Speaking about the backlash, Sivan said that he and his creative director Gordon von Steiner didn’t think about the issue when they were making the video. “I definitely hear the critique,” he said. “To be honest, it just wasn’t a thought we had – we obviously weren’t saying, ‘We want to have one specific type of person in the video.’ We just made the video, and there wasn’t a ton of thought put behind that.”

He also went on to say that he noticed there were people shaming the body type of those in the video, as a way of addressing the lack of diversity.

"They were talking about [the lack of body diversity], and in the same sentence, this person said, ‘Eat something, you stupid twinks. That really bummed me out to read that because I’ve had my own insecurities with my body image. I think that everyone’s body is as beautiful as it is, including my own, and it just sucks to see people talking about other people’s bodies.”

i feel like we live in a world where audiences feel like expression or art isn’t worth their time unless it appeases every single unspoken requirement. IT IS SO BORING. if something breaks common aesthetics it’s “weird” or “try hard” if something conforms it’s “offensive” and…

— Charli (@charli_xcx) July 14, 2023

Charli XCX, who previously collaborated with Sivan on "1999" shared her own thoughts on the conversation, noting that it's impossible to please everybody. "If something breaks common aesthetics it’s “weird” or “try hard”. If something conforms it’s “offensive” and “not diverse enough”. What a boring discourse" she said.

Referring to o the backlash Sam Smith has received for tackling “the topics of eroticism and sex and sexiness” and featuring diverse bodies, she continued: “Basically what I’m saying is – no one can ever successfully make art for everyone in this current world, nor should they try to."

actually Sam Smith has made a load of great music videos/performances that play with the topics of eroticism and sex and sexiness with very diverse casting and they have been heavily criticized for doing so. so basically what I'm saying is - no one can ever successfully make art… https://t.co/QsMc9oLTRO

— Charli (@charli_xcx) July 14, 2023