Taylor Swift’s ‘The Fate of Ophelia‘ music video included subtle references to her relationship with Travis Kelce, alongside other hidden meanings.
The singer, 35, shared the music video for the first single from her upcoming album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ on Sunday. Fans had a sneak peek in movie theaters just two days prior at a special release event.
The video featured a number of Easter eggs for her eagle-eyed Swifties to pick up on.
I was so fascinated to see she’d recently discovered a passion for baking sourdough! It was such a lovely surprise, and even more delightful to find out she’s also a fan of William Shakespeare – talk about a woman of depth and interesting tastes!
The Grammy-winning artist seemed to take inspiration from Marilyn Monroe, especially since she’d dedicated a song on her new album to the legendary Elizabeth Taylor.
The singer released the video on Travis Kelce’s 36th birthday and included several affectionate references to him, following their openly discussed intimacy on the explicit song ‘Wood’.
The video makes many references to Ophelia, the heartbroken character from Shakespeare’s *Hamlet* who eventually loses her mind and tragically drowns.
The scene begins with Taylor Swift portraying Ophelia in a painting, wearing a white dress and reclining in a decorative stream filled with flowers.
It really reminds me of that famous painting by John Everett Millais, the one from 1851. You know, the one of Ophelia right before she tragically drowns – that’s exactly the feeling this evokes for me.
The video concludes with Taylor Swift underwater in a bathtub, dressed in a glittering showgirl outfit – a scene inspired by the character Ophelia.
The imagery is the same she used for the album cover.
Later in the video, the celebrity is shown standing in front of a painting, and viewers spotted something interesting.
I’m immediately drawn to this artwork – it features a woman posed before a simple table. What really stands out is the still life arrangement: a beautiful loaf of sourdough bread, a ripe peach, and a delicate string of pearls. It’s a classic, understated composition that feels both timeless and inviting.
And the star confirmed in The Official Release Party of a Showgirl that the loaf was baked by her.
She shared with viewers that filming the music video felt special, explaining it as a moment where ‘My bread is a star.’
Taylor Swift shared on the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce that she’s recently gotten into baking sourdough bread and enjoys giving it to her friends.
Taylor Swift playfully acknowledged Travis Kelce throughout the concert, even catching a football while singing a line about team loyalty.
She was also filmed going into a hotel room with the number 87 on the door – a clear reference to his jersey number.
As a huge fan, I spotted something amazing! In one of the scenes, the singer subtly included a black-and-white photo of the athlete reflected in a vanity mirror. It was such a sweet and clever detail, and I was so excited to notice it!
Taylor appears in a playful scene, dressed as a classic performer. She’s wearing a short blonde wig, a beauty mark, and a red burlesque costume, alongside other dancers while they’re preparing backstage.
The music video also featured Taylor Swift’s dancers from The Eras Tour, such as Raphael Thomas and Kevin Scheitzback, among others.
The star also seemingly referenced other songs from Life of a Showgirl in the video.
Behind her, a black and white movie poster displayed the title ‘Sequins are Forever,’ with ‘starring Kitty’ underneath.
The line came from the album’s title track, which also mentions Kitty.
Near the video’s conclusion, while Taylor Swift is in the bathtub, an Oscar statue is visible on the floor beside her, likely a nod to the lyrics in her song “Wi$h Li$t.”
In her song, she sings about the desire for a complicated, well-developed female character – one that wins awards like the Palme d’Or and an Oscar, even if it’s just for show.
In her song “Actually Romantic,” Taylor Swift seemed to reference singer Charli XCX, describing her as being like a ‘small chihuahua yapping from a purse.’
And in her new video, there is a scene featuring a woman with a tiny dog in her purse.
Swift also appeared to pay homage to her Life of a Showgirl collaborator Sabrina Carpenter.
She briefly recreated a look from Cardi B’s Grammy Awards performance earlier this year, wearing a similar blue bodysuit.
The singer had previously shared that she needed to quickly explain the story of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, to Kelce, since he hadn’t read it before.
In August, while appearing on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce, Taylor Swift revealed the first song on the vinyl would be called “The Fate of Ophelia.”
I was so fascinated by the little details Taylor shared with Jason! She mentioned her boyfriend hadn’t necessarily read *Hamlet*, but she sweetly said she’d walked him through the whole story herself. It was just such a cute and revealing moment!
The athlete joked, ‘Please don’t tell my eighth-grade English teacher I skipped the reading – I was supposed to do it!’
Elsewhere on the record Swift shocked fans with her raunchy lyrics to ‘Wood.’
In the song, the recently engaged singer sweetly sings about how she doesn’t need to rely on good luck charms anymore, because she and her partner can create their own fortunate circumstances.
I’ll be honest, I used to believe in superstitions. But being with you felt like a turning point – like you brought good fortune into my life. It feels like we create our own happy outcomes together.
The song includes a mention of the NFL player’s podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother Jason Kelce, woven into one of the sections before the chorus.
She sings about reaching a new level of intimacy and confidence, stating she no longer feels the need to tempt fate. She then reveals that his love was what allowed her to become physically close to him.
Right from the start of the song, she makes a pretty clear allusion to the physical connection between herself and the football player.
‘Forgive me, it sounds cocky / He ah-matized me / And opened my eyes.’
She sings: ‘Redwood tree / It ain’t hard to see / His love was the key / That opened my thighs.’
Taylor Swift’s new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl’, is her twelfth studio release and comes after the massive success of her recent ‘Eras Tour’.
Taylor Swift finished and released her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, while she was already on tour in 2024.
Read More
- Clash Royale Best Boss Bandit Champion decks
- Mobile Legends November 2025 Leaks: Upcoming new heroes, skins, events and more
- The John Wick spinoff ‘Ballerina’ slays with style, but its dialogue has two left feet
- Stocks stay snoozy as Moody’s drops U.S. credit—guess we’re all just waiting for the crash
- Bentley Delivers Largest Fleet of Bespoke Flying Spurs to Galaxy Macau
- Delta Force Best Settings and Sensitivity Guide
- Steve McQueen on making WWII personal with ‘Blitz’: ‘It’s about us fighting ourselves’
- ‘Australia’s Most Sexually Active Woman’ Annie Knight reveals her shock plans for the future – after being hospitalised for sleeping with 583 men in a single day
- Clash of Clans: How to beat the Fully Staffed Challenge
- Clash Royale Furnace Evolution best decks guide
2025-10-06 16:38