Little Mix's Jade Thirlwall responds to trolls by making a crucial point about sexism in music

Little Mix responded to criticisms of "sexualisation" in their music and videos with an important point about female empowerment.

Singer Jade Thirlwall told The Sun why she refuses to be shamed for wearing revealing outfits or singing about sex.

We’re always going to write and record music from personal experience, and yeah we’re grown women, and we have sex. I find it really empowering, especially right now when you’ve got artists like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion doing songs like WAP.

I’m so for women being in control of their sexual experiences and singing about it. It’s great. Men have been doing it for God knows how long, so why can’t women do it and be praised for it?

The band's sixth album, Confetti, was released last week and has already sold upwards of 40,000 copies. But while the response was largely positive, the music video for their single 'Sweet Melody' attracted some criticism for its "sexualised" outfits and choreography.

Their fans quickly sought to defend them, pointing out that the group's members are all adult women.

Little Mix's own feelings about sexualisation have apparently changed.

Criticisms of "sexualisation" have have been levied against the band by everyone from Piers Morgan to Mel C. In 2015, Thirlwall tried to distance them from acting "sexy to sell records", telling the BBC that there's "no need" for singers to perform sexual choreography.

But now she and her fellow bandmates have fully embraced sex positivity and are challenging the double-standard that male singers don't receive the same levels of shaming and scrutiny for singing about sex.

Female artists wearing revealing clothes and singing about their sex lives is hardly anything new. But, unfortunately, neither is the slut-shaming and misogyny they are subsequently faced with.

Embracing your sexuality isn't a crime. Perhaps, as Thirlwall said, the 'WAP' generation can finally put that argument to bed.

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