Another day, another example of body shaming and conservative nonsense. Sam Smith was body-shamed by Twitter users and Instagram trolls after wearing a corset, nipple pasties and other lavish looks in a new video for "I'm Not Here to Make Friends" Strong objections from conservative numbers. Smith has yet to comment on the protests, but actress and activist Jameela Jamil has stepped in to defend them.
On January 31, The Good Place star noted on Instagram that people reacted differently to Smith's image and music when he was writing sad songs compared to now because they are actively celebrating themselves and their bodies. "People were happy with Sam Smith's curves as he sang about sadness and loneliness," she wrote. “But happy, confident and thriving Sam Smith is driving people to the breaking point.”
Jameel went on to explain how "serious body image issues" are prevalent in the LGBTQ+ community. “Yet in 2023, even people from this community will seize the opportunity to shame anyone who challenges the status quo,” she said. “What’s the threat to you that you can be loved and love yourself without a (somewhat pointless) eight-pack?”
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Smith's video also faced backlash from conservative leaders who said it was blatantly pornographic and unsuitable for children, although many other artists of all genders and genres have made videos with similar material, as fans like @AidanJohnMoffat as pointed out on Twitter. According to the Daily Mail , British journalist Alex Phillips even equated the video to "extreme hardcore pornography," despite the fact that it contained no explicit and uncensored nudity or sex.
Many fans took to Twitter to call out the hypocrisy of Smith's critics, claiming that if it weren't for Smith's gender expression and pride in her body, the artist wouldn't have faced so much ridicule. "The backlash against Sam Smith is definitely because people don't want people to be openly sexual unless they are skinny," @marcusjdl tweeted. "If they were doing this move with exposed abs, there wouldn't be an article discussing whether it was appropriate for children."
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Smith doesn't seem to be fazed by the backlash, as they're back to promoting the video on Instagram as usual.
