Sam Smith’s recent magazine photoshoot attracted all kinds of reactions on the internet – while some called it ‘iconic’, others said the singer isn’t sending ‘a positive message’ with their photos.
Earlier this month, singer Sam Smith featured as the cover star of the latest issue of a magazine, where the theme of their photoshoot was body autonomy. In the past, Smith has publicly spoken about struggling with their weight and body image. Now, the singer has shared new images from their recent photoshoot for the magazine, which has reignited the debate around fatphobia and body diversity, with some social media users slamming the singer for ‘seeking attention’, while others wanted to see the ‘old Sam’ back. A few also defended the photoshoot, and called it ‘extremely iconic’. Also read: Sam Smith says he is ‘a very cheesy person’
On Tuesday, Sam took to Instagram to share their latest photos. Reacting to Sam’s pictures from the recent photoshoot for Perfect magazine, a person wrote, “I don’t understand the concept? How is this art? Cutting off blood circulation for a photoshoot isn’t a positive message to send out. I don’t care about their weight or image as all bodies are beautiful, but at least put something on that fits you. It’s not healthy fitting into clothing two sizes too tight. There are better ways to scream out for attention, and this certainly isn’t it.” An Instagram user also commented, “Where’s the old Sam?” Singer Demi Lovato commented, “I am obsessed.” A comment also read, “Extremely iconic.”
Meanwhile, a Twitter user shared Sam’s photoshoot images, and tweeted, “The big lie is gender identity and believing that men can become women and vice versa.” Another person tweeted, “Show business is getting nastier and nastier, the level of degradation is increasing.” Another one tweeted, “Sam Smith is a terrible role model… how could anyone look up to this?” Another one tweeted with Sam’s photos, “Wokeness destroys people.”
Earlier this month, Sam Smith was slammed by a section of viewers for performing their song Unholy at Grammys 2023. Smith wore a set of devil horns during the performance with singer Kim Petras. Their performance was introduced by singer Madonna, who praised the duo for their ‘subversiveness’.
Sam Smith’s fourth album, Gloria, debuted last month. In addition to Unholy, the album features the songs Love Me More, Gimme, and I’m Not Here to Make Friends. Sam appeared on the cover of their album Gloria topless, and featured in the video of their track, I’m Not Here to Make Friends, wearing a corset and bejewelled pants.
Alongside their music career, the singer has been on a personal quest of self-discovery. Since coming out as non-binary in 2019 and announcing their change of pronouns, the singer has been open about their body image and weight-related issues, dating back to their school days.