Olivia Rodrigo Speaks Out on Babydoll Dress Backlash: “It Shows How We Normalize Pedophilia”
By Alexus Mosley
Photo Credit/Getty Images
Olivia Rodrigo is not staying silent after backlash erupted over her recent fashion choices, and her response is pointed and emotional.
The 23-year-old singer faced criticism after wearing babydoll dresses during her latest album rollout, including in her “Drop Dead” music video and at a recent Spotify concert in Spain. Online, some commentators labeled the look “inappropriate,” a reaction Rodrigo says left her genuinely disturbed.
“That’s been making me so upset,” she told Popcast. “Not even for me. People can say whatever they want.”
What troubled her most, she explained, was the contradiction in how women’s clothing is policed. Rodrigo pointed out that she has previously performed onstage in outfits far more revealing without similar outrage.
“I’ve been on stage in a sparkly bra and little shorts, which is my right,” she said. “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.”
Rodrigo didn’t mince words when addressing the broader implications of the criticism. “It shows how we really normalize pedophilia in our culture,” she said, adding that the reaction reflects a damaging message girls are taught from a young age: that men’s behavior is a woman’s responsibility.
“It’s this rhetoric we’re fed as girls since we’re so little,” she explained. “Don’t wear that because then a man is going to sexualize your body and it’s your fault. It’s so weird.”
For Rodrigo, the babydoll dress wasn’t about sex appeal at all. “I didn’t think that I looked sexy in that,” she said. “I was like, this is so cool.”
She cited style icons like Kathleen Hanna and Courtney Love as inspirations. These women challenged norms through fashion and presence, not compliance. More importantly, Rodrigo emphasized that her reaction is rooted in protectiveness toward younger girls.
“I’m just very protective of younger women, girls,” she said. “I don’t ever want them to be fed that rhetoric.”