“It’s just this rhetoric that we’re fed as girls since we’re so little, which is, ‘Don’t wear that because then a man is going to sexualize your body, and it’s your fault.’ It’s so weird.”

Olivia Rodrigo responds to babydoll dress criticism, says it shows how we ‘normalize pedophilia in our culture’

"It's just this rhetoric that we're fed as girls since we're so little, which is, 'Don't wear that because then a man is going to sexualize your body, and it's your fault.' It's so weird."

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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May 28, 2026 12:28 p.m. ET

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Olivia Rodrigo performs on May 8, 2026. Credit:

Xavi Torrent/Getty

- Olivia Rodrigo addressed the controversy surrounding her wearing babydoll dresses.

- The singer has been accused of sexualizing children's clothes during the promotion of her new album, *You Look Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love*.

- "I just think it really shows how we really normalize pedophilia in our culture," she said.

Olivia Rodrigo is so done with all the babydoll dress discourse.

The "Drop Dead" singer-songwriter has addressed the wave of criticism that she's been facing for sporting babydoll dresses and matching bloomers while promoting her upcoming album, *You Look Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love*. The whimsical looks have sparked debate online, with some accusing the 23-year-old pop star of sexualizing children's clothes. (The garment's history is actually rooted in female liberation, but we digress.)

"That's been making me so upset," Rodrigo said when asked about the backlash on the new episode of *The New York Times' Popcast*. "Not even for me. People can say whatever they want. What's really disturbing is I feel like I actually have worn outfits that are maybe revealing on stage. I've been on stage in a sparkly bra and little shorts, which is my right, 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."

Olivia Rodrigo performs on May 8, 2026.

Xavi Torrent/Getty

The three-time Grammy winner explained that she thinks the reaction to her outfits is part of a much deeper problem in society. "I just think it really shows how we really normalize pedophilia in our culture," she said. "And also it's just this rhetoric that we're fed as girls since we're so little, which is, 'Don't wear that because then a man is going to sexualize your body, and it's your fault.' It's so weird."

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Rodrigo added that she didn't think she "looked sexy" in the dresses at all.

"I was like, 'This is so cool. I feel I look like Kathleen Hanna or Courtney Love, all these people who are my heroes,' and I felt cool and comfortable in it," she said. "I just think if we start dressing in a way that's like, 'Oh, I don't want some f---ing freak to think that I'm sexy like a baby,' or some crazy thing like that, I think it's losing the plot a little bit."

She added, "I'm just very protective of younger women and girls, and I don't ever want them to be fed that rhetoric."

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Rodrigo also emphasized the importance of women feeling comfortable to "dress however" they want: "You shouldn't be responsible for some guy sexualizing you in a way that was never your intention."

Fans have praised Rodrigo's remarks, with one writing, "This was an incredible response to the silly online discord. She's so eloquent and is 100 percent correct. People being upset with the babydoll dress [is] so weird."

Another user pointed out, "People will always blame women and the way they dress for men's disgusting thoughts over blaming men for having those disgusting thoughts. Her dresses were never a problem. She's always worn babydoll dresses, and people who looked at them and thought she's dressing like a child are the real weirdos."

A third supporter perhaps put it best: "It's just a dress. Why was there controversy?"

*You Look Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love* drops June 12. See Rodrigo's response in the clip above.

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