Annie Lennox has warned young female pop stars that adopting raunchy personae and producing what she described as "soft porn" imagery will carry long-term consequences for the artists themselves.
The 70-year-old Eurythmics singer, speaking to The Independent, criticised what she called the music industry's promotion of a "hypersexualised look" among female performers and said artists who choose that route "just have to live with whatever comes from it. That will be your life experience." She singled out contemporary chart acts including Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX as examples of performers who have "found their niche," while adding she was not asserting all such work was pornographic.
Lennox said record companies played a role in normalising sexually explicit content, quoting industry reactions that equated provocative visuals with profitability. She recounted her own approach to image while in Eurythmics, saying she wore suits with bandmate Dave Stewart as an artistic decision and to avoid being "regarded as a piece of meat." She referenced the British artist duo Gilbert and George, whose blending of life and art influenced her and Stewart's stage persona.
The comments reiterate views Lennox has expressed for more than a decade. In 2013 she urged age ratings on raunchy music videos so that parents could better protect young children from explicit material, writing then that performers with large numbers of impressionable fans should not present overtly sexual videos without adult classification. She posed the question, rhetorically, of whether it was appropriate for children as young as seven to imitate explicit dance moves and said boundaries should be put in place, while acknowledging the internet had complicated enforcement of such limits.
Lennox's recent remarks come amid wider debate about the sexualisation of pop music, the responsibilities of record labels and streaming platforms, and how to balance artistic expression with concerns about young audiences. Advocates for stricter ratings and content warnings argue that clear labelling could help parents manage exposure, while others say artistic freedom and audience choice should remain paramount.
Alongside her comments on the industry, Lennox has shared family news: her daughter Lola Lennox, 34, married Canadian model and singer Braeden Wright, 37, in an outdoor ceremony on Ibiza. Photos shared by the bride showed a lace-sleeved gown, a flowing veil and guests scattering rose petals as the couple left the ceremony. Lola, who has pursued a musical career, described the occasion as a "glorious celebration of love, family and friendship."
The singer's remarks add to a continuing conversation about how pop culture shapes attitudes toward sexuality and the systems—record labels, streaming services and social media—that distribute that culture. Lennox's perspective reflects both a long career in pop music and a recurring public stance advocating for clearer protections for young audiences.
Her advocacy for rating explicit music videos and her critique of commercial incentives that promote sexualised imagery echo earlier calls from parents, educators and some artists for industry-wide changes. Whether platforms or regulators will adopt more stringent labelling or age-restriction measures remains unclear, but Lennox's comments ensure the subject stays in public view as pop performers continue to experiment with image and performance.