Taylor Swift Sparks Controversy After New Album Merchandise Features Nazi-Like Symbol

Showgirl Taylor Swift (and her fans) had quite a week: talk show charm offensives, album rollouts, Disney+ documentaries, and now… a merchandise controversy straight out of a PR nightmare.

Her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, dropped October 3rd to immediate chart domination—and equally immediate division among fans. Some praised her exploration of fame fatigue and the downfalls of being an über-rich celeb, while others wondered if maybe the showgirl could’ve used a nap.

When your fanbase starts roasting you better than late-night hosts, it might be time to log off TikTok and touch some grass… or gold records.

And The Guardian wasn’t any kinder, handing the album two stars and noting:

“Perhaps it was rushed. Or perhaps its author was just exhausted, which would be entirely understandable. Even the immortal, it seems, sometimes need to take a break from pop’s constant churn and unceasing clamor for content.”

Pitchfork echoed the "meh," giving it a 5.9 and calling it “a little schmaltzy.” Esquire went for the jugular, writing that Swift “too often settles for overworked metaphors, characters, and one-liners,” and described the track "Wood" as “a forced and very unsexy tribute to the size of her fiancé’s genitals.”

Yes, really. The metaphorical genital lyrics include lines like:

“Forgive me, it sounds cocky, he ah-matized me and opened my eyes, redwood tree…”

Let’s just say "Wood" lives up to its name, as in, “hard” to listen to. I’ll see myself out, Swifties.

Rolling Stone, ever loyal to their pop queen, went five stars. ABC News called the songs “a treasure trove of deliciously quotable lines.” Translation: critics are split between "Mastermind" and "meh-sterpiece."

From August 13 to October 3, Swift released over 34 versions of Showgirl — and by “versions,” we mean slightly different covers, bonus poems, and pastel filters on the same songs. Fans were already accusing her of “anti-artist capitalism” and “greedy variant farming.”

You can see a reaction below:

In fairness, this isn’t new in the Swiftian economy: Tortured Poets had four vinyls, Midnights had six, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) had five, and Folklore had ten. At this point, collecting Taylor vinyls feels like trying to assemble the Infinity Gauntlet—if each stone cost Thanos about $39.99, not including shipping.

And just as fans were recovering from variant fatigue, chaos struck again—this time over a piece of jewelry.

A gold “lightning bolt” necklace (now sold out) caught attention for resembling the double-S lightning insignia of Nazi Germany’s Schutzstaffel (SS). For context: the SS symbol features stylized lightning-shaped runes—and, well, Taylor’s bolt looked a little too similar for some people’s comfort.

You can see the controversial jewelry below:

Swift’s team hasn’t commented yet, but discourse online has been relentless. Some accused her merch designers of historical tone-deafness; others insisted the resemblance was pure coincidence.

Supporters pointed to the lyric “dancing through the lightning strikes” from "Opalite," insisting the necklace references that, not fascism. But when you’re Taylor Swift, even jewelry becomes geopolitical.

Symbolism aside, fans are also furious about quality control. According to Local12, Swifties who rushed to order Showgirl merch received packages missing items—or worse, empty boxes.

One fan lamented:

“I fought in the queue for over 30 minutes to get this, and then for it to arrive and be empty was completely heartbreaking.”

Maybe Taylor was just going for a "Blank Space (Taylor’s Merch Version)" callback?

DHL, which handled the shipping, said:

“At DHL, we're aware of the reports regarding the signed CDs that have been reported missing. We are actively investigating the case in close exchange with the shipper.”

To be fair, this one probably isn’t Taylor’s fault, but it’s another PR paper cut in a week full of them. Fans are debating whether the Showgirl has officially lost her sparkle.

You can view more mixed reactions to the necklace debacle below:

And just as the internet was dissecting the necklace drama, Taylor did what Taylor does best: changed the conversation.

She dropped not one but two Disney+ projects: first, the six-part docuseries The End of an Era, a behind-the-scenes look at her record-breaking Eras Tour. Then, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — The Final Show, a concert film premiering December 12 and featuring her last performance in Vancouver.

And yes, dear Swifties, including The Tortured Poets Department set that didn’t make it into the first film.

You can view the much-anticipated docuseries trailer below:

- YouTubeDisney Plus UK

Because if there’s one thing Taylor knows, it’s how to reclaim the narrative—preferably in limited series format, complete with a deluxe-edition soundtrack.

The Life of a Showgirl may be a commercial juggernaut, but between mixed reviews, missing merch, and a lightning bolt necklace that launched a thousand think pieces, this latest era feels more exhausting than enchanting.

Until then, keep your merch receipts—and maybe avoid anything shaped like a lightning bolt.