Sinead O’Connor warns of sexualisation of young music stars

Sinead O’Connor has voiced her concern about the sexualisation of young female stars who look like children.

She famously grabbed headlines around the world last year when she advised Miley Cyrus, the former Hannah Montana actress, to not let the music industry “make a prostitute out of you”.

The singer told RTE’s Saturday Night Show that she is concerned by the way very young artists are portrayed to their child audiences.

“What makes me uncomfortable often about it is very young artists who actually look like children are being sexualised and being encouraged to go into that direction,” she said.

“What is happening is, not to mention names, is that young female artists who are very sexualised who look like children themselves, their audience are children.

“Often what is at the back of any subjugation of women is the subjugation of children.”

Her famous exchange of words with Miley Cyrus began last year when the US singer referenced O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ video as an inspiration for her own ‘Wrecking Ball’ video.

The Irish singer penned an open letter to Miley advising her not to allow herself to be “pimped” by the music industry.

In the debate on the chat show she conceded that sex has always been part of the music industry.

“Sex is a huge part of rock ‘n’ roll. It wouldn’t be rock ‘n’ roll if it wasn’t for sex. That’s not the problem. It should be a quarter of the amount of the time. What’s happened is it is all the time, so all the other things are gone out of rock ‘n’ roll.

“I think there are young women who feel their only power is in your sexuality. It’s not your only power. It’s a real important power. If women want to go around half naked that’s fine but that’s not all we do.”

She said both young “female and male artists” do come under pressure to present a certain image in today’s music industry.

She said: “I think this applies to young male and female artists equally. Justin Bieber was only a kid, just 16 of years, he is being sexualised.

“Often they are pressured I’m not saying for a moment that these aren’t intelligent people and making choices of their own but there is a huge pressure.

“It does concern me.”