The Life of a Proverbs 31 Mom

Last week, Taylor Swift released her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl. And, in true Taylor Swift fashion, her listeners (or Swifties as they call themselves) tuned in.

Yet, while her fans and others celebrate her music and new achievements, as a believer, I have genuine concerns about the content being spread and the impression it is making on the young female ears it reaches.

Business Insider reported that multiple music streaming sites had shared that the album had broken various records, ranging from Spotify’s “most-streamed album in a single day this year” to being Apple Music’s “biggest album this year by first-day streams worldwide,” with similar results on Amazon Music.

The article continued to explain that it wasn’t just her album that shook the music industry. On the weekend following the release, she also premiered a one-weekend-only film, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, coinciding with the release, so fans could also celebrate in theaters. CNBC reported that “The three-day event tallied an estimated $33 million domestically, the biggest album debut event in cinema history.”

However, it is important to note that this is no longer the music of Swift’s debut album, which might have been appropriate for high school girl heartache. Now a household name, Swift and her head-bopping tunes are well-known worldwide. Many moms even share their love of the singer with their young daughters.

But The Life of a Showgirl, just like some of Swift’s newer releases, has many hits that are inappropriate for young children. In fact, this record’s cover art features Swift half-nude in 1950s-inspired showgirl attire, and its lyrics are even more risqué and scandalous than any of those on her previous records.

In one song, sex is highly glorified with graphic references. In another, a chorus repeatedly uses explicit language. Later in the album, she talks about making “a deal with the devil” while also using inappropriate imagery.

Fans of the singer-songwriter defend these lyric choices by stating that she is growing up and maturing. After all, she’s getting married – can’t she sing about sex and use profanity as she pleases?

Ultimately, yes. That style choice, although I disagree with it, is Swift’s to make.

But it is also the listener’s choice to consume.

As Christ-followers, as well as Christian wives and mothers, we have been given a higher calling – one that includes protecting our children’s hearts and minds amid a culture that often fails to do so.

Today, little girls are faced with all sorts of pressures, ranging from body image to mental health issues, and this type of hyped-up content does not help matters.

The National Eating Disorder Association reports that, “Body image concerns often begin at a young age and endure throughout life. By age 3, children have often internalized stereotypes about body size and children as young as 5 start to express concerns about their own weight or shape.For example, studies have found that 40-60% of elementary school girls (ages 6-12) are concerned about their weight or about becoming fat.”

Meanwhile, Pew Research reported that, “Girls more often than boys say that they are highly concerned about teen mental health (42% vs. 28%).”

Yet, as one of the world’s most famous and record-breaking musical releases to date, this album promotes immodesty (as clearly seen on the cover), sex before marriage (as Swift herself is not married but writing about it), and other morality issues that can cause greater problems and concerns for our young ones, including (but not limited to) those mentioned above. Of course, Swift is not the only pop star selling these ideologies; she is just one recent example.

But as Christian moms fighting the culture war and raising young daughters and sons, we can take heart.

We are not without guidance on how to handle these things!

In Proverbs 31, we are shown the attributes and makings of a “worthy woman.” She isn’t adorned in Gucci or half-dressed for the world to see. She isn’t known for fighting with men in the business world.

Instead, she is a committed, husband-loving, businesswoman, household manager, gardener, garment maker, wise teacher, and kind person who loves and cares for her family and others in her life. Most importantly, she loves the Lord.

This worthy woman is the type of role model we should want our daughters to aspire to be and our sons to find as a wife someday.

As God-fearing mothers, it is our responsibility to help our children redirect their gaze from the lies of culture and turn their eyes to the truths such as these found in Scripture. The question is, will we?

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
Give her the product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates (Proverbs 31:30-31).

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