“The Fate of Ophelia” music video
Worn On: 10/5/25 // the fate of ophelia
the commentary
I had the pleasure of watching the premiere of Taylor’s music video on the big screen via The Release Party of a Showgirl film. I found the theatre acted as an excellent vehicle for viewing the video almost as a movie. Having had mixed feelings about some of Taylor’s directorial efforts, I felt this was perhaps her strongest piece of work yet (with the exception of the “All Too Well” short film). Perhaps it’s because I saw it as truly being rooted in The Life of a Showgirl’s world. Without re-records at play, I could enjoy the video for what it was meant to function as: Compelling visuals in support of a specific body of work. This one! It was a relief to get to enjoy Taylor’s vision of translating the showgirl concept, applying the idea to different decades and theatrical mediums. It reminded me of my recent newsletter in which I observed how Taylor has always had the essence of a showgirl’s grit, determination, and love of a sparkling on stage moment throughout the many stages of her career.
In the video’s opening scene, Taylor places herself within a painting of Ophelia as a direct reference to the namesake and plot device of the song. I thought this was a clever choice because it not only sets the rest of the video up for the way it reframes Ophelia through different decades and art mediums, but it also bookends the video’s concluding frame which sees Taylor in her glittering dress (by Area) in a bathtub as a recreation of The Life of a Showgirl album cover. A lyrical theme I noticed on Showgirl is how it juxtaposes modern slangy language with residual quill ink from the folklore/evermore eras. As a fashionable counterpart, Taylor has also been mixing modern and historical references in her era fashion, too. Proof of the concept that her song and style can’t be separated as narrative tools. The fact that this dress is by Alberta Ferretti also felt like a nod to the Eras Tour as they provided many of the gowns she wore on that stage. Taylor said in directing this project she intentionally wanted to “reunite” her “Eras Tour family” to “remind [them] all of how it felt to be at those shows together.” What better way to bring back those memories than by also bringing back those designers.
the clothes
* Not available for purchaseFeature Photo by TAS Rights Management