Question: Should female pop stars cover up more? Who is really responsible, the management or the individual?
Alexia Charaobmous, 24, Retail, London
“They definitely need to cover up because I think young girls are really influenced by celebrities, they want to look like them. Especially Miley Cyrus, she used to be Hannah Montana so… loads of her fans were young and so they probably want to be like her. I wouldn’t dress like that though- it’s too cold!”
Clive Almond, 51, Delivery Driver, Cardiff
“I do think the responsibility lies with the management as they have the final say but… it’s not like it’s done anyone any harm. I suppose the last bastion of sexism is allowed in the music business.”
James Koash, 23, Entrepreneur, Cardiff
“There does seem more pressure on female musicians to sexualise their performances. It is interesting to see that some groups are starting to boycott songs which objectify women. Perhaps this marks the start of a trend away from overly sexualised music.”
Sam Gordenstein, 18, Student, Boston
“I do think young women these days have a tendency to be more open about themselves. I do think they should have the obligation to cover up because they’re role models for young children. Their managers have a responsibility to look out for them but ultimately it is up to the individual to make that choice.”
Ahmed Jemah, 26, Doctor, Cardiff
“I think they do get pressurised into doing it, but I think they do need to be a bit more responsible with how they behave because their behaviour really does influence young adolescents and they assume that’s the appropriate way to behave.”
Alex Miller, 23, Marketing, London
“It’s not that they should cover up, it’s that they shouldn’t feel like they have to hyper-sexualise themselves in order for people to take them seriously which is what I think is really sad. They feel that in order to prove their worth they have to show that they’re sexy.”
At a recent lecture in honour of John Peel, Charlotte Church has said that the music industry has an ingrained culture of demeaning female pop stars.
The Cardiff born singer has suggested that in the early years of her career she felt pressurised to be more sexual in a bid to sell records. At the annual radio festival, she pointed the finger at the sexual imagery used by former Disney lovely Miley Cyrus.
Charlotte was quoted in the Telegraph saying, “They are encouraged to present themselves as hyper-sexualised, unrealistic, cartoonish, as objects, reducing female sexuality to a prize you can win.”
This speech has sparked a debate among panellists for Radio Six’s Woman’s Hour who discussed the contentious issue in a Women in Music special.
Question: Should female pop stars cover up more? Who is really responsible, the management or the individual?
Alexia Charaobmous, 24, Retail, London
“They definitely need to cover up because I think young girls are really influenced by celebrities, they want to look like them. Especially Miley Cyrus, she used to be Hannah Montana so… loads of her fans were young and so they probably want to be like her. I wouldn’t dress like that though- it’s too cold!”
Clive Almond, 51, Delivery Driver, Cardiff
“I do think the responsibility lies with the management as they have the final say but… it’s not like it’s done anyone any harm. I suppose the last bastion of sexism is allowed in the music business.”
James Koash, 23, Entrepreneur, Cardiff
“There does seem more pressure on female musicians to sexualise their performances. It is interesting to see that some groups are starting to boycott songs which objectify women. Perhaps this marks the start of a trend away from overly sexualised music.”
Sam Gordenstein, 18, Student, Boston
“I do think young women these days have a tendency to be more open about themselves. I do think they should have the obligation to cover up because they’re role models for young children. Their managers have a responsibility to look out for them but ultimately it is up to the individual to make that choice.”
Ahmed Jemah, 26, Doctor, Cardiff
“I think they do get pressurised into doing it, but I think they do need to be a bit more responsible with how they behave because their behaviour really does influence young adolescents and they assume that’s the appropriate way to behave.”
Alex Miller, 23, Marketing, London
“It’s not that they should cover up, it’s that they shouldn’t feel like they have to hyper-sexualise themselves in order for people to take them seriously which is what I think is really sad. They feel that in order to prove their worth they have to show that they’re sexy.”