"Better Than Revenge" is a song by Taylor Swift from her 2010 album Speak Now. The song addresses a romantic rival who "stole" her boyfriend, widely believed to be about actress Camilla Belle, who dated Joe Jonas after he and Taylor Swift broke up. The lyrics express anger and desire for revenge against this rival, with Swift criticizing the rival's behavior and choices
. The original version of the song included a lyric that was criticized as slut-shaming: "she's better known for the things that she does on the mattress." In the 2023 re-recorded version, Better Than Revenge (Taylor's Version) , Swift changed this line to "he was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches," which some fans and critics saw as a sign of her artistic maturity, while others felt it softened the song's original confrontational tone
. Taylor Swift has never explicitly confirmed the exact inspiration behind the song, but the consensus points to the Camilla Belle and Joe Jonas connection. The song is a vivid expression of teenage angst and revenge, reflecting Swift's emotional state at the time, and has been described as one of her more scathing diss tracks, though some critics argue the blame is misdirected at the rival rather than the boyfriend who made the choice
. In summary, "Better Than Revenge" is about a romantic rival, likely Camilla Belle, who Swift felt "stole" her boyfriend Joe Jonas, and the song channels feelings of betrayal and vengeance from that experience