Troye Sivan's Music Video Criticized For "Lack Of Body Diversity"—"It's Actually Fatphobic"

Australian singer Troye Sivan is now under fire for the "lack of body diversity" in the music video for his new song, "Rush."

*This article is intended for readers 18 and older.*

Sivan's "Rush" is another term for a drug known as "poppers," which is widely used by homosexual men. The song is pretty sexual indeed, with Sivan singing that he "feel(s) the rush" whenever he and another male counterpart are together. Meanwhile, the music video is full of skinny and fit people flexing, partying, and engaging in erotic acts. You could say "Rush" is just another Euphoria – it's nasty, intense, and full of debauchery.

Those things don't matter to the social media audience, though. What they do care about is the lack of overweight to obese individuals in his video. "Can we talk about the lack of body diversity?" tweeted @Andyquoi. "Because not everyone is a skinny boy with abs, it'd be great to start changing this f*cking awful representation in the community which just causes self hatred and eating disorders."

@caspa_theghostt wrote, "I really just wanted to enjoy Rush and appreciate it for what it was, but this discourse has already soured the song/mv for me, and not because of the lack of diverse bodies. It’s actually the fatphobic, ableist (skinny, white) gays who are defending the mv turning me off it.."

In his latest interview with Billboard, Sivan finally addressed the criticism against his new single. “I definitely hear the critique,” he said. “To be honest, it just 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 "Angel Baby" singer also clapped back at the people who made negative comments about his appearance. "There was this article … and they were talking about [the lack of body diversity], and in the same sentence, this person said, ‘Eat something, you stupid twinks,'” he added. “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.” Interesting how the same people preaching about body inclusivity are making fun of Sivan's physique.

Not every musician or company can represent every body type in every project, nor are they obligated to do so. Artists have unique visions and creative directions; each music video reflects their artistic expression. In this case, you could say that Sivan had a "type" that he wanted for his music video. So what?

While I understand how inclusivity can help diverse body types feel better about themselves, it's crucial for them to also do some introspection when they get triggered. Because most of the time, their emotional reactions arise from personal struggles or insecurities that they project onto other businesses or artists. Expecting everyone to conform to our desires is a form of entitlement. Many businesses and brands promote inclusivity and hire larger models for photoshoots today. The whole concept of body inclusivity isn't as rare as we think anymore. What is few and far between, however, is the ability to not take everything personally.

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