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Pop singer Sam Smith (who is openly queer and uses they/them pronouns) has been at the centre of a firestorm after their latest music video, I’m Not Here To Make Friends. A range of people commented on what they felt was a provocative video in bad taste, with US right-wing commentator Candace Owens going so far as to call the video ‘disgusting.’ Why? It appears Smith’s choice to wear a sheer black basque and dance among a crowd of men was all that spurred this reaction. Look, I’m a child of MTV. Was the video a bit risqué? Sure. But, that’s the entire point of music videos, surely. Remember Miley Cyrus in Wrecking Ball? Or - for the real old heads- Madonna in Like A Prayer? Suggestive music videos have always been a thing. They aren’t corrupting the children: children aren’t harmed by the mere presence of sexuality in a music video. (And if you’re really worried about that, put parental controls on your TV.) So what’s really going on with the outsize reaction to Smith? Being fat and dressing femme, as well their non binary identity. All these are things that open them up to ridicule and abuse across the board. I would strongly encourage everyone having negative reactions to the video to consider the source- would it bother you less if thin, cis Harry Styles wore a skirt in a music video, or exposed his body? Why is that? Why is it okay for Styles to be sexual on screen but not for Smith?
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