The former Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm has banned her daughter from watching Rihanna videos to protect her from the overtly sexual content.
The singer known as Mel C condemned female pop stars for flaunting their flesh and featuring explicit content in their music videos and live performances. Speaking to the Radio Times, she urged artists to “have more dignity” and said she was concerned about their influence on her daughter, Scarlett.
Artists such as Miley Cyrus and Rihanna have long caused controversy with their explicit videos and wardrobes. Mel C said pop stars should show more responsibility: “My five-year-old loves Rihanna. But she has no idea what her idol looks like because there’s little footage that I’m happy for her to see. It’s a shame that a talented, successful woman expresses herself in such an overtly sexual way.”
Mel C said the problem did not “boil down” to one female singer, and that a bigger conversation was needed about society’s obsession with celebrity and the effect it was having on children. “It’s vulgar and narcissistic and I worry about how it affects girls,” she added.
Speaking about her experience in the Spice Girls, who popularised the slogan “girl power” in the 1990s, the former Sporty Spice said the group “weren’t interested in pleasing men” and made music to empower girls and women. “There are some great artists out there, but sometimes we could just do with a bit more dignity,” she said.
Mel C’s comments come amid growing concerns about sexual content in music videos, and with the launch of a pilot scheme to give age ratings to raunchy videos shown online in the UK.
