Canadian singer Tate McRae has joined the ranks of The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, and Justin Bieber after taking the stage at this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show — the Super Bowl of lingerie, if you will.
The 23-year-old, who has three studio albums under her belt, performed her hit song “Housewife” in an outfit that hardly came as a surprise: a red-hot lingerie ensemble.
Most viewers didn’t seem to take issue with it. After all, this is a major broadcasted spectacle that has spent decades putting women’s almost-nude bodies front and centre.
Female pop stars have long performed in barely-there outfits, embracing their bodies and sexuality along the way. And why shouldn’t they?
But Sophie Grégoire Trudeau wasn’t impressed.
The ex-wife of former prime minister Justin Trudeau left a harsh comment on Billboard Canada’s Instagram post that was celebrating McRae’s “fresh vocals and effortless dance moves.”
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“Really? This is what we need to do now to make a mark as an artist?” she wrote. “I like her music and she’s talented but I see nothing empowering here; more like falling into the mold of people pleasing.”
One question that comes to mind watching this tiff play out online: Why are women so often assumed to be less empowered when they choose to show more skin?
This was, after all, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Models are always walking the runway in bras and underwear — some wearing pieces reportedly worth millions.
What exactly was McRae supposed to wear when performing her feel-good pop song? A Canada Goose parka over lululemon sweatpants?
Plenty of people came to the singer’s defence. “If she’s comfortable and confident, who cares?” one commenter wrote.
Others even threw Katy Perry into the conversation, another global pop star known for rocking bras and revealing outfits on stage, and who, coincidentally, happens to be the new girlfriend of Justin Trudeau.
Another user online was less diplomatic, telling Grégoire Trudeau directly: “For someone who talks about empowering women, you sure love to put other women down for no reason.”
They had a point there.
Too often, women are held to an unfair double standard: dress modestly and you’re repressed; dress provocatively, and you’re an attention-seeking whore. Either way, there’s always going to be someone telling you what your choices say about your self-worth.
On the other hand, there is a legitimate conversation to be had about an industry that often sells female sexuality while masquerading as liberation.
Look at what Britney Spears went through in the early 2000s.
The beloved princess of pop — who McRae often gets compared to by both critics and the public alike — was simultaneously sexualized by the media and shamed for her sexuality, and her talent was always overshadowed by her appearance.
Perhaps Grégoire Trudeau has a point about the pressures women face in pop culture. But assuming McRae is simply “people pleasing” makes a pretty big assumption about her intentions.
Who is she to say what empowers another woman?
Maybe McRae isn’t dressing to please anyone. Maybe she’s simply doing her thing. Maybe she got this outfit from her stylist, looked in the mirror, thought, “hell yeah, I look good in this,” and decided to wear it on stage.
Women, both on stage and in real life, have spent decades being told what to wear, how to act, and who to be. Maybe it’s time we took a seat and let them decide for themselves.
Now that’s empowering.