If CMAT is an affront to the male gaze and Olivia Rodrigo is indulging it, how exactly should women dress?
The loud online hate aimed at two pop stars with polar-opposite styles suggests a shrinking realm of acceptability in which women can exist. That is, you suspect, the point
TL;DR
- CMAT and Olivia Rodrigo have both faced significant online backlash regarding their public appearances and clothing choices.
- CMAT experienced vile comments about her body after a performance, leading to BBC disabling Instagram comments, while clips of male performers remained accessible.
- Olivia Rodrigo's babydoll dresses, a tribute to 90s female punks, were labeled as inappropriate and 'pedo bait', despite her being more covered up than in previous performances.
- The author posits that the criticism aims to dictate how women should look and exist in public, regardless of their artistic intent or personal expression.
- This backlash is characterized as a conservative retrenchment around femininity, potentially amplified by coordinated attacks or bot farming.
- The artistic intent behind an artist's look, as seen in CMAT's burlesque style and Rodrigo's nods to rock lineage, is often ignored in favor of judgment.