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After a 31-year run on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! gave one last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The production, renowned for its intricate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed commentators who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Now, nearly ten years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

The King of Sparkle

Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his trademark look, outfitting everyone from screen legends to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a metallic fringed bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show 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 stated in an interview with a media outlet. “Today's artists are pushing toward a glamorous, more theatrical, show-stopping, grand statement.”

A Mainstream Revival

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by music artists including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across world tours in sparkles, strategic openings and feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert told Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from History

Lipa, Carpenter and other chart toppers also take inspiration from 19th-century performances, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The results are vastly different from the 90s teen pop of crop tops and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

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

A Highly Sought-After Vintage Look

For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a trio of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among collectors.

“This style evoke nostalgia for a past glamour,” says an archivist, an expert at the University of Nevada, who researches the history of showgirls. “Today it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the shine but without the exposure.”

A Than Simply Style: An Symbol of Las Vegas

She says the showgirl image are key to the iconography of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, showing up at gatherings and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.

The Appeal of Illusion

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the allure. This is a notion the singer references in a recent documentary series that documents the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, gym sessions and 149 concerts across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She describes her own stage routines as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my moment so I could rest before I made my entrance. You’re perspiring the whole time but creating this image that it’s effortless and gorgeous and magical.”

Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. Who better to emulate than showgirls, who have always embodied make-believe, idealism and a realm where nobody falters.