Betty is the former lover with whom James reconciles in Taylor Swift’s “august” trilogy. The story unfolds across “cardigan,” “august,” and “betty,” with each song presenting a different viewpoint on the same fictional relationship network.
“august” focuses on the girl who experiences a short summer romance with James. “betty” shifts to James as he acknowledges what happened and seeks forgiveness, while “cardigan” gives Betty’s perspective after the events. This structure lets the songs overlap without simply repeating one another.
Betty is sometimes confused with Augustine because both characters are central to the triangle. Augustine is the girl associated with the summer affair; Betty is James’s established love interest. Inez, another name mentioned in “betty,” is not one of the triangle’s three main participants. The names belong to a fictional narrative created for Folklore.