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Following a long-running stint on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The show, famous for its elaborate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed commentators who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, nearly ten years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is experiencing a revival.

The King of Sparkle

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his signature style, clothing everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a newspaper. “New stars are pushing toward a show-stopping, more theatrical, breathtaking, grand statement.”

A Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the centre of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across concert platforms in sequins, strategic openings and feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. A top stylist her creative director told Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, her performers waved giant feathered fans.

Pulling from Tradition

These artists and other chart toppers also reference historical performances, including burlesque and dance line references. The final look are worlds away from the late-century Britney Spears era of short shirts and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that came before them.

But some critics are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “used as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently modern pop stars.”

A Coveted Classic Style

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through embellished dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says Su Kim Chung, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who researches the history of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the shine but without the exposure.”

More Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Vegas

The expert says this figure are key to the identity of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was accompanied by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still featured as an logo of the city, showing up at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Las Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

An Appeal of Escape

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the appeal. This is a notion Taylor Swift references in a recent documentary series that captures the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, training and 149 shows across multiple nations, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer recalls her own nights in the spotlight as “comparable to completing an endurance race in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my moment so I could rest before I made my entrance. You are working hard the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s easy and beautiful and dreamlike.”

Maybe this is where the true allure of the showgirl really resides. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Is there anyone better to look to than showgirls, who have always represented dreams, idealism and a world where nobody makes a mistake.