By Sophia Albertie
Charli XCX turned the BRIT Awards brat after bringing home several of the top awards of the night, including Song, Album and Artist of the year.
Surprisingly, however, one of the more pressing headlines to come out of this ceremony involved her racy sheer black dress, along with a lack of underwear.
The esteemed singer-songwriter donned Dilara Findikoglou, a designer known for her edgy, low cut visions.
“In the world of Turkish-British designer Dilara Findikoglou, less is never more,” Findikoglou’s website said.
This is ironic in context of the outfit Charli decided to go with. Her free spirited attitude received hundreds of complaints to Ofcom, the office of communications and regulation for the UK.
Sabrina Carpenter also received flack for her risque opening performance. Carpenter took home the Global Success award that night in spite of the turbulence.
It seems that female pop stars in particular have been shamed for their sexual openness all of history, especially in the context of live performances and fashion choices. This remains prominent even when sex is responsible for a great percentage of their popularity; it does sell, after all. Miley Cyrus scandalously twerking on stage at the MTV awards back in 2013 practically cemented her reputation despite the success that followed.
There’s Britney Spears and Madonna, both need no introduction. Global superstars that spoke to their respective generations with themes of sexual liberation were undeniably smeared again and again.
“I heard that ITV were complaining about my nipples.” Charli addressed during her acceptance speech for Artist of the Year. “I feel like we’re in the era of ‘free the nipple’ though, right?”
In many cases, she is correct. The number of viewer complaints Charli and Carpenter received were not huge by Ofcom’s standards and are leaning towards being overlooked or ruled not in breach of broadcasting rules.
Times have definitely evolved since the 2001 Super Bowl halftime show that forever tainted Janet Jackson’s career, where part of her bra was ripped off by co-performer Justin Timberlake. Still, it is not a stretch to say that the disapproval of Charli’s outfit is placed in the same umbrella category of sexist ideology.
Carpenter’s raunchy performance was arguably tamer than the song she was actually singing. How can there be shock from the visual recreation of a song titled “Bed Chem?”
The fact that pop stars like Charli and Carpenter can still have their sexuality weaponized against them is disappointing. The fact that feedback on a suggestive dress or performance can still make headlines ultimately distracts from celebrating the major wins these women experienced.
There isn’t a lot to be done about the judgement of a viewer, but less attention should be given to the small number of critics that can’t seem to focus on the bigger picture.
