Following a three-decade run on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! took a final synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its elaborate costumes crafted by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and critical reviewers who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.
Currently, roughly eight years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is experiencing a revival.
The Master of Glitz
Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. Recently, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a metallic tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.
“I think it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is seeking something other than what they grew up with”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “New stars are pushing toward a glamorous, more spectacular, show-stopping, memorable statement.”
A Musical Resurgence
It’s a look that made its way all the way to the centre of popular culture in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.
She has company. This year, glamorous nods have been incorporated by singers including Dua Lipa as they zoomed across concert platforms in glitter, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco mentioned in an interview with a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, her performers fluttered giant feathered fans.
Drawing from the Past
These artists and other hitmakers also draw on 19th-century performances, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The results are worlds away from the late-century Britney Spears era of short shirts and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that came before them.
But certain observers are on board with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “employed as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”
The Highly Sought-After Classic Style
For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent beaded dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among collectors.
“The showgirl aesthetic inspire a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says a historian, an expert at the an academic institution, who researches the history of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the nudity.”
A Than Just Style: An Symbol of Las Vegas
The expert says the showgirl image are key to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, being present at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.
The Appeal of Escape
The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the allure. This idea Taylor Swift alludes to in a new documentary series that shows the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, training and 149 performances across 21 countries, each running for 3.5 hours.
Hardy describes her own showgirl performances as “comparable to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my moment so I could rest before I made my entrance. You’re working hard the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s easy and beautiful and dreamlike.”
It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. Is there anyone better to look to than these performers, who have always embodied make-believe, perfection and a world where nobody falters.
