WHY OLIVIA RODRIGO’S BABY-DOLL DRESS SPARKS HATE WHILE SABRINA CARPENTER’S DOESN’T

Exploring the social media backlash, public perception, and fashion double standards between two pop superstars.

Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter have both been spotted wearing baby-doll dresses, but it seems that only one of them is facing backlash for this fashion choice. Why is that?

In promotion of her third studio album, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love,” Olivia Rodrigo has embraced the baby-doll dress aesthetic. This choice has raised eyebrows among some who view her fashion style as inappropriate. Personally, I think that there are actually two ways to look at this. When I wrote this article, I aimed to present a balanced view from different perspectives, as this is a delicate subject.

Now I do understand where Olivia Rodrigo is coming from. The outrage towards her baby-doll dressing, deeming it inappropriate, seems preposterous and kind of selective, especially when we live in an age where almost every public figure or celebrity you see adorns themselves with explicit attire and fashion. And Olivia herself has worn even more revealing and conceivably sexier dresses, yet somehow she causes more uproar wearing a baby-doll dress than wearing a bra on stage. I can see how she could be weirded out about the whole thing, especially when, as she says, it wasn’t her intention to look sexy.

But here’s the other side of this: a grown woman getting on stage wearing childlike clothes that reveal her legs and thighs, lifting that dress during performances to show what I could say looks like enlarged diapers, for the whole world to see, and then later complaining about how creeps are sexualising and lusting over her is just ludicrous. Because here’s the thing, I don’t think the criticism lies solely with the type of dress she wears, but with how a grown woman infantilises herself on stage while combining her performance with overtly sexual behaviours: touching herself incessantly, crawling and rolling on the floor. This is what people are reacting to! A baby dress in itself could be adorable, which could be what Olivia Rodrigo told herself when putting it on; however, when you, as an adult performer, intentionally pair that aesthetic with provocative choreography and sexual mannerisms, that just changes the meaning of the presentation entirely.

Now, I know someone watching this might be quick to defend Olivia Rodrigo, bringing up Sabrina Carpenter as another female artist who also parades herself in babydoll-like dresses on stage. But you see, the difference between Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo is that, unlike Olivia, Sabrina’s aesthetics are mature and adult-themed. Sabrina is simply just an overly sexual, expressive person who deliberately styles herself this way because it makes her look sexy. That’s it! She has also been confident about her fashion style and uses these glamorous, sultry aesthetics for sexual expression. There’s really nothing that deep about it. And this is why I think that her babydoll dress or whatever is better received than Olivia Rodrigo’s, because there’s nothing really pretentious or philosophical about it. Her dressing is an homage to vintage sex appeal, and she owns it!

Now, if you compare it with Olivia Rodrigo, who also wears a baby-doll dress, hers sparks mixed reactions and public debate because her cute, modest babydoll dress, which she says was intended as a tribute to 1990s grunge, clashes with the whole romantic pop-singer vibe. It might come across as uncomfortable for some, who might find it hard to understand why a female singer is dressed like a child on stage while also singing about kissing and loving someone.

But on the flip side, some people actually find this attractive. Like, some people literally fetishise and fantasise about this kind of thing. And Olivia Rodrigo, being the public figure that she is, has the eyes of the world on her, and these people could include predators or perverts. You don’t know. The truth is that celebrities have always been sexualized since the beginning of time, even when they never intended to be. Some have even been sexualized just for being pretty or handsome. And yet, Olivia Rodrigo wants to make us believe that it is a mystery and that she can’t believe how people could ever sexualize an adult prancing around on stage in baby clothes. Like, COME ON, you’re not that naïve! Of course, you’re going to attract the attention of lustful and prying eyes when you dress like this.

Now, this isn’t me victim-blaming, and God forbid anyone sees this and thinks I’m defending predators. But what I’m saying is that we live in a very, very dark world filled with people who have disturbing thoughts. If creeps and sexual predators can force themselves on women and young girls who aren’t even sexualizing themselves, what do you think fills their heads when they see a lady in revealing clothes? It’s like lighting a match at a filling station, wondering why the place caught fire, and then saying, “Oh, I only just wanted to light a cigarette. I had no intention for this place to explode”. LIKE, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!

But then again, it’s your right to dress however you want. And how dare anyone police your fashion just because you look sexy? But just know this: you have to bear the consequences. This is not me being insensitive or thoughtless; it’s me telling you the dark, ugly truth of life.

Original story written on my Substack. Follow me there if you want to connect there as well!

[embed]WHY OLIVIA RODRIGO'S BABY-DOLL DRESS SPARKS HATE, WHILE SABRINA CARPENTER'S DOESN'T Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter have both been spotted wearing baby-doll dresses, but it seems that only one of…open.substack.com