twink tank

Here’s why Troye Sivan’s sexually charged new music video has Gay Twitter™ in shambles

By · 7 comments · Updated on January 26, 2024
Image Credit: “Rush,’ YouTube | Capitol Records

On Thursday, Troye Sivan finally released the music video for his highly anticipated single, “Rush.” The video, which sees Sivan dancing and drinking at the party to end all parties, was an immediate sensation, particularly on Gay Twitter™. It already has more than 1.5 million views on YouTube.

Above all else, the video is unabashed in its celebration of queer sexuality, from its censor-pushing shots of bare butts to its plethora of on-camera makeout sessions. One now infamous shot is even framed through a gloryhole.

It’s refreshing, some Twitter users have said, to see a gay pop star celebrate the gritty, sexy side of queerness, when so much modern messaging about LGBTQ+ people sweeps it under the rug in favor of respectability politics.

It truly does raise the bar as far as what a gay music video looks like. The internet’s favorite queerbaiter Charlie Puth has some catching up to do.

But one thing about the “Rush” video caught folks’ attention in a bad way: among every person in the video, from Sivan himself to the countless partygoers he’s surrounded by, there’s barely a shred of body fat to be seen.

“I’m extremely disappointed in the lack of body diversity,” one user wrote. “Fat people party too. Fat people enjoy sex too.”

Is the onus on Sivan to feature diverse body types in his music videos? It’s a contentious debate: on one hand, Sivan has a massive platform to showcase queer culture, and the picture he’s painting in “Rush” is… homogenous, to say the least. But it’s also his prerogative what he wants to do in his own music video, and who he wants to do it with. 

Of course, among the serious contributions to the discourse, Gay Twitter™ also jumped at the chance to make fun of the whole situation. Both the video’s casting itself…

…and the discourse it created. (Seriously, though, what is twink culture?)

Others are staying out of the drama and instead taking the song for what it is: a superficial, sexy summer bop. Between Sivan’s new song, which is sure to be blasting at every gay club for the rest of eternity, and Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam,” which dominated Pride Month, Australian pop stars are really coming through for the gays lately.

Sivan’s new album Something To Give Each Other releases on October 13.

Related:

Troye feels the rush, Demi still isn’t sorry, Cher takes us down memory lane: Your weekly bop roundup

With summer in full swing, new music from @troyesivan, @ddlovato, @DavidArchie & @cher turns up the heat even more this week.

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Once Monthly Annually

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated