Photo: WENN.com
Charlotte Church has hit out at music industry bosses, accusing 'middle aged men' of forcing young female stars to exploit their sexuality to sell records.
Church scored a string of chart hits in 2005 - 2006, but quickly retired from the pop world to pursue an alternative sound, far from the glossy pop of her debut smash, 'Crazy Chick'. Now, in a speech given during 6Music's annual John Peel Lecture, she has spoken out about the pressure placed on young female stars, drawing from her own experiences.
"When I was 19 or 20 I found myself in this position, being pressurised into wearing more and more revealing outfits," she said during her speech. "The lines that I had spun at me again and again - generally by middle-aged men - were: 'You look great, you've got a great body, why not show it off?'
"Or: 'Don't worry, it will look classy, it will look artistic.' I felt deeply uncomfortable about the whole thing, but I was often reminded by record label executives just whose money was being spent."
See Charlotte Church's 'Call My Name' video below
She also spoke of the abuse she suffers on social media to this day, and says that the image portrayed during her pop years has had a serious impact on her finding success with current music ventures.
"Whilst I can't defer all blame away from myself, I was barely out of my teenage years and the consequence of this portrayal of me is that now I'm frequently abused on social media, being called slut, whore and a catalogue of other indignities," she added.
"Now I find it difficult to promote my music in the places it would be best suited because of my history."
