You've got to hand it to musicians – they do excel themselves when it comes to putting their feet in their mouths. The latest casualty of this epidemic appears to be interestingly coiffed chart-topper Elly Jackson of La Roux, who, in an interview with the Quietus, came out with the words: "There's far more ways to be sexy than to dress in a miniskirt and a tank top … I think you attract a certain kind of man by dressing like that. Women wonder why they get beaten up, or have relationships with arsehole men. Because you attracted one, you twat."
In the same interview, Jackson admits that she has had some negative attention directed towards her because of her distinctive look. In which case, why is she openly deriding others for how they choose to dress? By saying such dangerous things, she buys into the idea that women are somehow the agents of their own misfortune if they decide to go out wearing a short skirt and high heels.
Hopefully, her comments stem from youthful inexperience, as well as an unawareness of what it's like to be on the receiving end of sexual violence. She wasn't challenged over her comments in the interview, which might have given her a chance to explain her position. But it is still depressing that the one pop star who "looks a bit different" is calling women she doesn't like the look of "twats". Clearly, Jackson could do with an education in the basics of feminism.
