Chloe Bailey has responded to critics of her Swarm sex scene, arguing that the entire situation was “blown out of proportion” due to the fact that she’s a woman.
Donald Glover’s new Amazon Prime Video series features a star-studded cast of Bailey, Billie Eilish, Rory Culkin and Dominique Fishback, who plays Dre, an obsessed, Houston-based fan who goes on a murderous rampage over her favourite musician.
Minutes into its debut episode – released on 17 March – Dre’s sister Marissa (Bailey) is shown having sex, which was condemned by some viewers for its explicit nature.
Speaking to radio host Big Boy on a recent episode of his Big Boy’s Neighborhood show, the 27-year-old singer and actor brushed off the backlash, saying: “I’m an actress and I feel like it’s about art.”
“It’s not about seeing me in the mirror of that scene,” Bailey argued. “But I think because it’s me doing it, that’s what kinda makes it blow out of proportion.”
Compared to her scene partner Damson Idris, she added that she’s “barely seen for two seconds”.
When asked if Idris had received equal amounts of outrage, Bailey smiled, responding: “I don’t think so because he’s a man.”
She continued: “I was just doing my job and people got to remember that I’m an adult and I’m an artist and nothing was seen that they haven’t seen from me. You didn’t see nipple.”
In the scene, the camera is predominantly placed on Idris with a quick pan down to Bailey and her mirrored reflection.
“When I first received the script, I was just like [gasp]! It was just insane and gorgeous and I think people are forgetting the plot of that scene,” she added.
The titular “swarm” of the show’s title is said to take inspiration from the “Beyhive”, the name of Beyoncé’s fans.
Swarm is out now on Prime Video.
The recent criticism follows earlier condemnation of the singer when she announced her latest song collaboration with Chris Brown.
