Lorraine Kelly, the renowned anchor of the self-titled ITV talk show, is no stranger to discussing fashion and celebrity style.
However, a recent conversation regarding the clothes worn at the London premiere of ‘Barbie’ triggered a surge of online criticism, dividing her fans.
The red carpet for the film was an explosion of color and beauty, with actors dressed in dazzling Barbie-inspired outfits. However, one person stuck out in a significantly more casual outfit.
Sam Smith, known for their strong fashion statements and chart-topping tunes such as ‘Unholy’ and ‘Stay With Me’, went for a more casual style.
They arrived in an enormous black hoodie and flared light blue pants, a significant change from the high-glam attire observed at the event.
During Thursday’s program of ‘Lorraine’, the host, 63, and her guest, Vogue Williams, provided their typical amusing fashion criticism.
When Smith’s photo debuted, Lorraine characterized their outfit in what many people assumed were benign observations.
But the conversation immediately took a turn. Kelly’s statements, which appeared to be spontaneous, contained several allusions to Smith in masculine pronouns.
“Oh, he’s dressed down,” she explained before adding, “It’s a bit big for him. If he was my son, I’d say, ‘Son, that was a bit big for you.’”
The comments did not end there. Lorraine added, “He’ll stand out. He knows what he’s doing, does that fella.”
Although the moment passed without incident in the studio, observers as home quickly noticed that Smith had been misgender several times.
Sam Smith, who identified as non-binary in 2019, has openly said that they prefer they/them pronouns, which has been widely published and is well-known in the public realm.
Fans and viewers instantly took to social media to vent their frustration. “I guess Lorraine didn’t get the memo about Sam Smith and their chosen pronouns,” a follower wrote.
Another person commented, “Using ‘him’ as many times in one sentence as she could!” Vogue Williams, on the other hand, utilized Smith’s right pronouns throughout the program, emphasizing Lorraine’s mistakes.
While the outcry was severe, it was not entirely negative.
Kelly responded quickly to the criticism, posting an apology on social media. In her response, she admitted the error and said, “Fair comment. Not in the least intentional but will take on board – thanks for bringing it to my attention.”
Despite Lorraine’s quick response, this incident contributes to a larger ongoing discussion about the challenges that non-binary people confront in public areas.
Smith, who has previously experienced misgendering, has been vocal about the difficulties they face.
Smith told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that changing people’s lexicon might be challenging. I am going to be misgender until the day I die.”
As more public people negotiate these developing issues around gender identity, moments like this serve as reminders of the value of respect, understanding, and the power of language.
While Kelly’s statements may have been inadvertent, they reflect the ongoing societal transformation, particularly in terms of non-binary representation.
Viewers’ online replies highlight the sensitivity of proper pronoun use, particularly when discussing well-known persons such as Sam Smith.
However, it was not until after the segment that the underlying root of contention became apparent.
Lorraine Kelly continually misgendered Sam Smith throughout the episode, using male pronouns and referring to them as a “fella,” much to the dismay of both viewers and social media users.
Featured Image Credit: (Instagran/@samsmith)
