Did Taylor Swift’s Song Throw Shade at Charli XCX With ‘Boring Barbie’ Line? Artists’ Feud Exposed

Where there is drama, there’s Taylor Swift. Swift’s newly released album The Life of a Showgirl has already set off heated conversations among fans and critics alike and it’s not even about the album itself. One track in particular in the album, Actually Romantic, has drawn attention for a lyric that some listeners believe is aimed at Charli XCX. The speculation has restarted discussions about the history between the two artists and whether the ‘Boring Barbie’ line represents a deliberate diss or simply a classic Swift style intrigue.

The Rumored Feud Between Taylor Swift and Charli XCX

Now before we get into the current Swifties meltdown, it’s important to note the context of this rumoured feud. Many fans of both sides would remember Taylor Swift and Charli XCX once shared a collaborative stage, but indeed it seems that their relationship has not always been smooth. Charli opened for Swift during her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018 and had previously performed with her during the 1989 tour, a pairing that initially signaled mutual love and artistic support. However, in the years following, tension appeared in the form of interviews and lyrics that fans connected back to each other even when both have denied any direct connections.

For instance, Charli once described her experience opening for Swift as feeling like ‘playing to five-year-olds,’ a comment she later clarified and apologized for by saying,

‘Leading up to that tour I’d been playing a ton of 18+ club shows and so to be on stage in front of all ages was new to me and made me approach my performances with a whole new kind of energy,’ she added, ‘As I say in the article and have said many times before, I am extremely grateful to Taylor for inviting me to open for her. She’s one of the biggest artists of my generation and the Reputation tour was one of the biggest tours in history,’ Charli explained. ‘I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I was given and how much fun it was to perform to a new audience!’

However that one line lingered in the Swift fanbase as evidence of this alleged strain. More speculation arrived with Charli’s 2024 album Brat, specifically the song Sympathy Is a Knife. Its lyrics about encountering another woman backstage at her boyfriend’s concert were widely read as a veiled reference to Swift’s brief alleged relationship with Matty Healy of The 1975. For reference the lyric was: ‘Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show. / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick,’ Charli denied that the song was directed at Taylor, insisting it reflected personal feelings of insecurity rather than any feud, but fans remained unconvinced. She reportedly said that the song is about, ‘me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives and stories in my head when I feel insecure and how I don’t want to be in those situations physically when I feel self-doubt.’

These moments set the stage for why Swift’s newest lyrics are being scrutinized so closely.

The ‘Boring Barbie’ Lyric in Taylor Swift’s Song

Onto the recent controversy, in the song Actually Romantic, Swift sings the opening line: ‘I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave.’ Listeners and some Swifties immediately pounced on the phrase, interpreting it as a jab at Charli XCX, who has written songs that reference drug use, such as 365 in which she sings about taking ‘a little key’ or ‘a little line’, its a wide assumption but that’s what they are running with. The ‘Boring Barbie’ phrase has no known record of being used by Charli, but fans allegedly argue the combination of the insult with drug references makes the target unmistakable in many Swifties eyes.

The theory builds further as the title of Swift’s track also drew attention because it resembles Charli’s song Everything Is Romantic, leading some to see it as a deliberate echo. Other lines in Actually Romantic seem to suggest resentment toward someone who has spent time writing songs about her, which listeners reportedly linked back to the speculation surrounding Sympathy Is a Knife.

Now bringing some facts into this rumored feud is important, while there are reasons to question whether the lyric is meant as a direct attack, there is no proof. In fact, Swift has praised Charli’s songwriting publicly, as she reportedly said,

‘I’ve been blown away by Charli’s melodic sensibilities since I first heard “Stay Away” in 2011. Her writing is surreal and inventive, always.’

It is also common in Swift’s work to write ambiguous, layered lines that encourage speculation without offering definitive targets. Without confirmation from either artist, the ‘Boring Barbie’ lyric remains open to interpretation, its bite sharpened more by fan theories than explicit evidence of any feud between the two music icons.