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Charlotte Church: from child star to Prosecco socialist

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Charlotte Church, child star, feminist, prosecco socialistThe music business is “a male dominated industry with a juvenile perspective on gender and sexuality”.

In recent months Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter Charlotte Church has become an outspoken feminist and anti-austerity activist.

Looking at her life, it’s not hard to see why.

Famous from an early age – releasing a ‘Best of’ album at 16 – Charlotte Church has grown up in the public eye.

Now 29 years old, she’s had her fair share of professional and personal upheaval.

In 2011 Church gave evidence to the Leveson inquiry, detailing how she had been hounded and targeted by the press since she was a young teenager.

Unsurprisingly, much of the negative coverage she had received was sexist in nature; one website infamously ran a ‘countdown clock’ on the approach of Church’s 16th birthday, at which time she would become ‘fair game’ for sexualisation by the press.

And from that birthday on the tabloids were relentless, from breaking news of her pregnancy before she’d even told her family to publishing an article saying her mother had attempted suicide.

Later, Church spoke of how “the facade fell away” after the Leveson trial, and she discovered feminism.

In 2013, Church gave the BBC 6 Music’s annual John Peel lecture, and she used the opportunity in a talk on the theme of ‘women and and their representation in the music industry’ to criticise the rampant sexism in the music industry.

She said that the music business is “a male dominated industry with a juvenile perspective on gender and sexuality” and recalled being persuaded by male executives to wear revealing outfits that made her feel uncomfortable.

“Whilst I can’t defer all blame away from myself, I was barely out of my teenage years and the consequence of this portrayal of me is that now I’m frequently abused on social media, being called slut, whore and a catalogue of other indignities.”

As well as becoming an outspoken feminist, Charlotte Church has become increasingly vocal in the fight against austerity.

In May, she joined hundreds of protesters in Cardiff on a march against – further – proposed cuts to public spending.

When the inevitable accusations poured in, calling her a ‘champagne socialist’, Church  hit back brilliantly, saying she was “more of a Prosecco girl”, and pointing out: “I was born in a working-class family who have for generations been active in political protest.”

Most recently, when promoting the anti-austerity demonstration planned for 20 June, Church said that she would be happy to pay tax at 70 per cent in order to protect public services.

“I have paid all my tax since I was 12 years old, and I would certainly be happy if the rate was 60 per cent or 70 per cent. I wouldn’t move away, I wouldn’t have an offshore account.

“That would be totally fine, for better infrastructure and public services and more of a Scandinavian model, which I see as far more progressive than the way we are, I would be absolutely fine with that.”

Charlotte Church could have taken her money and retreated into a life of luxury, but instead she has chosen to speak up on issues that affect us all – it is unlikely that the march she attended in Cardiff would have had so much coverage without her there.

This is a woman who has experienced some of the worst of what the press and media have to throw at any of us, and is still willing to speak out.

Instead of being called a ‘hypocrite’, she should be praised for using her platform to defend the vulnerable.

After all, the real hypocrites are the people who benefit from our public services, get rich, and then say nothing as the ladder is pulled up after them.

  1. Susan marsh says:

    Charlotte Church has absolutely been a victim of the sexist media exploitative to women. It is great that she has been able to reflect on her treatment and speak out to empower young women. I wonder what Ruth thinks about Beyoncé and her presentation as a feminist? Interesting article Susan

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