A $40 Life of a Showgirl hairbrush from Taylor Swift’s official merch line went viral this week after one fan posted a photo of her broken brush on X.
Featured VideoThe now-viral post came from X user @beginagaintv, who shared images of her damaged hairbrush on Oct. 12, 2025. She tweeted, “My showgirl hairbrush came broken… thanks umg.”
The photos showed a poorly glued joint between the bamboo and acetate materials. The tweet gained over 4.2 million views and inspired a wave of memes and criticism aimed at the pop star’s merch shop.
AdvertisementAccording to Taylor Swift’s official website, the $40 brush was made of “Cellulose acetate and Bamboo.” It quickly sold out after launch, although the viral post raises questions about the durability of the pricey merch item.
Lukewarm response to Life of a Showgirl merchandise drop
The Life of a Showgirl collection has had a mixed reaction. Fans already expressed fatigue over the number of product variants tied to the album. The collection alone included 18 different CD covers, eight vinyl LP versions, a cassette tape, and seven additional CD download versions, totaling 34 versions of the same album.
AdvertisementTwo or three different versions of a CD release, in comparison, are much more reasonable for completionist fans who want to own a copy of everything an artist produces. Many fans questioned whether the strategy was designed to boost sales numbers rather than provide meaningful collectibles. Some also complained that recent Taylor Swift merchandise has been lacking in quality overall.
Still, the hairbrush was among the more unique items, promising a glamorous look to match the album’s showgirl theme.
Folks online mocked the brush’s aesthetic and quality
After the post gained traction, people quickly joined in with their opinions. One person commented, “Can’t believe Taylor approved this.” Another added, “You got scammed lmfaooo.”
AdvertisementA third person on X wrote, “that lady is robbing all of you blind with cheap sh*t and terrible music so she can make her next billion i’m crying lol.”
Many made the joke, “the life of a shein girl” to mock the quality of Swift’s merchandise.
Others chimed in with similar sentiments. X user @mythical_kat tweeted, “Yall buy anythingggg.” Some longtime fans said they weren’t surprised, claiming that Swift’s merch quality had been inconsistent for years.
Advertisement@writebythecside questioned Swifties, asking, “So she’s a genius in total control of every aspect of her career and business EXCEPT for the quality of her merch and the AI promo video???”
Several users pointed out a broader issue with the singer’s merchandising approach. “Her merch team needs to do some reevaluations,” one comment read.
AdvertisementAnother user warned about the quality of the star’s other merch items. They said, “I can guarantee you the rhinestones off the tumbler will fall off after one use/wash, and the jewelry will turn that ugly rust color and your skin green. It’s not quality stuff or materials – cheap sh*t.”
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