Gender non-binary singer Sam Smith has asked to be referred to as 'they' instead of 'he' from now on, and has asked his family and friends to do so as well.
A friend of the 27-year-old said: "This is a decision Sam has thought long and hard about, including doing a lot of reading up on it.
"They know that it will take some people longer than others to fully get it. First the request is going out to mates and then it will be passed on to the music industry too," the pal added.
"It's an exciting and groundbreaking time for him."
Sam recently reached out to thank Hits Radio presenter James Barr for his use of pronouns.
James tweeted after chatting to the How Do You Sleep singer; "Just interviewed Sam Smith and they sounded so happy and free and more themselves than ever."
Sam replied: "You're one of the first people to use these pronouns with me. Thank you. That feels really beautiful."
The star co-penned and sang the theme for Bond film Spectre, winning them an Oscar for best song. Their career is only going up from here.
Headline: Sam Smith wants to be called 'they'
First line of the article: Singer Sam Smith has asked friends and family to no longer refer to *him* by gender…
Sam commented on his gender identity back in May, saying; "Right now my focus is the non-binary conversation.
"I have a few friends and people in my team who are non-binary and they're really teaching me stuff I didn't know before. It's wonderful," they explained.
"Ever since I was a little boy, ever since I was a little human, I didn't feel comfortable being a man really. Some days I've got my manly side and some days I've got my womanly side."
They recently talked to Jameela Jamil on her iWeigh Instagram series to discuss how weight doesn't bear any meaning when it comes to your worth.
They say;
"You do not identify in a gender. You are just you. You are your own special creation. That is how I take it. I am not male or female. I think I float somewhere in between – somewhat on the spectrum."
Sam also discussed his thought process and how he "thinks like a woman at times"; "I've always had a bit of a war in my body and my mind…I do think like a woman in my head at times.
"I've sometimes sat there and questioned, do I want a sex change? It's something I still think about, but I don't think it is," they revealed, candidly.
"I've tried to change that into my thoughts on gender…when I move, when I have sex with men, it's very feminine. I'm feminine in many ways – and I've resented that."
Body-shaming is still massively prevalent in our society, without question.
Despite the cold, hard fact that it's 2019, people still feel the incessant need to pull others down for their appearance, and their weight.
Loey Lane is a well-known, GORGEOUS, experienced YouTuber who just so happens to be plus-sized. She speaks about it regularly, preaching the value of health above self-hatred and dieting.
The vlogger has now released a shocking video of a diet pill company using footage of her as part of their horrendously shameful advertising campaign.
After returning from a sportswear photoshoot with iconic make-up guru James Charles, the model discovered a video selling diet pills which utilised images of her as their 'before' template, and she's understandably fuming.
CarbonFire 213Complex makes it ridiculously difficult to find reviews of it online, but the video proclaims the product to be a certified miracle for anyone who wants to lose weight.
Diet pills have entered the media for an assortment of reasons over the last few years, with activists and public figures such as Jameela Jamil slamming weight-loss products which do more harm than good.
The Kardashians are renowned for selling appetite suppressants and weight-loss consumer goods, much to the dismay of many body positivity figures and health experts alike.
There are an array of dangers associated with items such as these, which are essentially glorified laxatives.
The advertising campaigns in the media are arguably as harmful, telling women their weight creates everyday problems such as finding a husband, having failing health and being embarrassed to look in the mirror.
No. Fuck off. No. You terrible and toxic influence on young girls. I admire their mother’s branding capabilities, she is an exploitative but innovative genius, however this family makes me feel actual despair over what women are reduced to. pic.twitter.com/zDPN1T8sBM
Loey Lane shows the video advert to her following, and it's one of the worst examples of body-shaming we've seen yet. It opens with a beautiful, pale-skinned blonde woman gazing at silk wedding gowns, after her friend asks her to be her maid-of-honour for a wedding.
"How I Fit Into My Wedding Dress" is the video's apparent title, despite the fact that it's NOT HER WEDDING. The problems aren't hard to spot throughout the disgraceful imagery.
The blonde woman looks into the camera lens, and the words; "Believe me, I wasn't always this way. This was me before losing all that weight," flash across the screen.
Lo-and-behold, the woman is now Loey Lane, allegedly the same person as the blonde woman.
Alright then, at this stage we've lost count of the issues within the video, and it's only about ten seconds in.
As if the ad itself isn't traumatising enough to watch, actual graphics for OTHER diet pill companies and body-shaming articles pop up on the side of the screen. An assault is what that is.
"I'm going to share my secret so that it can be easy for you!" the advert claims. Thank God for that.
"A few months ago, one of my best friends from high school texted me. She was getting married and she wanted me to be her bridesmaid. I was SO excited, but there was just one thing… I was SO overweight," the video continues. Wow.
"I couldn't go to the wedding like this, I was so pretty in high school and I would be so embarrassed looking like this. I wanted to go to the wedding and look like I did when I was 18. You know- slim, pretty, looking great in some heels." *Sharpens pitchfork*
"I cut out all junk food. I worked out every single day. After four months, I was still embarrassed to look in the mirror…my personal trainer friend said if I wanted to lose weight fast, I had to supercharge my metabolism."
Classic *insert scientific words here to fumble the consumer's brain* tactics.
"At this point I was desperate…time was running out." This isn't dismantling a bomb, you won't die if you attend your best friend's wedding at ANY weight.
"How could I show my face at the wedding looking like this?" Looking like.. a human woman? *Gasp* "I was even considering not showing up." Priorities aren't in order there, love.
"CarbonFire Complex claimed to boost metabolism using only the healthiest ingredients, they looked very professional." Yes, and Donald Trump looks very diplomatic.
"After only a few days, I dropped a dress size. Ten days later, I lost two dress sizes. I felt lighter on my feet." Because your digestive system has just wasted away, perhaps?
"After another week, I was down three sizes. By the time the wedding came around, I lost seven dress sizes. I was getting a LOT more attention from guys, I almost felt bad for the bride, because I was getting so many compliments."
Male attention should be the motivational factor for every woman, after all.
I hate how the fitness industry tricks people into believing there is a magic pill to give people the results they desire. Fit tea and diet pills are dangerous and the people selling them are only interested in your money. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD WORK AND GOOD NUTRITION.
This all comes at the reasonable price of ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS, by the way. You can buy happiness, male sexual attention and confidence all at this lovely sale.
The blonde woman in the video revealed herself as Amanda John, and she also did not consent to be used for the branding.
So they effectively stole imagery from two women without their permission and used it to scam vulnerable, hard-working people online with low self-esteem because of ads exactly like this, shaming their weight. As if a weighing scales can tell you your worth.
We hope Loey Lane and Amanda John take legal action against CarbonFire Complex, Lord knows they deserve it.
A reminder, there is no such thing as a magic pill. Your worth encompasses your hopes, fears, intelligence, beliefs, morals, family values, friends, career and everything in between, not just your appearance alone.
You can't lose weight and discover joy at the end of the scales.
Take a look at Loey Lane's original video below for some fresh morning rage;
Emmy Rossum posted a bada** selfie on her Instagram, empowering women everywhere to focus on what really matters.
She officially joined the “I Weigh” movement, originally started by Jameela Jamil after a photo of the Kardashians was released with their weight plastered across their bodies.
The photo then asked people if Kim really looked like she weighed 56kg and asked to comment “which weight are you?!?”
Ya, we can't believe that happened either.
Jameela expressed her disgust at how women were being branded by their body size, replacing their identity with the number on a scale.
The Instagram influencer called this distorted view “toxic nonsense” and responded with a selfie, filled with descriptions of who she truly is:
“Lovely Relationship,” “Great Friends,” and “I laugh everyday” flood the background of her photo.
The Good Place actress gave the finger to judgemental haters with the words “F****** KG” in huge letters across the picture’s bottom.
Many women have been inspired by Jameela’s message and have proudly posted similar “I Weigh” photos.
The body celebration movement is exactly the type of positivity we need in our lives, reminding us that we are so much more than what the world labels us as.
Shameless actress Emmy Rossum wanted to be a part of Jameela’s movement as well.
“During my life the scale has told me that I’ve gained and lost […] in the range of 20 pounds. But that piece of metal doesn’t really know.
“Here is what I ACTUALLY WEIGH.” Emmy posted a selfie on her story labelled with facts about who she identifies as.
“Jewish and Proud,” “Drive,” “Animal Rescuer,” “100+ hours of television,” “One finished screenplay,” and “Countless hours of therapy” is splayed across her selfie.
The young star aims to encourage girls everywhere with Jameela’s message.
“So join me in this. Show people what you are actually made of,” Emmy writes.
“Because you are so much more than a f****** number.”
If you want to join Emmy and Jameela in this girl power movement, post a similar selfie and caption it with all the characteristics that truly comprise who you are.
Despite the rise of the body positivity community, body shaming still happens on the regular.
While no one is immune to the pressures of societal standards, celebrities seem to get the worst of it.
With the Kardashians dominating the headlines, social feeds and style pages of every platform internationally, they face a perpetual onslaught of body scrutiny.
Not one to stand back and let s*it go by unmentioned, Jameela Jamil defended the Kardashian recently, after she came across a post on Instagram which outlined each of the KUWTK star's weights.
Kim in particular was singled out in the post, which asked fans to comment their weights and to decided whether Kim looked as heavy as she was.
Taking to Twitter, Jameela slated the post for promoting weight value and obsession, and highlighted areas of her life which were far more valid than her weight.
Called @i_weigh, the Instagram page features women of all types sharing what is important about them – never mind anyone's weight.
The posts are hugely empowering, and act as a reminder that all women, including celebrities, are far more than their scale reading.
'I’m fucking tired of seeing women just ignore what’s amazing about them and their lives and their achievements, just because they don’t have a bloody thigh gap,' Jameela wrote.'
This was the reminder we all needed today about loving ourselves a little more and never buying in to scathing critiques of our own bodies and the bodies of others.
