Clara Bow’s Family Share Their Thoughts on Taylor Swift’s Song Named for the Star: ‘Hauntingly Beautiful’ (Exclusive)

Bow’s great-granddaughters tell PEOPLE exclusively the song ‘poetically draws parallels between Clara Bow and Taylor’

Clara Bow and Taylor Swift. PHOTO: EUGENE ROBERT RICHEE/HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY; MATT WINKELMEYER/GETTY

Clara Bow’s relatives are sharing their thoughts on Taylor Swift’s new song named after the 1920s actress.

Following the release of The Tortured Poets Department on April 19, in which Swift sings about past heartbreak, media scrutiny and an overall intense period of her life, PEOPLE spoke exclusively with Bow’s great-granddaughters, Nicole Sisneros and Brittany Grace Bell (who are the granddaughters of Bow’s son Rex Bell Jr.) about the closing track.

Upon first listen, Sisneros explains that she instantly had “chills,” noting that the track “poetically draws parallels between Clara Bow and Taylor.”

“Both raw and amazingly talented artists,” Sisneros said, referencing the two “It” girls. “My family and I love the song and are thankful for Taylor connecting with Clara’s legacy through her songwriting.”

Clara Bow.JOHN KOBAL FOUNDATION/GETTY

For Bell, one lyric that particularly stuck out to her was “This town is fake, but you’re the real thing.” She believes Swift is alluding to “how Clara Bow was unapologetically herself despite the media noise in Hollywood and societal norms of the 1920s and 1930s.”

“The song to me feels ethereal and somewhat melancholy,” Bell continues.

In reference to the track’s lyric “All your life, did you know / You’d be picked like a rose?” Bell continues, “Clara was a ‘rose’ that was picked by the men of Hollywood who capitalized on her fame and talent. I think it perfectly encapsulates how she would feel as the ‘It’ girl of Hollywood.”

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The parallels don’t end there either! As Swift teased her new music video for “Fortnight” with Post Malone ahead of the album’s release, many fans immediately theorized that Swift was paying tribute to Bow with her makeup, including thin eyebrows and dark lipstick with a prominent Cupid’s bow.

“She has the same sultry stare that was signature of Clara Bow,” Sisneros said of Swift’s music video look. “And there’s no denying the precise application of the lipstick.”

Taylor Swift in her “Fortnight” music video.TAYLOR SWIFT/INSTAGRAM

Though Sisneros and Bell note that they “haven’t heard or been able to successfully connect” with anyone from Swift’s team since the song was announced, they hope the new track will be inspiring to the next generation of listeners.

“It’s really remarkable for Clara to be back in the media attention, 100 years later,” Bell says of her great-grandmother. “That’s a testament to her legacy. I hope this inspires the younger generation to learn about Clara’s story and feel inspired by her perseverance.”