Olivia Rodrigo Says the 'Disturbing' Criticism of Her Babydoll Dress 'Shows How We Normalize Pedophilia in Our Culture'

Madison E. GoldbergThu, May 28, 2026 at 3:48 AM UTC

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Olivia Rodrigo in Babydoll Dress
Credit: Xavi Torrent/Getty -

Olivia Rodrigo addressed the online criticism surrounding the babydoll dress she wore for her Spotify Billions Club performance

Rodrigo spoke about the situation on The New York Times' Popcast in a clip released on Wednesday, May 27

She said that the commentary surrounding the dress "goes to show how we really normalize pedophilia in our culture," and emphasized the importance of protecting "younger girls"

Olivia Rodrigo is addressing the online criticism of the babydoll dress she wore onstage recently.

Rodrigo, 23, addressed the commentary surrounding the pink-and-white floral babydoll dress she wore for her Spotify Billions Club performance during her appearance on The New York Times Podcast. A preview clip of the podcast was published on Instagram on Wednesday, May 27, a day before the full episode's release.

"That's been making me so upset,” the "Drop Dead" singer began when the subject was brought up. “Not even for me. People can say whatever they want."

"What's really disturbing is I have worn outfits that are maybe revealing on stage," Rodrigo continued, describing one tour outfit consisting of "a sparkly bra and little shorts," adding that it is her "right" to dress as she chooses.

"That's fun, I felt cool and comfortable in that," the pop star continued. "And that wasn't inappropriate, but me fully covered up in a dress that people deemed to be childlike was inappropriate.”

She believes the online criticism "shows how we really normalize pedophilia in our culture."

"Also it's just this rhetoric 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," Rodrigo elaborated. "It's so weird.”

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“I didn't think that I looked sexy in that at all,” she said of the babydoll look. “I was like, this is so cool."

She cited Bikini Kill frontwoman Kathleen Hanna and Courtney Love, who wore similar dresses in the 1990s.

Olivia Rodrigo performs in a babydoll dress in Barcelona
Credit: Xavi Torrent/Getty

"All these people who are my heroes, and I felt cool and comfortable in it," Rodrigo said. "I just think if we start dressing in a way that's like, ‘I don't want some f-----g 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. I'm just very protective of younger women, girls, and I don't ever want them to be fed that rhetoric.”

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Olivia Rodrigo on NYT's 'Popcast'
Credit: NYT Podcast

Rodrigo's full appearance on the podcast will be released on Thursday, May 28, ahead of her much-anticipated third album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, which will be released on June 12.

Rodrigo's upcoming album has adopted a dreamy pastel-pink aesthetic, with lead singles “Drop Dead” coming from the album's first half of the track list while the emotionally moving soft-rock-infused “The Cure" comes from its second half. The album will detail the rise and fall of a romantic relationship, and the singer-songwriter's relationship with herself in the process.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”