Overview

• Taylor Swift released The Life of a Showgirl on Oct. 3, and the track “Actually Romantic” drew immediate scrutiny from listeners online.
• Fans point to lines about a “Boring Barbie,” high‑fiving an ex who “ghosted” her, and lavish attention, which some link to The 1975’s Matty Healy and George Daniel.
• Many read the song as a reply to Charli XCX’s Brat era, citing “Sympathy Is a Knife” and the title echo of “Everything Is Romantic.”
• Neither Swift nor Charli has identified a target of the lyrics, and some listeners characterize the track as tongue‑in‑cheek rather than hostile.
• Speculation is colored by the artists’ history, including Charli opening Swift’s 2018 tour, Swift’s public praise in 2024, and a U.K. chart episode involving exclusive digital variants.