Singer and actor Troye Sivan has responded to backlash surrounding a lack of body diversity in the music video for his new single “Rush.”
Although the video received plenty of praise from gay Twitter for its joyfully hedonistic depiction of queer summer joy, many viewers also criticized “Rush” for painting a limited portrait of what the community actually looks like.
As Rolling Stone staff writer Tomás Mier tweeted: “It seems like a case study on how white gays choose to view queer people as a whole. There’s not a single fat person in the entire video. Just white twinks and chiseled bodies.”
Sivan addressed such criticisms in a July 18 Billboard interview.
“I definitely hear the critique,” he said. “To be honest, it 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.”
The 28-year-old also said he took issue with his own body being scrutinized by fans.
“There was this article yesterday, and they were talking about [the video’s lack of body diversity], and in the same sentence, this person said, ‘Eat something, you stupid twinks,’” Sivan added, referencing a recent Vulture review.
“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.”
“Rush” is the first single from Sivan’s upcoming album Something to Give Each Other, which drops on October 13 and will mark his first full-length LP in five years and his third overall.
“This album is my something to give to you,” the Australian singer told his 14.6 million followers in an Instagram announcement. “A kiss on the dancefloor, a date turned into a weekend, a crush, a winter, a summer. Party after party, after party after after party. Heartbreak, freedom. Community, sisterhood, friendship. All that. <3”
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