Swift released her new album Life of a Showgitl, the word “showgirl” was suddenly everywhere. For me, it was exciting to see the conversation reach the mainstream, because I had already been building documenting the idea that Everybody Wants to Be a Showgirl on Instagram. It started as a simple phrase but has grown into a rallying call for authenticity, recognition, and opportunity for real performers.
I want to note here that when I use the word showgirl, I mean it in a broad and inclusive sense. For me, “showgirl” is a gender-neutral umbrella that honors anyone who identifies with the cabaret, burlesque, rhinestones, and the stage. This is about artistry, not a single gender or identity.
The history of burlesque is long and layered, with roots that stretch back through vaudeville, classic striptease, and global traditions of satire, spectacle, and stage glamour. In American culture, Black performers created and sustained entire branches of the art — from shake dancing to burlesque revue — often working in hostile or exploitative environments and still building legacies that survive today. Check out my friend and historian Bebe Bardeaux’s blog that is rich in Black shake dance culture. When I started using the phrase Everybody Wants to Be a Showgirl, it was not just about me, or Black burlesque performers but all the working showponies sprinting to keep the art form alive. It was about connecting my own story to the history of Black women, queer people, people of color who have kept striptease alive among the working class.
When I think about what it really means to be a showgirl, I don’t just think of ostrich feathers and sparkly sequins. Growing up, the showgirls I admired were women like Diana Ross, Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Donna Summer. They weren’t burlesque dancers in the traditional sense, but they embodied the showgirl spirit through style, makeup, hair, and stage presence. They also consistently used their voices offstage to advocate for marginalized communities. That combination of glamour and advocacy is what shaped me as an artist.
Today, I find contemporary inspiration in performers across the burlesque and nightlife community — artists who have pushed boundaries and expanded what it means to shine onstage to me. From icons like Perle Noire, Dita Von Tease, Raquel Reed, Lou Lou la Duchesse de Rière, Elle Dorado, The Maine Attraction, Egypt Blaque Knyle, Ginger Valentine, Foxy Lexxi Brown, Poison Ivory and Jessabelle Thunder to countless working performers dominating the current national circuit like Qween Quan, La Reina and many others, their artistry continues to influence and inspire how I approach my own work.
Burlesque itself has gone through a transformation over the past fifty years, especially with the rise of the neo-burlesque movement that took hold in the 1990s and 2000s. When the pandemic hit, and travel shut down, many of us who were new to the stage built community online. We supported each other through livestreams, workshops, and digital social feeds. That global connection broke down geographic isolation, making it possible for someone like me, based in Washington, DC, to build an international career even while stages were closed.
This is my third year as a full time working showgirl and the last few months has been one of the biggest in my career so far. I was crowned Imperial Burlesque Canada’s 2025 Monarch, became the reigning Queen of Sin City Burlesque, and was featured on the 21st Century Burlesque “Ones to Watch” list. I’ve traveled to festivals, stages, and competitions around the world, carrying my story and my city with me. Me and friends actually living out the #lifeofashowgirl in real time. So many great moments but the constant fight to be compensated, respected and appreciated always lingers.
I also know that the heart of this work isn’t just about crowns or titles. Showgirl culture is revolutionary because we are culturally embedded into adult entertainment across the globe. It’s the clowns lighting up small-town bars, burlesque dancers creating space in community theaters, drag artists dressing up for story hour in libraries, and singers entertaining elders, disability communities, and local audiences that might never buy a ticket to Vegas or Broadway. These are the people who make our cultural ecosystem rich.
These performers are not always seen by the mainstream, but they deserve as much recognition as the icons on magazine covers. You dont have to be a full time showgirl to make a difference in the life of another person. With the rise in AI, I am confident more people will see themselves up close the next time they attend a burlesque show. You will see a real body, with a real soul, expressing real emotions for the next 5-10 minutes of your life. Showgirls are not just brands, they are human.
Now, with Taylor Swift’s album launching today, there is a moment for a real cultural connection. If her team wants to embody the showgirl spirit, they can do so by hiring working-class showgirls — women, queer performers, and artists of all backgrounds who live this tradition. Last night I had the honor of debuting as a resident at Monarque Baltimore at their Thursday night burlesque show titled Life of a Showgirl: Monarque Style. This is a beautiful example of how a corporate entity can highlight and employ working showgirls while capitalizing on the current trend online.
My call to Taylor and her counterparts is simple: if you love the aesthetic, invest in the community that built it.
Preserving this legacy is urgent. The closure of the Burlesque Hall of Fame this year was a devastating loss for the global community. In my home city of Washington, DC, queer nightlife and minority arts spaces are also under constant threat. And the National Archives itself is strained, which makes it even more critical to ensure that voices like ours are documented and remembered in real time. If we don’t invest in archiving these histories, they risk being erased.
Everybody Wants to Be a Showgirl is more than a hashtag — it’s a movement to honor the labor, diversity, and artistry that keep this tradition alive. If you’re a brand, a influencer, venue owner, investor, a corporate baddie, or anyone who has the power: book real showgirls. Pay real showgirls. Credit real showgirls. If you’re an audience member, come to our shows, follow our stories, and keep the legacy alive.
I am also expanding this conversation through a new project: the Everybody Wants to Be a Showgirl podcast. It will launch privately on my Patreon this winter, with first listens going to my supporters, and snippets shared on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. The podcast will explore how the showgirl archetype has shaped contemporary culture, from pop icons to local legends, and why the legacy matters now more than ever. On my instagram I often post polls asking followers to vote for whether current pop stars like Beyonce, Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G are really showgirls. The results are fascinating and I will be sharing your answers along with some showgirl secrets every week. Sign up for my mailing list if you want to be among the first to listen.
Halloween is less than 30 days away so if you are going to dress up as a showgirl I beg you please go see a show near you. There is a good chance you love what you are going to see! Everybody wants to be a showgirl. And if you really want to see one up close you still have the chance.
