Ofcom received hundreds of complaints over Sabrina Carpenter‘s racy performance and Charli XCX‘s outfit at this year’s BRIT Awards.
During Saturday night’s (March 1) ceremony, Carpenter opened the show with a version of ‘Espresso’, alongside a troop of dancing King’s Guards, before she segued into a seductive performance of ‘Bed Chem’, dancing on a giant pink bed, alongside a team of backing dancers with their own boudoirs.
One choice moment that proved controversial saw her kneel in front of a male dancer, who winked at the camera as she disappeared offscreen.
Viewers immediately began debating whether the performance was appropriate, given that it kicked off before the 9pm watershed – which refers to the time of day when TV programmes which might be unsuitable for children can be broadcast, prompting some viewers to joke about Ofcom complaints.
She later posted a jokey response on social media saying: “I now know what watershed is!!!!.”
Now, Ofcom has confirmed that over 825 complaints were received in relation to her raunchy performance and Charli’s choice of attire, which saw the latter wearing a black see-through dress.
Charli, who took home five awards on the night, addressed the concerns during her acceptance speech for Artist Of The Year on the night, saying: “I heard that ITV were complaining about my nipples. I feel like we’re in the era of ‘free the nipple’ though, right?”
An Ofcom spokesperson said via Yahoo: “We are assessing the complaints against our rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.
Neither artist has yet publicly commented on the complaints.
Elsewhere, Carpenter, who took home the Global Success Award and was also nominated for two further prizes for International Artist Of The Year and International Song Of The Year for ‘Espresso’ on the night, has previously addressed the way she leverages sexuality in her shows.
She recently hit out at Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman’s comments about her, after Waterman named her as someone whose image he considered detrimental to women in an interview with The Sun, saying: “If you’re asking to be respected, don’t come on in a G-string,” before Stock dismissed Carpenter’s sexualised lyrics as “lazy”.
She then responded in a follow-up interview with The Sun on Sunday, saying: “My message has always been clear – if you can’t handle a girl who is confident in her own sexuality, then don’t come to my shows.”
She added that women being judged on their appearance “isn’t something new”, saying: “Female artists have been shamed forever. In the noughties it was Rihanna, in the nineties it was Britney Spears, in the eighties it was Madonna – and now it’s me. It’s essentially saying that female performers should not be able to embrace their sexuality in their lyrics, in the way we dress, in the way we perform.
“It is totally regressive. It’s like those who want to shame don’t make comments when I talk about self-care or body positivity or heartbreak, which are all normal things a 25-year-old goes through. They just want to talk about the sexual side of my performances.”