Little Mix Slammed For Outfits During X Factor Final Performance

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Little Mix, love or loathe their music, are all about girl empowerment.

So the irony that people keep criticising their choice of clothes – even branding them ‘prostitutes’ for their outfits on last night’s The X Factor finale performance – is lost on no one.

You can watch the so-called ‘offending’ performance below:

In a repeat of last year’s sexism, viewers of the pre-watershed show on ITV were shocked to see four stylish, successful women, who are proud of their bodies, covering up absolutely all of their private bits.

The returning winners of The X Factor – Little Mix won in 2011 – performed a medley of songs including their Latin song Reggaeton Lento with CNCO, as viewers waited to find out whether Grace Davies or Rak-Su had won the contest.

But some viewers were left aghast after the band executed their trademark costume change, whipping off black trouser suits to reveal bodysuits underneath.

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God forbid women have actual legs on which to stand, and dance, and sing and entertain the masses, the crowds claimed.

So Little Mix were subsequently roasted on Twitter for ‘sexing up’ – whatever the hell that means.

Read it and weep:

One viewer asked, ‘#xfactoruk2017 does little mix ever wear clothes?’, and the modern day prophet quickly added ‘I knew they would take off those tuxs’.

Another bitter prude mused, ‘I wonder if #LittleMix could manage just 1 show where they don’t strip off to look like prostitutes #GreatRoleModels #XFactor [sic]’

One viewer used sarcasm – the lowest form of wit – to dub the performance a ‘free sex show’, tweeting: “Wow I’m shocked that they took all their clothes off …. Not #freestripshow #xfactor”.

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Another accused their label of objectifying the band, saying:

Little Mix are talented girls who can wear what they like, but it’s also clear that their label feels the need to dress them like strippers as if its their bodies for sale, not their music.

I just think they’re being objectified. #xfactor

ITV/The X Factor

The backlash against a decision presumably made by their stylists comes a year after the band members were subjected to trolling for last year’s The X Factor finale performance.

Little Mix took to the stage during the final – which Matt Terry eventually won – to perform a medley of Oops (feat. Charlie Puth) and Touch, which are both pop bangers, apparently.

Twitter’s grand jury took to the news feed to complain then, too:

Although the outfits donned by Britain’s own Little Mix are of a similar calibre to those worn by the likes of Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Sia, Cher, Grace Jones and a multitude of powerful female performers that came before them, these women are still being berated for their style for some unfathomable reason.

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People just cannot seem to handle fledgling young singers developing a strong sense of style, instead saying they sold out or were ‘sexed up’.

While it’s sexist and counter-productive to gender equality to slam Little Mix, I’m pretty sure they’ll be laughing all the way to the bank, and returning next year to The X Factor to do it all again and entertain the nation.

Francesca Donovan

A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.