Bebe Rexha criticises sexist music producer who said she is 'too old to be sexy'

'I make my own rules'

Sarah Jones
Tuesday 13 August 2019 10:40 BST
Comments
Bebe Rexha slammed body-shaming designers:'You wish you dressed my fat a**'

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Bebe Rexha has shared an empowering message about ageism in the music industry after being called "too old" by a sexist executive.

On Monday, the 29-year-old singer shared a black-and-white photograph of herself posing in her underwear on Instagram.

In the caption, Rexha revealed that she had recently been told by a male music executive that she was “too old to be sexy".

“I recently had a MALE music executive tell me that I was getting 'too old' and that my brand was ‘confusing',” Rexha wrote.

“Because…I’m a songwriter and I post sexy pics on my Instagram and that’s not what female songwriters are suppose [sic] to do, especially for my age. I’m 29.”

The "Meant to Be" singer explained that she is “fed up with being put in a box” and tired of stereotypes that maintain older women shouldn't be deemed attractive.

Rexha then stated that as her 30th birthday approaches later this month, she will no longer be “running away” from such outdated cliché’s.

“I’m not gonna lie about my age or sing songs that I feel will sell better because they sound ‘younger’,” Rexha added.

“I’m gonna celebrate my age because you know what, I’m wiser, I’m stronger and TRUST ME I’m a much better lover than I was 10 years ago.”

Several of Rexha’s celebrity friends commented on the post with messages of support, including fellow singer Rita Ora, who wrote: “My sexy songwriting [crown emoji] You are beautiful, getting sexier with age and your talent SINGS for itself. Keep making those rules.“

Taylor Swift added: “DRAG THEM. 29 YEARS OLD UNITE.”

While Victoria's Secret model Leomie Anderson commented: “Thank you for not allowing these d***heads to make you shrink yourself to fit into their idea of what a woman in the music industry should be.

“You’re bad b**** Bebe and no I didn’t stutter.”

On Twitter, Rexha dedicated the same black-and-white photo to the “music executive who said I am too old to be sexy".

In a follow-up tweet, the singer explained that “there’s no age that you can’t be sexy", adding: “I’m not scared to speak out. Especially if it’s my truth.”

Rexha has long been a champion for body positivity. Earlier this year, the singer shared a bikini photo of herself with a powerful message about photo editing.

“I probably should of photoshopped my stomach and made it look flat,” Rexha wrote.

“I probably should of photoshopped my legs to make them look thinner. I probably should of made myself look taller and smoothed my legs. But I didn’t.

“Society can really f*** with you. Here is what a real woman looks like on Instagram without photoshop."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in