People Are Defending Sam Smith After Their New Video Led To Body-Shaming — From Conservatives, Other Queer People, And More

This post contains discussion of body image issues.

This week, Sam Smith debuted their new video "I'm Not Here to Make Friends."

The video was super fun, and the song is really catchy!

And in the video, Sam embraces their new Gloria-era aesthetic — colorful, provocative, and burlesque. They donned a bunch of lewks:

Screenshots from Sam Smith's music video

Sadly, it led to a lot of body-shaming comments — many of which were from the LGBTQ community:

Comment about Sam Smith's music video

Conservative pundits even used Sam as a way to make things political, UGH:

People defended Sam following the barrage of hate:

Queer people also called out their own community — which has a history of prioritizing traditionally fit bodies — for their cruelty toward someone who's part of the same community.

Sam said since they've come out as nonbinary, they've faced harassment both online and in person in the UK. "What people don't realize with trans nonbinary people in the UK is it's happening in the street," they told Apple Beats 1's Zane Lowe. "So, that was the hardest part, I think, was being at home in the UK and having people shouting at me in the street. Someone spat at me in the street. It's crazy."

Closeup of Sam Smith
Jacopo Raule / Getty Images

The truth is: Sam can wear whatever they want. They never deserve to be body-shamed or used as some right-wing talking point.

Closeup of Sam Smith
Jacopo Raule / Getty Images

You can watch the full "I'm Not Here to Make Friends" music video here.