Sam Smith has become the subject of a days-long debate on , after footage was shared of the star performing onstage in what was described as “fetish gear.”
The British singer identifies as nonbinary and . They are on the road with their Gloria world tour, which last week made a stop in Sheffield, northern England.
British influencer Oli London, who , gender-neutral and , took to Twitter to share footage from the show. In the clip, Smith, 30, was seen shirtless while wearing nipple pasties, embellished briefs, fishnet stockings, thigh-high boots and lacy gloves while performing for the crowd.
“Sam Smith performed last night in a concert in Sheffield that had no age restrictions and included the attendance of young children,” . “On stage he performed a strip routine while in fetish gear. Is this appropriate for kids?”
The post reflected the opinions of a number of Twitter users, some of whom copied-and- pasted the words shared by London, while others tweeted similar takes.
“Sam Smith is a freak show,” . The parents who took their kids to this concert should be jailed.”
“Imagine taking your kids [and] paying good money to see this perverse freak show,” . “The fact [Smith] is even relevant demonstrates clearly our dying society.”
Another as they also shared footage from the show.
However, several other Twitter users came to Smith’s defense. They spoke out against the notion that his act was foisted upon unsuspecting children.
“Maybe an unpopular opinion but Sam Smith doesn’t really owe it to any of you to be appropriate for children,”. “A LOT of concerts aren’t appropriate for children, it’s up to you if you take your kids. Your issue is that they’re unapologetically queer and gained weight just say that.”
“It’s not even like Sam’s music has ever been targeted at kids either?! They were never a kid or singing bubblegum pop. The expectations on young artists to stay ‘kid friendly’ even when they’re 30 are unfair (their audiences grow with them) but Sam has never been that.”
“I mean, people know what kind of performances Sam Smith does by now,” . They added that “if people don’t want their kids to see it, they should probably not take their kids to see it.”
Meanwhile, another questioned whether the backlash was largely driven by Smith’s : “I know fatphobia is prevalent but it’s been really something to witness the visceral reaction to Sam Smith once they gained weight and presented themself more feminine.”
The debate comes after Smith’s performance at the in February by some prominent conservatives.
Smith, along with German singer Kim Petras, for best pop duo/group performance. They sang their hit single “Unholy” at the show at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.
During the performance, Smith sported a red ensemble that included a devil horn hat. While onstage, the singer was surrounded by dancers who resembled the character Samara from the classic horror film The Ring.
Petras performed in a cage surrounded by flames while flanked by famed drag stars Violet Chachki and Gottmik. They were dressed in dominatrix-inspired outfits while sporting devil horns.
Asked backstage about their supposedly devilish performance at the Grammys, Petras said it was inspired by not feeling accepted by religion.
“I think a lot of people, honestly, have kind of labeled what I stand for and what Sam stands for as religiously not cool, and I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it but slowly realizing it didn’t want me to be a part of it,” she said.
“So it’s a take on not being able to choose religion,” Petras added. “And not being able to live the way that people might want you to live because, as a trans person, I’m already not kind of wanted in religion. So we were doing a take on that, and I was kind of hell-keeper Kim.”
Smith and Petras made history at the Grammys by becoming the first nonbinary person and openly transgender woman, respectively, to win an award in their category.