Who is Clara Bow and why has Taylor Swift named a song after her from the album ‘Tortured Poets Department’?

Swifties around the world are waking up to the great news that not one but two new albums have been released. Fans had expected the release of ‘The Tortured Poets Department.’ Still, two hours after its launch, Swift posted across her social media channels that ‘Anthology,’ which contains an additional fifteen songs, would also be made immediately available.

The last song on ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ Clara Bow,’ raises some questions: who is Clara Bow?

Clara Bow: one of the great American actors

Clara Bow may not ring many bells for those who are not massive fans of 20th-century American cinema. Bow rose to fame in the Roarin’ 20s as an actress during the era of silent films. She starred in the Academy Award-winning film ‘Wings,’ which is the only silent film to have ever taken home the prize for Best Picture. She is perhaps best known for her role in ‘It,’ a silent film that developed the concept of the ‘It Girl.’ Unlike many in Hollywood, Bow made the jump to talkies, where she appeared in several sound films that are remembered as some of the foundation works of the era.

A look at the lyrics of Swift’s Clara Bow

Swift’s song uses the ‘It Girl’ concept in the song, writing, “Take the glory, give everything, promise to be dazzling.” This line is followed up by a line that reads, “The crown is stained by you’re the real queen, flesh and blood amongst war machines.” In many ways, the song describes how being held up as an icon can make you a target for vitriol and how the pressure to be beautiful can become a never ending quest where it is possible to lose sight of who you are.