The Life of a Midlife Showgirl

Taylor Swift may have The Life of a Showgirl, but let’s be honest — no glittery stage could outshine the daily performance of a woman in her forties or fifties who’s juggling aging, ambition, and Amazon Prime deliveries.

I’m not living a world tour life. I’m living a “trying to remember why I walked into this room” life. My hairbrush doubles as a microphone, my skincare routine is a religion, and my best lighting? The glow from the open fridge door at 10 p.m.

So, here it is — my personal re-release:

Twelve tracks. Equal parts reflection, reinvention, and ridiculousness. Because life at this age isn’t a quiet fade-out; it’s a glittering second act — with better boundaries and worse knees.

Tracklist

1. The Fate of Tupperware

Inspired by “The Fate of Ophelia,” this one’s about resurrection—digging yourself out of the cluttered grave of everyone else’s expectations. Ophelia may have drowned, but I refuse to. Not when there are still leftovers to label and second chances to store. It’s about surfacing—about refusing to stay submerged in the mess of what once was, even if you come up dripping and a little cracked around the edges.

2. Beverly Goldberg

Taylor had Elizabeth Taylor — dazzling, untouchable, Hollywood divine. I have Beverly Goldberg—equal parts glamour and grit, with a sprinkle of Midwestern mom energy and an unapologetic devotion to being extra. This track is my ode to women who’ve learned that being too much is actually just enough. Sequins at brunch? Emotional honesty before noon? Absolutely.

3. Opal Candle

Where Taylor sang of “Opalite” and real versus man-made love, I sing of the little rituals that keep us grounded. My “Opal Candle” burns low on the kitchen counter while I sip lukewarm coffee and plan another fresh start. It’s about authenticity—how happiness, like a good candle, doesn’t have to be expensive. It just needs to be lit.

4. Father Chauffeur

Taylor’s “Father Figure” is deep and poetic. Mine? An homeage to partnership with my beloved, Matt. This track celebrates his role as the person who drives while I control the playlist, the one who fills the gas tank when I’ve emotionally checked out of adulting. Love, in midlife, is less “grand gestures” and more “did you remember to grab half-and-half?”

5. Eldest Daughter’s Eye Roll

Not literal — symbolic. It’s the collective side-eye of the world when women over 40 dare to start something new. This track is an anthem for everyone who’s ever been told “isn’t it a little late for that?” and did it anyway.

6. Ruin the Group Chat

You know the moment — when everyone’s sending memes, and you drop something real. Suddenly, crickets. This one’s for the women who overshare, care too much, and keep trying anyway. A confession ballad with a bridge of “whoops, that was too honest.”

7. Accidentally Romantic

Mine is less snarky. It’s a dreamy, quiet love song about the little things: remembering someone’s coffee order, the soft sigh when the house finally goes quiet, the comfort of knowing someone’s still on your side after all these years — even when you’re feral before caffeine.

8. Target Wish List

Forget a best friend that I think is hot. I already have that! My wish list is simple: throw blankets, another mug I don’t need, and maybe a trip through the Starbucks inside Target. I don’t need Cartier—I need aisle 12. The bridge of this track is just the sound of my debit card crying.

Favorite Line: Got a full cart, got the whole store feeling brand new | We tell the world we’re fine as we are, and it’s true, wow | Got me dreaming ’bout a Target run with nothing to prove | Boss up, slow down, got a wish (wish) list (list)

9. Wood…Chips

No hidden metaphor here. Just a tribute to the half-finished projects of midlife — the books I meant to write, the closets I meant to organize, the dreams still sitting in a cart somewhere. But maybe that’s okay. The unfinished things make us interesting.

10. Rescheduled!

Not “Cancelled!” — because we still mean to show up. My upbeat number celebrates boundaries and burnout recovery. It’s an anthem for women who once said yes to everything and are now fluent in the fine art of rescheduling for sanity.

Favorite Line: Good thing I like my plans rescheduled | I like ’em wrapped in calm and candlelight mellow | Like my tea at dusk, and laughter after hours | Welcome to my overbooked, unbothered heart | At least I know exactly where my peace starts | It’s the one with matching scars

11. Honey…Do List

A sultry, playful track about the balance of love and logistics. There’s romance in the errands, intimacy in the teamwork, and tenderness in the tiny ways we take care of each other without fanfare. Love doesn’t always look like fireworks — sometimes it’s just remembering to buy more dishwasher pods.

Favorite Line: Morning brew, soft sigh | You can call me “honey,” then pass me the time to try | Grocery run, headlights | You give it quiet meaning when you meet me where I tire | Honey, I’m home, we’ve got real plans | We can fix this, patch it up | Who’s the partner with the list in hand? (What’s the plan?) | You could be my forever-helping hand, honey

12. The Life of a Midlife Showgirl (ft. The Cat)

Taylor closes with a power collaboration featuring Sabrina Carpenter. My finale features…my cat. Because honestly, no woman’s life is complete without a feline co-star. This finale is all velvet lighting and self-assurance — a song about coming home to yourself, even when the spotlight’s gone dim. The cat purrs in the outro because she knows: this is my era.

The Encore

This isn’t the quiet middle of life; it’s the loud, technicolor middle of a story still unfolding. We’ve survived heartbreak, hormones, and home renovation. We’ve learned that showgirl “glow-ups” can happen at 45, that solitude is seductive, and that a good night’s sleep is better than most grand romances.

The life of a midlife showgirl is about confidence that no longer needs applause. It’s about wearing your sequins and your stretch pants with equal pride. It’s about knowing the difference between drama and depth — and choosing depth, even when drama looks shinier. We are our own opening act, headliner, and encore.

So here’s to the midlife women — the ones still finding their rhythm, still turning up the volume, still dancing under the fluorescent lights of grocery stores and moonlit kitchens. We may not be center stage at Wembley, but we’re still here — singing our own songs, rewriting the lyrics, and absolutely refusing to fade to background noise.

Because this is The Life of a MIdlife Showgirl. And darling, the show is just getting good.

✨ Curtain down. Lights soft. Soul shining.

Explore

On the Blog

The Life of a Midlife Showgirl | Bold, Brazen, and Beautiful

The Life of a Midlife Showgirl