Benson Boone Leans Into Queerbaiting in New 'Mr Electric' Video
Shirtless car wash, tight jumpsuits, and weird ice cream licks—what exactly is Benson Boone trying to say?
Benson Boone is one of the best pop trolls out there. In the new music video for his single Mr Electric, he’s essentially giving fans everything they could possibly want—while also making them slightly angry.
It would be silly not to point out, though, that Boone is using gay themes to attract an audience. Interestingly, the song itself has very little to do with the visuals he puts out.
The music video plays like a satirical short film, with the music serving more as background to the story.
Those car wash scenes and the ice cream shop shot are very suggestive. But in some ways, they’re also incredibly problematic, as Boone has never claimed to be queer.
On the surface, it feels like he’s leaning hard into camp for the sake of shock or clicks. But scratch a little deeper and it starts to look like he’s poking fun at the way pop culture commodifies queerness.
He’s pushing the aesthetic to the edge—without ever actually stepping into any clear identity—which raises the question: is this parody, homage, or just calculated provocation?