Here's What Troye Sivan And Charli XCX Had To Say About Criticism Over The Lack Of Body Diversity In Troye's New Music Video
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This post contains discussion of body image.
Troye Sivan addressed criticism that the music video for his new song "Rush" lacked body diversity.
After the video was released last week, some people — especially via memes — noted that the video only featured thin dancers:
People leaving the Rush set after being turned away at the door pic.twitter.com/E9Krdp2pYb
— Bert’s Bayou (@bertsbayou) July 14, 2023
@BritishVogue / Via Twitter: @bertsbayou
Just watched rush video pic.twitter.com/S9z6cv5ks2
— timmygami eyes (@deliclit) July 13, 2023
the music video director for rush pic.twitter.com/IXUCzGuGix
— joe (@joemcry) July 13, 2023
The door to the Rush music video set pic.twitter.com/ytPuuhQ67P
— Lucas P. Johnson (@LucasPJohn) July 13, 2023
In fact, Charli XCX — who collaborated with Troye on "1999" — even weighed in:
i feel like we live in a world where audiences feel like expression or art isn’t worth their time unless it appeases every single unspoken requirement. IT IS SO BORING. if something breaks common aesthetics it’s “weird” or “try hard” if something conforms it’s “offensive” and…
— Charli (@charli_xcx) July 14, 2023
Further arguing that "no one can ever successfully make art for everyone in this current world, nor should they try to."
actually Sam Smith has made a load of great music videos/performances that play with the topics of eroticism and sex and sexiness with very diverse casting and they have been heavily criticized for doing so. so basically what I'm saying is - no one can ever successfully make art… https://t.co/QsMc9oLTRO
— Charli (@charli_xcx) July 14, 2023
Well, Troye himself has now weighed in. Speaking to Billboard, he said, “I definitely hear the critique."
“To be honest, it just wasn’t a thought we had — we obviously weren’t saying, ‘We want to have one specific type of person in the video.’ We just made the video, and there wasn’t a ton of thought put behind that.”
Troye further said that he saw some of the media attention that the issue received, saying, "There was this article…and they were talking about [the lack of body diversity], and in the same sentence, this person said, ‘Eat something, you stupid twinks.'"
The full quote is, "I do again want to say for the record that I am rooting for Troye. But the video has all the subtlety of a 1990s Calvin Klein campaign. It’s a return to body fascism and emaciation — two gay tastes that actually never went out of style. Eat something, stupid twinks!"
He added, “That really bummed me out to read that — because I’ve had my own insecurities with my body image. I think that everyone’s body is as beautiful as it is, including my own, and it just sucks to see people talking about other people’s bodies.”
Troye further said on his Instagram story that the success of "Rush" had "secured the bag" for his next music video:
