Who is Clara Bow? Taylor Swift cites ‘It Girl’ actress with tortured past for new song title
Taylor Swift’s forthcoming album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” will be released on April 19, and fans have been trying to decode the 17-track list.
There is one song titled “Clara Bow” — a reference to the famous silent film actress who took the Hollywood Golden Age in the 1920s by storm.
Bow, the “It Girl” of the era, was the epitome of the Roaring Twenties, and she transitioned to talking films by the decade’s end.
However, despite her legendary career as an actress, Bow also had a painful personal life that she hid behind the camera.
So why did Swift decide to mention the classic film star in her new record — and what was Bow’s life all about?
Keep reading to learn more about Clara Bow’s life and her connection to Swift.
Who is Clara Bow?
Clara Bow was a silent film actress who rose to prominence during the Roaring Twenties and was seen as the inspiration for what many today consider the original flapper girl.
Bow also helped propel the signature bob haircut and red lips — something both she and Swift, 34, seem to love — into popularity.
According to her IMBD page, Bow got her acting start in 1922 when she starred in the film “Beyond the Rainbow,” but it wasn’t till her 1927 film “It” that she became a household name.
Bow would later star in films alongside other Hollywood legends such as Louise Brooks and Joan Crawford.
To this day, Bow is considered an icon of sexual freedom for women. It is also suspected that Bow served as the inspiration for the classic cartoon character Betty Boop, according to PBS.
Was Clara Bow a Singer?
Bow was not a singer. She made much of her money as an actress. Her career stretched from 1922 until 1933, and she starred in many silent and sound films.
Her most famous films include “Mantrap,” “Wings,” “It,” and “Hoop-La.”
Bow’s Personal Life
According to the BBC, the future star was born in 1905 in Brooklyn, Bow was forced to contend with a mentally ill mother and abusive father until the age of 18, when she moved out to Los Angeles.
Much like any Hollywood star, Bow’s personal life became an utter disaster when journalists began spinning lies about the “Wild Party” star, using images from her movies to perpetuate rumors that she was excessively drinking despite the ban on alcohol at the time.
Entertainment Weekly reported that the worst blow to the actress’ image allegedly came in 1928 when Bow’s former secretary, Daisy De Voe, aired the “Wings” star’s dirty laundry and made several personal letters, telegrams and other things public.
Bow married actor Rex Bell in 1931 after they starred in the film “True to the Navy” together.
They had two sons together, Tony Beldam and George Beldam Jr., and they stayed married until Bell died in 1962.
Bow suffered from many health issues that plagued her life after she retired from acting in 1933,
She endured mental illness, chronic insomnia, schizophrenia, and became socially withdrawn, even attempting suicide in 1944.
Biography reports that Bow died at the age of 60 in 1965 after she allegedly suffered a heart attack.
Taylor Swift Inspiration
While the “Cruel Summer” singer has often used Old Hollywood figures in her work, such as referring to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in her “Wildest Dreams” song, it’s not known why she used Bow in her album.
But one possibility is that both women seemed to live similar lives 100 years apart. Swift and Bow were both massive stars at the height of their careers, and yet each has suffered intense media scrutiny.
The Song “Clara Bow”
The track is number 16 on Side D of the album.
Fan Theories
While rumors abound that fans are about to get the real Joe Alwyn breakup album, several fans have theorized why the pop culture icon would write about such a monumental figure.
“Did you guys know that Clara Bow retired after her wedding? This album really is going to be about finding her voice again,” one fan speculated on X (formerly Twitter).
Another fan went even deeper and claimed that the whole album was about Swift reclaiming her voice after years of intense media scrutiny.
“Clara Bow rose to stardom during the silent film era and Ariel from ‘The Little Mermaid’ (“But Daddy I Love Him”) trades her voice after Ursula tells her “it’s she who holds her tongue who gets a man,” the fan analyzed. “Taylor Swift is going to have A LOT to say in The Tortured Poets Department.”
“CLARA BOW LIKED BOYS WHO WERE WHAT,” a third swiftie screeched attaching a photo that read “Clara Bow liked boys who were football players.”
