Shawn Mendes is one of the biggest pop stars in the world right now, and he's only 20 years old. The Canadian singer-songwriter has been on the radio for years now, and is never afraid to interact with his fans on social media.
Mendes certainly has a softer side to him, and it's sparked a lot of rumors online about whether or not the In My Blood singer is gay. Though most celebrities choose to ignore this noise, Mendes admitted in an interview with Rolling Stone that the topic gives him a lot of anxiety.
"I'd like to say I don't care about it, but that's not true," he said. "This massive, massive thing for the last five years about me being gay."
Of course i have my insecurities and struggles but that's just one part of me. Sometimes the positive side of a story doesn't always get fully told and I wish it had here. I love what i do and i love you guys so much â¤ï¸ pic.twitter.com/dmIHCtFc7z
— Shawn Mendes (@ShawnMendes) November 26, 2018
"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," Mendes admitted. "Even though in my heart I know that it's not a bad thing. There's still a piece of me that thinks that. And I hate that side of me."
Mendes dated Hailey Baldwin on and off for a little while, even appearing at the Met Gala together. But just one month later, Baldwin was engaged to Justin Bieber, whom she had previously dated.
The self-proclaimed "neurotic pop idol" recalled a time when he read the comments on one of his videos, and most of them were surrounding his sexuality, and not in a positive light.
"I thought, "˜You f****** guys are so lucky I'm not actually gay and terrified of coming out,'"‰" he questioned. "That's something that kills people. That's how sensitive it is. Do you like the songs? Do you like me? Who cares if I'm gay?"
Mendes was so taken aback by the comments that he felt the need to clear the air on Snapchat right away.
"I noticed a lot of people were saying I gave them a "˜gay vibe,'"‰" he told his millions of followers. "First of all, I'm not gay. Second of all, it shouldn't make a difference if I was or wasn't."
But even though people will constantly judge the Stitches singer for the way he is, Mendes has no intentions of changing.
"Maybe I am a little more feminine "” but that's the way it is," Mendes stated. "That's why I am me."
Mendes also revealed in the interview that he's always got anxiety about staying relevant in Hollywood, because he knows that so many people are coming through the pipeline, and in an instant his whole world could be gone. After seeing a lot of celebrities his age photographed with their significant others, Mendes started to panic.
"I had this thought: "˜I have to get paparazzied with someone. Who am I gonna get? I'm not relevant,'"‰" Mendes recalled. "It's literally my biggest fear, to wake up tomorrow and nobody cares."
Mendes has receved a lot of support online after this interview, with many people pointing out that men are always being asked to be more compassionate and less "macho," and yet when they do that, some are quick to label them as gay.
[H/T: Rolling Stone]
