'Straight ick': Olivia Rodrigo faces backlash for 'babydoll' dress at concert, netizens claim she is 'infantilising herself'

Fashion and femininity go hand in hand. Females are the source and propellers of the cycle of fashion. They create trends, follow them and also cater to them. Much of the industry itself is to and from them. While this must give them due credit along with human individual autonomy to dress as they want, some people think it's their right to tell women how to dress.Olivia Rodrigo, a 23-year-old pop music artist from USA is currently being targeted by a certain section of social media users for wearing a 'babydoll' dress. Recently, she wore a floral puff-sleeved top embellished with ribbon and crystals by French brand Generation78 and paired it with peekaboo bloomer shorts and knee-high Doc Martens for a Spotify Billions Club performance in Barcelona.Numerous netizens took to social media apps to share their bit on why Rodrigo's outfit choice was "wrong." “She is wearing pink dresses that are similar to what toddlers wear with frilly underwear beneath them,” wrote a user on X.“Looks like she's cosplaying as a kid and it's weird,” added another."No because in what world would her musical aesthetic ever require making herself look like a toddler?" asked one.Currently, we live in a world where pop artists are increasingly trying to define their music with a chapter of their life or era. It's a way to keep it interesting while also doing something different. From Charlie XCX's "brat" summer to Taylor Swift's "folklore" aesthetic, artists dress head to toe in the one aesthetic they have chosen for their upcoming album.For her new album, 'You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl so in Love' Rodrigo has embraced the adored silhouette: a babydoll dress. On the cover of the album, she swings skyward in a pale pink Peter Pan collar mini, white socks and patent Mary Jane heels. In the lead single, "Drop Dead" she wore a ruffly blue Chloe Pre-Fall 2026 blouse and silk tap shorts.“My Pinterest is all babydoll dresses and ’70s necklines,” Rodrigo told British Vogue of her current aesthetic. “I want it all to feel fun and laid-back.” In the same piece, the singer's stylists Chloe and Chenelle Delgadillo described how they drew inspiration from the archives of Miu Miu and Marc Jacobs to create a style that is "effortless, feminine, with a slightly undone feel."Interestingly, this isn't the first time a babydoll has created a fuss. The dress has a pop history as long as its life. The style originated in the 1940s, when lingerie designer Sylvia Pedlar created the ultra-short nightgown and matching bloomers in response to wartime fabric rationing. Soon, Cristóbal Balenciaga and Hubert de Givenchy adapted the trapeze and ruffled silhouette into couture garments.In the 1960s, the babydoll dress was the uniform of the youth, a revolt against the previously cinched waists. By the 1990s, the dress turned into the symbol of vengeance as female rockers paired it with a bold red lip, bleached blonde hair, torn stockings and yes, Mary Janes. Known as “kinderwhore”—a term attributed to British music journalist Everett True and Babes in Toyland’s Kat Bjelland—the aesthetic emerged from the look Bjelland and Hole’s Courtney Love originated as roommates in Portland, and functioned as a subversive gesture.It aimed to reclaim the fetishisation of youth by the patriarchy by turning the archetype of the innocent, powerless girl into a wicked and powerful creature. Rodrigo, who was raised by the 90s women-led rock bands obviously understood the emphasis. “I really love the idea of a babydoll [dress],” she recently told Vogue. “I just remember being younger and having pictures of Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland from all these riot grrrl punk bands in their babydoll dresses, just owning it.”In recent times, music artists, especially those associated with Disney are receiving trolling for their styles. It's like the world isn't ready to see them all grown up and be their own person with unique personalities.Sabrina Carpenter, who is known for her "slumber-party chic" featuring babydoll dresses, lingerie, lacy stockings and more was also trolled immensely. She is often called out for her "pantless" and "revealing" outfits. However, as a 4'11 girlie, she has shared how going without pants flatters her stature, along with offering the comfort she needs to perform.Now, Olivia Rodrigo is facing backlash for reclaiming a dress that is feminine, symbolic of music and aligning with her message in the album. Previously, 'Stranger Things' star Millie Bobbi Brown also battled trolling when she began dressing up as per her age, rather than her character in the series, by which she is popularly known.It seems the world thinks it can teach a woman how to dress, when they have been doing that for years. At such times, it is stars like these who hold strong and don't back down, thus inspiring all their fans, young and old.