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Dua Lipa has criticised trolls on social media for making her “live in fear of not being good enough”.
In an interview with ELLE US
However, as her career has intensified, the singer says she feels as though everything she does is under scrutiny from the public.
“People want to stunt your growth,” Lipa told the publication.
“They scrutinise you and tell you what you should look like or what you should do or ask why did you cut your hair?
Show all 11 1 /1111 of Little Mix's top feminist moments 11 of Little Mix's top feminist moments During an interview in November 2016 on Australian breakfast radio show Fitzy and Wippa, Thirlwall and Edwards were asked out of the blue why Nelson had been spotted not wearing her engagement ring, having been proposed to by her partner Jake Roche a few months prior. 'That's brutal that,' Nelson responded, before grabbing the interviewer's paper of questions out of his hand and throwing it away. 'Next question, sir,' Edwards added.
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11 of Little Mix's top feminist moments In September 2018, Nelson shared a photo on Little Mix's official Twitter account which showed her wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan: 'Women are more than muses.' 'Shout out to all the amazing women past and present who fight for the rights and freedom of women,' she wrote in the tweet alongside the photo.
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11 of Little Mix's top feminist moments In November 2018, Pinnock spoke to People magazine about the sisterhood she and her fellow Little Mix band members have created. 'Little Mix wouldn't work without one of us. If one of us left, it would be over,' she said. 'We're friends. If anything, we're past friendship. We're sisters.'
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11 of Little Mix's top feminist moments In October 2016, Nelson shared a photo on Twitter of herself wearing a jumper dress with the slogan: 'Too provocative' written across the back, referencing the numerous times the pop group have been scrutinised for their on-stage outfits. Little Mix have responded to criticism over their 'sexy' outfits on multiple occasions, explaining that women should be able to wear what they want without fear of condemnation.
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11 of Little Mix's top feminist moments While speaking with Billboard in November 2018, Thirlwall spoke about the taboo still associated with the term feminist, explaining that the band had recently discussed the issue with singer Alexandra Shungudzo Govere, who wrote their song 'Touch'. 'I think we did actually talk about how there’s a weird stigma attached to admitting you’re a feminist and saying you’re a feminist,' Thirlwall said. 'We never understood why, so we just put it in the song: 'Are you a feminist? Hell yeah!' There’s nothing wrong with that.'
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11 of Little Mix's top feminist moments In November 2018, Little Mix released the music video for their empowering hit song 'Strip'. The video featured a number of inspirational women, including founder of charity CoppaFeel! Kristin Hallenga and body positivity influencer Megan Jayne Crabbe. The video also included a photo from a nude shoot the band took part in, during which they had insulting comments they've received in the past written across their bodies.
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11 of Little Mix's top feminist moments In October 2018, Pinnock shared a photo of herself on Little Mix's official Twitter account, alongside a caption discussing the way in which women are often judged based on their appearances. 'People can sometimes be quick to judge women at face value and what they see on the outside,' she wrote. 'If everyone took the time to look a little deeper I think the world would be a better place.'
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11 of Little Mix's top feminist moments In March 2018, Little Mix won the accolade for 'Best British Artist or Group' at the Global Awards. During their acceptance speech, Thirlwall spoke to the audience about the scrutiny the band often find themselves under on account of their appearances or the way they dress. 'As a girl band, and as women, we do face a lot of scrutiny all the time, whether it's for the way we look, how much thigh we get out, how we dance, what we sing about,' she said. 'And we just want to say that, although one day we hope that does stop, right now we're really not arsed what people think.'
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11 of Little Mix's top feminist moments During a November 2018 interview with Attitude magazine, Edwards touched upon the sexism that remains rife within the music industry. 'When women have a voice, some people think that opinion is invalid,' she said.
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11 of Little Mix's top feminist moments In September 2018, Thirlwall shared a message on Twitter about body positivity, inspired by the work of actor and activist Jameela Jamil. She explained how during previous photo shoots, photos of her had been digitally altered to make her facial features look different and her skin look lighter. 'In one of our first magazine shoots we did, my nose was completely changed and my skin was whitened,' Thirlwall wrote. 'At 18, it gave me a complex and an insecurity I'd never had before and for years I was determined to get a nose job.' She continued, explaining that we are 'all unique and beautiful in our own way'.
Twitter/Little Mix
11 of Little Mix's top feminist moments The members of Little Mix have all spoken out about body insecurities among women on multiple occasions, such as when Edwards wrote on social media about accepting her freckles. In August 2018, Pinnock shared a post on Twitter about encouraging young black girls to embrace their natural hair, and not be made to feel as though it's not beautiful.
Twitter/Little Mix
“You constantly live in fear of not being good enough. It’s crazy; you have to be really strong.”
The One Kiss singer also called out hypocrites on social media who claim to support feminism and mental health but act differently online.
“We’re in this age of ‘Feminism! You should be supporting each other!’ But it’s the same people who are saying that who are also bringing women down online,” she said.
“And it’s the same people who speak about mental health who are also bullying others. Twitter is super-toxic. I find myself having to take time off to be able to be creative.”
Lipa revealed that at the beginning of her career she was given advise about how to tackle social media by a number of artists including Katy Perry and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin .
“When I met Katy Perry, she was like, ‘I hope you don’t search your name’, Lipa revealed.
“She said, ‘Do not have notifications on. Do not read that s***, because it will stop you from doing what you love’.”
Lipa said she took Perry’s advise on board and now considers reading hateful comments about herself as a “form of self-abuse”.
This isn’t the first time the New Rules singer has spoken about dealing with harassment online.
In February, Lipa shared a series of tweets after logging onto Twitter and immediately spotting two women’s appearances being compared on her timeline.
“Takes 10 seconds on the tl [timeline] to see people comparing women and their wrinkles,” Lipa wrote.
“I hope everyone engaging in this toxic a** behaviour stays plump af for the rest of their lives bc [because] reality gonna bite you in the arse.”
The singer continued, urging her 2.85m followers to make more of an effort with the people they come across in life by spreading kindness.
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