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After a 31-year tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the production Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The production, famous for its intricate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, almost a decade later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

The King of Sparkle

Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made over-the-top stage sparkle his trademark look, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they grew up with”, he explained to a newspaper. “New stars are embracing a theatrical, more dramatic, breathtaking, memorable statement.”

The Musical Revival

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Earlier this year, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer has company. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by singers including Miley Cyrus as they danced across concert platforms in sparkles, strategic openings and plumes, illuminated against overstated sets. Her fashion curator a fashion expert explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers waved giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also reference 19th-century performances, including vaudeville and dance line references. The outcome are vastly different from the 1990s era teen pop of short shirts and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.

But not everyone are convinced with this glamour resurgence. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “employed as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”

The Coveted Vintage Look

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the star wore a see-through sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an private amount to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among vintage enthusiasts.

“This style evoke a sense of longing for a bygone era of glitz,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the University of Nevada, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”

More Than Just Style: An Symbol of the City

Chung says this figure are integral to the imagery of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, showing up at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Las Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

An Allure of Illusion

The former showgirl says the complete change of a showgirl persona is part of the allure. This is a notion Swift alludes to in a new documentary series that captures the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, training and countless concerts across 21 countries, each running for 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to completing an endurance race in heels every night”. Her headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my cue so I could rest before I made my entrance. You’re working hard the whole time but crafting this image that it’s effortless and beautiful and dreamlike.”

Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. Is there anyone better to look to than these performers, who have always embodied dreams, perfection and a universe where nobody falters.