Olivia Rodrigo recently sat down for an in-depth conversation about her new album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.” In the podcast, the singer talked about every topic under the umbrella. She even shared her thoughts on the babydoll dress that drew backlash from the critics, saying it left her “upset.”
Disclaimer: The following article contains mentions of pedophilia. Reader discretion is advised.
Olivia Rodrigo shares her thoughts on babydoll dress backlash in NYT interview
Olivia Rodrigo has finally addressed the criticism surrounding the white babydoll dress that she wore during a performance at Spotify’s Billions Club show in Barcelona, Spain, on May 8. At the time, critics reportedly compared the singer’s dress to children’s clothing. They argued that the outfit and her performance were inappropriate.
However, during an interview with The New York Times “Popcast” podcast on May 28, the Grammy Award winner broke her silence on the discourse surrounding her outfit — a short frock with a floral pattern. “That’s been making me so upset,” Rodrigo told the hosts. She recalled wearing more revealing outfits on stage. However, she was never criticized for it, except for this frock dress.
“What’s really disturbing is I have worn outfits that are maybe revealing on stage. I’ve been on stage in a sparkly bra and little shorts, which is my right; that’s fun. I felt cool and comfortable in that. And that wasn’t inappropriate, but me fully covered up in a dress that people deemed to be childlike was inappropriate,” she said.
The actress continued, saying that this “really shows how we really normalize pedophilia in our culture.” She even shared that the “rhetoric” that little girls are fed about what not to wear, since a “man is going to sexualize your body and it’s your fault. It’s so weird.” The “Deja Vu” singer further explained that she felt “cool and comfortable” in the babydoll dress rather than “sexy.” Besides, she felt like she looked like her “heroes” Kathleen Hanna or Courtney Love.
“I just think if we start dressing in a way that’s like, ‘I don’t want some f***ing freak to think that I’m sexy like a baby’ or some crazy thing like that, I think it’s losing the plot a little bit,” Rodrigo said. She added that she is “ very protective of younger women, girls.” Moreover, she does not “ever want them to be fed that rhetoric.”
