English singer/songwriter Sam Smith is riling conservatives again this time for their provocatively artistic magazine photo shoot.
Previously, the genderqueer singer, known for hits like "I'm Not the Only One" and "Dancing with a Stranger," outraged right-wingers who rebuked Smith's "Satanic" performance of "Unholy" at the Grammy's last week.
Smith recently shared an Instagram snap of them gracing the cover of the fashion mag, Perfect, captioned with:
"HONEY ROASTED SAM."
The titillating image was of the singer lying face down partially nude on the floor and bound in pink tape in addition to wearing pink latex gloves and boots.
Smith, who used to have personal issues over their body image since their pre-teen years, has openly discussed this and has come to embrace and promote body positivity.
The print issue's description read:
“Autonomy: the power of self, of personal choice, of independence."
"It is the ability to make one’s own decisions, to live as we see fit."
Like the magazine's name suggested, everything about the cover was perfect.
The magazine explained it curated innovative artists to highlight in the issue.
“In this issue, we have gathered a stellar cast of incredible human beings, each of whom has carved their own path and soldiered forward to leave a profound mark on this world.”
Smith epitomized this description.
They've challenged stereotypes since coming out as non-binary in 2019 and unapologetically embracing their sexual identity and body image in public.
Their Instagram announcement at the time read:
"After a lifetime of being at war with my gender I've decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out..."
They added:
"I've been very nervous about announcing this because I care too much about what people think."
They've come a long way and we're glad to see them arrive.
But not everyone was here for the recent magazine cover of Smith all caught up and wrapped in pink tape.
An obnoxiously loud demographic of haters left comments like, "Noone needs to see this," "vile content," "sickening sh*t," and "Sam, you have sold your soul to the dark side!"
In spite of fatphobic and anti-LGBTQ+ comments in response to the Perfect magazine cover, Smith fans showed up en masse to defend their favorite music personality.
\u201c@ThePopTingz seeing a person being so confident and free with a normal body really helps with the body dysmorphia we\u2019re used to in this generation. Thank you Sam for helping us to get rid of stereotypes\u201d— Pop Tingz (@Pop Tingz) 1675960769
\u201cI saw someone say \u201cif I see anyone tweet that pic of Sam Smith I\u2019ll unfollow them\u201d so I\u2019m using this as a way of getting rid of you judgmental hoes - this is ART. I love fat queerness. \u2764\ufe0f\u201d— lottie l\u2019amour (she/her) \ud83d\udc96\u2728 (@lottie l\u2019amour (she/her) \ud83d\udc96\u2728) 1676030368
\u201ci\u2019m sorry but i went from being totally sam smith ambivalent to being a stan just cause of the haters\u2026 and now they release this image of perfection????\n\nfat queers stay winning!\u201d— buy tickets to my play im broke xoxo (@buy tickets to my play im broke xoxo) 1676003022
\u201c@ThePopTingz Say what you want most of us don't have even a fraction of that confidence/ self-love.\u201d— Pop Tingz (@Pop Tingz) 1675960769
\u201cAs a gay person who isn\u2019t skinny, has no muscles and who has been called Fat by members of the gay community frequently, it\u2019s a joy to see Sam Smith living their life. \n\nI see all your negative comments and you may be \u201cconventionally beautiful\u201d but on the inside you\u2019re rotting.\u201d— jd (@jd) 1676040025
\u201c@ThePopTingz Anybody that is comfortable in their own skin is a win to me. If you don\u2019t like it, don\u2019t look at it.\u201d— Pop Tingz (@Pop Tingz) 1675960769
\u201c@ThePopTingz Sam really dgaf about what people said about his body that's what we called CONFIDENCE \ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffc\u201d— Pop Tingz (@Pop Tingz) 1675960769
Bigots are outnumbered.
Perfect: Issue Four will be out on newsstands on February 18.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
@islamoradalover/Bluesky
@hillbillybluedog/Bluesky