Sporty Spice, or Mel C, or Melanie Chisholm, has gone a long way since her Spice Girls days. She’s had a baby, she’s been working on a solo career, and even though she’s still really bad at fashion, she’s trying. So when she opens up at length about how Rihanna needs to check herself for being too racy and popular, I think we really need to listen:
In an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper, she said: “People have to take some responsibility because we’ve got to a point where the over-sexualisation of young children has gone too far. I think music is a big part of that. Women in music are extremely sexual and they have young fans. It is inappropriate.
“Rihanna has a responsibility and although culture’s always changing, it’s changed too much. It needs to be dealt with. It’s reached saturation point, we owe it to our kids to protect them.”
The 37-year-old singer – who is about to release her new solo album ‘The Sea’ – added: “I love Rihanna, I think she’s a f*cking brilliant artist, with great songs, a great record and she looks fantastic … but she’s not a mum. Maybe if she becomes one she’ll feel different. I hope so anyway.”
She said: “It’s a long time ago since the Spice Girls were first together and we were criticised for being sexual. Yes we wore crop tops, look how much has changed, but we always sat down as a group and if somebody felt something was inappropriate for our young fans, we did something about it. I think that’s something young people in the music industry today, like Rihanna, should do now.”
On one hand, I can see where Mel C here is coming from – I think that Rihanna has crossed that line between sexy and trashy – but on a much bigger hand, I think the problem lies less with Rihanna and more with parents who might allow their young children to see, say, her “S&M” video, right?
I don’t know. I can think a lot worse than Rihanna.
I agree with DD. They are a lot worse than Rihanna. At least with Rihanna’s S&M video and song, she is trying to break free of the double standards that men can enjoy sex and be sexual but women can only be sexual for the pleasure of men and not themselves.
I read this in the news in the UK and serious eye rolling ensued. It’s just a sad and desperate bid to stay somewhat relevant because who does she think she’s kidding? Or did I miss that time when the spice girls reinvented themselves as virginal choir girls.