“Talentless sick individual”: Sam Smith’s I’m Not Here To Make Friends' raunchy music video sparks debate online

English singer Sam Smith’s new music video for their latest song, I’m Not Here To Make Friends, sparked outrage online as soon as it premiered on YouTube, with many people still continuing to deplore the singer for its explicit nature. While one group of people dissed Simth for allegedly promoting filth, another group of people came to defend them.

Smith’s much-anticipated album, Gloria, came out on January 27, 2023. Its previously-released single, Unholy, received critical acclaim and widespread online popularity last year as soon as it was released.

However, I’m Not Here To Make Friends mostly made negative headlines after its music video, according to some, showcased an explicit display of s*xualized content.

Netizens wrote that the music video should have atleast an age restriction for accessing it on platforms like YouTube, as children might stumble upon it and get negatively impacted.

One user on Twitter wrote with a tone of mockery that some people hailed Sam Smith as a role model, which is unbelievable, further calling the British singer a "talentless sick individual" and accusing them of profiting from a "perverted sickness" that they believed was prevailing in the West.

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Sam Smith's I’m Not Here To Make Friends' music video stirs fatphobia and queerphobia debates amongst netizens

In the said video, Smith can be seen arriving in a chopper at a castle, clad in a lush bright-pink ruffled tulle gown, before dancing alongside several other performers wearing corsets, n*pple tassels, and suspenders.

In one particular scene, string fountains of water can be seen getting sprayed into the singer's mouth, which seems to have enraged netizens more, given its lewd gesture.

In the video's other scenes, the dancers can be seen provocatively in bed while wearing only black leather underwear, which further offended many as they flocked to slam Smith for making vulgar content.

Many who bashed the singer pointed to their gender identity and orientation, to the extent of even refusing to address them with their preferred pronouns in a way to offend Smith. Check out a few of these reactions on Twitter:

However, many other netizens called out the blatant disregard and disrespect hurled at Sam Smith for expressing themselves the way they usually do. Some were disappointed to see people within the LGBTQA+ community insulting the singer because of their effeminate appearance.

Smith's body image was also dragged into the scene, which was later called out by their supporters as 'fatphobia'. They condemned the hypocrisy where people applauded Harry Styles for breaking gender norms while humiliating Smith, an actual queer person, for self-expression.

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Alex Phillips says Sam Smith's new music video is unhealthy for kids

Journalist Alex Phillips addressed Sam Smith's new music video and commented that it was unhealthy for society, adding that the video was equivalent to hardcore p*rnographic content in certain parts of it.

Phillips further stated that the video needs to be censored a lot to be able to air it on television. The journalist went on to point out how they are living in an age where p*rnography is normalized in pop culture.

Phillips was asked if she would have an issue with Madonna doing the same thing in a music video instead of Smith, and she replied with:

“Yes, of course. To me it is not about how Sam Smith dresses or their pronouns. I really don't care about that. At the peak of the British empire, men were walking around in giant wigs with beauty spots. That doesn't bother me.”

She mentioned that the overt s*xualization and the sado-masochism aspect are what would be considered by the mainstream audience as explicit adult content.

However, radio presenter Shivani Dave defended Sam Smith, claiming that singers like Madonna and Britney Spears would not have received this much criticism if they had released a similar music video.

Addressing the claim that the I'm Not The Only One singer was insensible to make such s*xually provoking content, Dave said that their music video was not to blame for the s*xual assaults taking place in schools. The radio presenter further stressed the fact that "artists like Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, and many others have done this before."

Dave concluded that they think the difference here is that Sam Smith was assigned male at birth, and people are "not used to witnessing others who are assigned male at birth, dancing around wearing corsets and l*ngerie," and things like that.