Olivia Rodrigo says babydoll dress critics ‘normalise pedophilia in our culture’
Olivia Rodrigo (Getty Images)
Olivia Rodrigo has spoken out about criticism surrounding her recent babydoll-style dresses, saying the backlash reflects harmful attitudes about how young women and girls are viewed and sexualised in society.
Speaking on The New York Times’ Popcast podcast today (29 May), the Grammy-winning singer said she found the online discourse around her fashion choices “really disturbing”, particularly because she was being criticised while wearing outfits she considered less revealing than other stage looks she has worn in the past.
“That’s been making me so upset,” Rodrigo said. “What’s really disturbing is I feel like I actually have worn outfits that are maybe revealing on stage… And that wasn’t inappropriate, but me fully covered up in a dress that people deemed to be childlike was inappropriate.”
She added: “I just think it really shows how we really normalise pedophilia in our culture.”
Rodrigo also reflected on the messaging girls often receive about their appearance from a young age.
“It’s just this rhetoric that we’re fed as girls since we’re so little, which is, don’t wear that because then a man is going to sexualise your body and it’s your fault. It’s so weird,” she said.
The singer explained that she chose the dresses because they made her feel “cool and comfortable”, comparing the look to that of artists she admires, such as Kathleen Hanna and Courtney Love.
Rodrigo said she worries about younger girls internalising the idea that they are responsible for preventing others from sexualising them, adding: “I’m just very protective of younger women and girls, and I don’t ever want them to be fed that rhetoric.”
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