Olivia Rodrigo Responds to Babydoll Dress Criticism
Pop singer Olivia Rodrigo has addressed the controversy surrounding a babydoll dress she wore during a recent performance in Spain. The artist faced online backlash after wearing a short, puffy dress with a floral pattern while performing her single "Drop Dead" at Barcelona’s Teatre Grec on 8 May. She also sports a similar style dress on the cover of her upcoming album.
In an interview with the New York Times, Rodrigo expressed her frustration with the criticism.
“That’s been making me so upset,” Rodrigo said.
She elaborated on the double standards she perceives regarding her stage outfits.
“What’s really disturbing is I feel like I have worn outfits that are revealing on stage. Like, I’ve been on stage in like a sparkly bra, 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 deem to be childlike was inappropriate.
“I think it shows how we really normalize pedophilia in our culture,” the singer added. “And also it’s just this rhetoric that we’re fed as girls since we’re so little, which is like, ‘Don’t wear that because then a man is going to sexualize your body and it’s your fault.’ Like, it’s so weird.”
Upcoming Album and Artistic Influences
Rodrigo is currently promoting her forthcoming third album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, scheduled for release on 12 June. ’s Laura Snapes praised the album’s lead single, "Drop Dead," noting its “melody destined to stalk listeners’ brains all summer.”
The singer highlighted that the babydoll dress style has been an iconic look for 1990s female artists.
“I didn’t think I looked sexy in that at all,” Rodrigo said. “I was like, ‘This is so cool. I feel like I look like Kathleen Hanna or Courtney Love,’ all these people who are my heroes.”
Following the backlash Rodrigo received for her outfit choices, Courtney Love publicly showed support for the singer via Instagram stories.
Exploring New Themes in Music
Rodrigo has indicated that her new album explores lighter themes, which may surprise listeners familiar with her previous ballads such as "Drivers License" and "Vampire," as well as more intense tracks like "Good 4 U."
“I was really excited to write about joy, love and passion in a way that I had never really done,” the singer told Cosmopolitan recently. “Most of my big songs are about being sad, angry, heartbroken.”
Recent Performances and Public Stances
Last year, Rodrigo performed at the UK’s Glastonbury festival. In October, she criticized the White House for using her music in anti-immigration videos, condemning it as “racist, hateful propaganda.”
In the music video for her recent single "The Cure," Rodrigo wore a pink nurse’s outfit while performing in a hospital setting with retro decor. Ahead of her new album release, she announced a fall US tour, with UK and European dates planned for early next year.
