The Swifties are not feeling so swifty these days. Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” hairbrush, priced at $40 (about R688), has gone viral for all the wrong reasons.
Fans are roasting it online, questioning both the price and quality after many received damaged brushes.
One X user wrote, “My showgirl hairbrush came broken. Thanks UMG,” while another added, “Way overpriced and it came broken? Are you kidding me!”
And yet, fans keep buying it.
This isn’t unique to Taylor. Celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Beyoncé and BTS do the exact same thing.
Limited drops, “exclusive” products, and yes, even overpriced trinkets, all monetised fandom.
The irony? Fans defend broken or overpriced items because they want that connection, that access, that little piece of their favourite star.
When will celebrities stop trying to make money off their fans? Rich or poor, they’ll find a way to milk you dry.
Taylor, selling a hairbrush? That’s not even unique, c’mon! As soon as a photo of it hit X, Swifties were calling out the dodgy quality and the price tag.
It reminds me of Jenner’s “quality” swimwear, literally Shein-style swimwear. If you’ve got the money to sell decent-quality products, why wouldn’t you just do that?
One fan wrote, “Just more proof to not buy trinkets from Taylor’s store. This hairbrush was way overpriced, and it came broken. Are you kidding me! Umg is horrible!! Let’s find a better company. Get your money back, girl, because this is horrible.”
While another wrote: “THE WAY ITS F****** GLUED ON LIKE A SHEIN HAIRBRUSH BUT FOR 40$”
Beyoncé is no different. During her “Renaissance Tour”, she reportedly sold 30 000 merch items at around R1 700 each, raking in billions.
Fans aren’t just buying T-shirts or tote bags. BTS, too, their global merch empire includes tees, hats, accessories and collectables.
Fans all over the world spend crazy amounts for the chance to feel part of their superstars’ universe. Even though most of them are not wearing their own merch.
Celebs already have the audience, social media does all the marketing for them, and the products don’t need to be groundbreaking. Even a broken hairbrush becomes part of the hype, scarcity, exclusivity or viral drama, which fuels sales.
I don’t know what look they were going for, because I mean, how stylish does a hairbrush need to be?
But it most certainly does not look worth the price. I mean, does Taylor even use this brush? She’s had the same hairstyle for years.
