A $40 Life of a Showgirl hairbrush from Taylor Swift’s official merchandise line is the latest item to get absolutely demolished online after a fan posted photos of their broken product. I honestly can’t believe how cheap this thing looks considering the price tag, and it seems like the internet agrees, turning the poorly-made accessory into a viral meme.
The whole thing kicked off when X user @beginagaintv shared images of her damaged brush on October 12, 2025, tweeting, “My showgirl hairbrush came broken… thanks umg.” The post blew up, racking up over 4.2 million views and inspiring a wave of criticism aimed squarely at the pop star’s merch shop and the quality control (or lack thereof) that’s going into these items.
When you look at the photos, the problem with the Cellulose acetate and Bamboo brush is painfully obvious: the joint connecting the handle and the brush head was poorly glued. It looks like a cheap item you’d grab off the shelf at a dollar store, not a supposedly top-tier collectible that costs you $40. To be fair, the brush did quickly sell out after it launched, promising a glamorous look to match the album’s theme, but the durability issue is a huge oversight that’s making fans question what they’re actually buying.
Taylor Swift’s newest item is junk
The truth is, this isn’t an isolated incident, and this hairbrush has just added fuel to an existing fire. Fans have already expressed what feels like an exhausting merch fatigue over The Life of a Showgirl collection, which is part of the overall approach the star has been taking lately. Think about it: this single album release included 18 different CD covers, eight vinyl LP versions, a cassette tape, and seven additional CD download versions, totaling a whopping 34 versions of the same album.
When you compare that to, say, two or three different versions of a CD release, which is much more reasonable for completionist fans who want to own a copy of everything an artist produces, it feels like night and day. Many fans are now questioning whether the strategy is less about giving them meaningful collectibles and more about trying to boost sales numbers to hit some chart milestone.
my showgirl hairbrush came broken…
— rachel ♡
thanks umg pic.twitter.com/ljnECEDKMA(@beginagaintv) October 12, 2025
On the other hand, others are chiming in to complain that recent Taylor Swift merchandise has been generally lacking in quality overall for a while now. It’s hard to feel enthusiastic about an update or a new product drop when you can almost guarantee it’s going to fall apart the second you open the box.
As you can expect, the moment the photo went viral, the comments section became a chaotic flood of brutal, funny, and honestly spot-on reactions. Folks online didn’t hold back when mocking the brush’s aesthetic and quality.
One person simply commented, “Can’t believe Taylor approved this.” Another commenter didn’t mince words and added the instantly iconic line that’s all over the internet right now: “You got scammed lmfaooo.”
that lady is robbing all of you blind with cheap shit and terrible music so she can make her next billion i’m crying lol https://t.co/H4lfBTOAFu
— heather(@_heatherlynn) October 13, 2025
A user on X replied, “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.” It also brought up a larger, and frankly more pointed, question about the star’s level of involvement.
One user, @writebythecside, rhetorically questioned the Swifties’ defense of her business acumen, 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???” It’s a great point, and you really shouldn’t think she approves of every little item. She has a brand that is selling items worldwide from different distributors, but she’s not checking every item or post that she’s in.
