Taylor Swift‘s performances, as fans know, are carefully planned down to the minutest details, from the lyrics she sings to the gestures and expressions she makes on stage.
During her recent Eras Tour stop in Paris, the meticulous Grammy winner, 34, debuted a live rendition of “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” on May 9th, which fans widely believe is a nod to her ex, Matty Healy.
@beachgirl_913 #thesmallestmanwhoeverlived #taylorswift #taylornation #swiftok #swiftie #THETORTUREDPOETSDEPARTMENT #mattyhealy1975 #goodriddance ♬ The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived – Taylor Swift
Did Taylor Swift Copy Ex Matty Healy’s Signature Dance Moves During Her Paris Show? Here’s Why Fans Think So
Observant Swifties paid close attention to the popstar’s choreography during the song and noticed what appeared to be veiled jabs and “shade” thrown at Healy, 35. Fan-shot footage captured the “Down Bad” singer marching and saluting during the performance, reminiscent of Healy’s own stage moves in “Love It If We Made It” as a member of The 1975.
@freetetris.org The flickering lights. The pink purple lighting. The marching. Omg. This is not my usual content but – #taylorswift #erastour #mattyhealy #the1975 #ttpd ♬ original sound – crispy
As soon as Swift showcased her impressive dance moves, avid fans uploaded videos of the performance to TikTok and began sharing their theories. “I immediately caught that. Such a DIRECT call out. [Healy] does it every performance of [‘Love It If We Made It’],” one fan commented beneath a recent clip as another added: “I gasped when i saw it!!”
"YES FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT," another viewer of Swift's choreography noted, adding: "I’m sure Matty will know about this song now." Many fans continue to head to social media to share why they think this "shady" and "suggestive" performance referenced Healy, and why they believe "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" was written about him.
Swift's fourteenth track off her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, opens with the lyrics: "Was any of it true? / Gazing at me starry-eyed / In your Jehovah’s Witness suit." On X (formerly Twitter), Healy's style (often composed of fitted, snug suits) has often elicited comparisons to attire commonly donned by members of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Furthermore, there are fans who have suggested that the reference to the "smallest man" in the song may imply not only a lack of moral integrity, but also a diminutive physical stature.
This interpretation may have been fueled by Healy's own admission of his "short" height, which some believe is the subject of the song. In 2018, The 1975 frontman, singer and musician told the The Fader: "Everyone in [The 1975] is 6-foot-4 and I’m 5-foot-10, so everyone thinks that I’m 5-foot-5."
The brief romantic involvement between Swift (who is now dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce) and Healy (who is linked to model Gabbriette Bechtel) was a topic of widespread discussion.
Although the "Anti-Hero" songwriter and "About You" rocker had initially crossed paths in 2014, they only began dating several years later.
After Healy was spotted attending one of Swift's shows in Nashville in May 2023, the duo were later seen holding hands at Casa Cipriani in New York City, where they were joined by mutual friend and musical collaborator Jack Antonoff.
Not long before this, Swift had reportedly parted ways with longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn due to differences in their personalities, according to an insider who sat down with People Magazine.
Swift and Healy's relationship was described as "casual" by another source, and they eventually split up in June of the same year. The ups and downs of their time together seemingly influenced Swift's work on The Tortured Poets Department, and as many fans now believe, her Eras Tour choreography as well.
