Shawn Mendes - "Heart of Gold" + Shawn (Nov 15)

After Liam Payne’s death especially let’s please pay attention to what the f^cking *machine* of capitalism does to young people, who are often emotionally infantilised by their disrupted adolescence while simultaneously being presented as hyper-adult in a way that should make all of us deeply, deeply uncomfortable.

This, this, and this.

I'm not a fan of Shawn but there is no denying that his private life has been abused/torn for so many years by the social media gang, and it's off putting to see some people criticizing him today for that when he has cancelled entire tours in the past because of mental health issues (and has been very public about it).
People commenting on this in a negative way should feel ashamed.

And by the way, people who say he deserves the online abuse because of his sexy photoshoots/attitude surely are the same people who think women should stop wearing short dresses if they don't want to get abused by men in the streets.
 
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*He* uses his sexuality, or his management/label/team/society/ weight of cultural expectation does?

After Liam Payne’s death especially let’s please pay attention to what the f^cking *machine* of capitalism does to young people, who are often emotionally infantilised by their disrupted adolescence while simultaneously being presented as hyper-adult in a way that should make all of us deeply, deeply uncomfortable.

I’m afraid there’s a straight (so to speak) line from thinking a 26 year old person in our image and objectification-oriented world has been “playing” anyone with their own journey around their sexuality and self-expression; to the kinds of “they were asking for it” vileness spewed out by abusers who try to externalise their own impulses and detach themselves from their own responsibility for their own actions.

I never said he asked for it (in my post I even said he's being exploited by the situation, just as you're saying).

But let's be real: he can just back off of being a popstar, or to fight to have better management to align to his needs and expectations (see Chappell Roan: it is reported she is uncomfortable with the level of exposure and fame she suddenly has, so she changed management to dial back on her over-exposure for her to do artistry in a way that she feels comfortable and supported).

He has never been obliged to participate and perform in the public eye, nor he is under a penalty to continue to do so.

And let me be clear: of course his choice of being a musician/performer doesn't warrant any of the negativity / hate / pressure he is facing (especially since he seems to be a good person without malicious intent).
The online discourse is toxic and abusive and I'm not trying to condone that in any sense, but removing all of his agency (particularly on the decisions made in the last 4-5 years, when he was already a 21 year old) is not correct.
 
I never said he asked for it (in my post I even said he's being exploited by the situation, just as you're saying).

But let's be real: he can just back off of being a popstar, or to fight to have better management to align to his needs and expectations (see Chappell Roan: it is reported she is uncomfortable with the level of exposure and fame she suddenly has, so she changed management to dial back on her over-exposure for her to do artistry in a way that she feels comfortable and supported).

He has never been obliged to participate and perform in the public eye, nor he is under a penalty to continue to do so.

And let me be clear: of course his choice of being a musician/performer doesn't warrant any of the negativity / hate / pressure he is facing (especially since he seems to be a good person without malicious intent).
The online discourse is toxic and abusive and I'm not trying to condone that in any sense, but removing all of his agency (particularly on the decisions made in the last 4-5 years, when he was already a 21 year old) is not correct.
“If he doesn’t want people being toxic online he can just give up his dreams and career” is such a wild take.
Why should he? Maybe people on social media can just stop harassing him and tying to force a narrative on him that may not even be true?

I also doubt it is as easy for him to change management and set the rules as you are making out.
 
Also, there is still a lot of stigma when it comes to male sexuality in popular music. Some thirsty fans will be happy, but his career sales, promo, etc will suffer if he leans one way or the other. We've seen it one too many times before. As progressive as we are as a society sometimes, the music world really isn't.
 
It’s clear this subject is one he has struggled with for a long time, and I would hope him being able to share where he’s at will make people leave him in peace now, but unfortunately, they won't. They will just use the moment as an “I told you so” and continue to harass him, as they have been doing since he was a teenager, which he clearly just wants to end...
 
Good for him! I’ve always had a soft spot for him, and I can only imagine how challenging it must be to navigate the industry as someone who debuted as a teenage heartthrob. So much of his early identity was framed in response to Justin Bieber—as the next attractive male teen sensation—which must have come with intense pressure to sell that image at all costs. Now, though, it seems like he’s genuinely focused on being his own person, independent of all that, which is great to see.
 
he/him
The idea that he should just stop being an artist if he doesn’t want people to speculate about his sexuality makes no fucking sense. Why give up something you love doing just because other people (who likely aren’t even invested in your music) have nothing better to do than to comment on who you’ve chosen to sleep with?
 

Mvnl

Staff member
The idea that he should just stop being an artist if he doesn’t want people to speculate about his sexuality makes no fucking sense. Why give up something you love doing just because other people (who likely aren’t even invested in your music) have nothing better to do than to comment on who you’ve chosen to sleep with?
Aside from the fact that it isn't really all that easy to just go do a regular job once you're famous.
 
Good for him for saying something! It has always felt so wrong seeing people bombard him with the "YOURE GAY COME OUT ALREADY" comments since he was a teenager. It can be hard enough to navigate your sexuality as it is, but when you're in the public eye and are being marketed a certain way, it's got to be even tougher. Hopefully people can learn to chill out and leave him alone about it.

And the funny thing is, if he actually did come out as gay at some point, the same people bombarding him would start making fun of him in other ways.
 
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If he's straight, it's nice to have a male popstar so open about his feelings and not forcing himself into the forced straight-presenting tropes so many of his predecessors embraced.

If he's queer, he is proof that queer people can make uber hetero music for a living.

A trailblazer either way! I hope he remains at an healthy distance from social media though, because it's a cesspit.
 

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