They’re not here to make friends — just to look fabulous.
Sam Smith (who identifies as non-binary and uses “they/them” pronouns) released their new music video for “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” on Friday, which features a series of sexy, skin-baring costumes that aren’t sitting well with everyone.
In the visuals, the 30-year-old “Unholy” crooner rocks a series of daring styles by designer Christian Cowan that range from a showgirl-worthy feather headdress and high-slit skirt to a bejeweled corset paired with matching nipple pasties.
Despite the clip’s cheeky and playful tone, some conservative types were left clutching their pearls, calling the video “vile and evil” and accusing Smith of “wearing their sexuality like a costume and shoving it in everyone’s face.”
But it didn’t take long for the singer’s fans to fight back, with many pointing out that risqué outfits are commonplace in modern music videos and suggesting that a mix of fatphobia and queerphobia was behind Smith’s bring singled out.
“If Sam Smith were thin, cis, and straight, they wouldn’t be ridiculed for how they present and dress. If Harry Styles wore the same fits on a magazine cover, y’all would be screaming YAS QUEEN. Anyway, support fat queer people,” writer Mae Murray tweeted.
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“Sex has always been a running theme in modern pop music, and music videos often flaunt it. But Sam Smith has made the criminal offence of being a) queer and b) not skinny, and in an increasingly anti-LGBTQ culture, that can’t be tolerated,” added author Owen Jones.
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It’s worth noting that the “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” video was directed by Tanu Muino, who’s shot equally racy visuals for Cardi B, Normani — and Styles, who’s famous for his own gender-fluid fashion statements.
NYC designer Cowan, who was spotted on a cozy walk with Smith earlier this month, previously described his aesthetic to Page Six Style as “optimistic, fun, adventurous and extra.”
“Fashion is therapy. And if I can just make women around the world — and men, and whoever — just laugh and smile while wearing my clothes, that’s the goal for me,” he told us.
