Singer Shawn Mendes has addressed the gossip surrounding his personal life – particularly his sexuality –and it’s caused quite a bit of backlash.
In his cover story for Rolling Stone, the 20-year-old “Lost in Japan” singer stated that he feels the need to be linked to a girl in order to affirm that he’s not gay.
“In the back of my heart, I feel like I need to go be seen with someone — like a girl — in public, to prove to people that I’m not gay,” Shawn remarked.
The singer added, “even though in my heart I know that it’s not a bad thing,” there is “still a piece of me that thinks that. And I hate that side of me.”
It wasn’t long before the Twitterverse chimed in with a few thoughts on Shawn’s choice of words.
I’m sorry I can’t get over this Shawn literally said he has constant thoughts to prove he’s not gay? to the point he won’t sit certain ways? so being gay is an insult to him lol.. also waking up in the night panicking bc he posted a photo where he had GLITTER on.. right
— poppy (@onlyIouvre) November 26, 2018
Shawn Mendes is tired of being called gay so he came out as homophobic instead pic.twitter.com/JOXCTfy4bz
— taylor banks💅🏻 (@misswor1d) November 26, 2018
Meanwhile others came to the singer’s defence.
coming from a bi woman- not everyone is gay. people don’t HAVE to be gay. if you’re gay & you are comfortable with who you are, would you wanna be called straight? no. i sure as hell wouldn’t? so why is shawn suddenly homophobic for not liking being called gay bc he’s simply not?
— 𝔏𝔬𝔯𝔦 (@whysmuse) November 26, 2018
In a post to Instagram, Shawn has since addressed his comments, saying that he has “insecurities and struggles but that’s just one part of me.”
Mendes first addressed his sexuality in 2016 in a series of Snapchat videos, and revealed to Rolling Stone that he made the decision to record the videos after reading what people were saying about him in the comments section of his YouTube channel.
“I thought, ‘You f—ing guys are so lucky I’m not actually gay and terrified of coming out,'” he explained. “That’s something that kills people. That’s how sensitive it is. You like the songs? Do you like me? Who cares if I’m gay?”
Adding to his statement, Mendes also noted that a backstage video of Taylor Swift applying glittery eye on Shawn made him feel “sick.”
“I was like, ‘F—, why did I let her post that? I just fed the fire that I’m terrified of,” Shawn stated, before adding that he eventually calmed down, and revealed that as a child he used to don glittery makeup to entertain his parents.
“Maybe I am a little more feminine — but that’s the way it is. That’s why I am me.”
