Troye Sivan made a buzzworthy return to music this summer with a steamy new single, “Rush” ― but many felt the song’s accompanying video presented a far-too-limited view of the community it aims to celebrate.
Released last week, the video for “Rush” finds Sivan doing keg stands and frolicking on a crowded dance floor until dawn. It also puts the Australian singer-songwriter’s queer sexuality front and center, much like his previous videos for “Bloom” and “Lucky Strike.”
However, “Rush” struck a sour note among same fans, who took note of the fact that the video’s cast consists mainly of thin or muscular men and, hence, lacks diversity in body types.
Watch the “Rush” video below:
“Love the song but wow the video is anxiety enducing as someone who doesn’t fit societal beauty standards,” one person tweeted. “I feel like this group of people would lowkey bully me or at least make me feel uncomfortable for my looks.”
Added another, “The lack of plus size representation is… bad.”
In an interview with Billboard published Tuesday, Sivan addressed the backlash, acknowledging that the absence of body diversity in the “Rush” video was an oversight.
“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.”
At the same time, Sivan said some of the criticism that “Rush” had received was misguided while noting that he, too, had experienced body-shaming in the past.
“There was this article yesterday, and they were talking about [the lack of body diversity], and in the same sentence, this person said ‘Eat something, you stupid twinks,’” he explained, seemingly referring to a Vulture review of the video. “That really bummed me out to read that — because I’ve had my own insecurities with my body image.”
He went on to note, “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 off of Sivan’s forthcoming third album, “Something To Give Each Other.” Due out in October, the follow-up to 2018’s “Bloom” has been billed as a musical “celebration of sex, dance, sweat, community, queerness, love and friendship.”