The Return of Provocation
By: Olivia Kittleman
Pop music has always been provocative, but something about today’s pop culture feels different. Stars like
Addison Rae, Charli XCX, Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan are not only sexualizing men
with their lyrics but also sexualizing themselves on stage and with their aesthetics and performances. This
is not only a revival of the early 2000s’ iconic pop era, but also reflects a deeper generational desire for the
expression of sexuality.
The 2000s Revival
Addison Rae is a prime example. Her live performances and new album have been compared to 2000s
icon Britney Spears, with Y2K low-rise silhouettes and a stage persona drenched in hyper-femininity, which
catapulted Britney into a cultural pop star. She is revivalism driven by nostalgia with a Gen Z twist, whereas
Britney’s sexualization consistently felt imposed by a patriarchal establishment. Addison plays as though she is in on the act and aware of the cultural legacy she’s stepping into.
This is not nostalgia by default. Gen Z grew up with the pop archives lying at their disposal, constantly
scrolling through video clips of Spears, Aguilera, Rihanna, Avril Lavigne, and Beyoncé in their prime. In
rebooting those legends, artists like Rae, Charli XCX, and Carpenter are filling a group appetite for the
familiar wrapped in something new.
Why We Crave Provocation
The real question I am asking is why our generation craves such explicitly sexualized pop stars. The answer is
somewhere between rebellion, psychology, and fantasy.
In an age of hyper-visibility, where a piece of clothing or a careless comment can be spread to millions in
seconds, sexuality is a tool of power. To perform seduction is to take control of the gaze. When Charli XCX is
dancing in the rain to Track 10 or Tate McRae pole dancing on stage, they are not merely putting themselves
out there for the male gaze; they’re overturning the dynamic completely. Sexuality is a show that they put on, a currency they control.
Add to this the element of rebellion. Our cultural moment is marked by political polarization, climate anxiety, and resistance to traditionalist ideology on sexuality and gender. For young audiences, the display of overtly sexual performances becomes cathartic, a form of vicarious rejection of restraint and indulgence. Pop concerts are safe spaces where fantasy reigns, where bodies are celebrated and not regulated, where desire is loud and unapologetic.
Psychologists might describe this as a form of escapism, an outlet for a generation burdened with constant stress. Watching Sabrina Carpenter play with flirty, layered meanings in her songs or Tate McRae dancing choreography that walks the fine line between innocence and seduction momentarily suspends the weight of reality.
There’s a sort of thrill that comes from watching Sabrina Carpenter sprinkle flirty innuendos into her lyrics or Tate McRae with her steamy choreography that blurs purity with sex. It pulls the audience out of their everyday stress and into a glittery realm where desire and fantasy are the showstoppers.
And then there’s the nostalgia factor of it all. Sexualization and provocation in pop music are nothing new; they’re the DNA of the industry. However, because the early 2000s era of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera has been labeled a golden age of provocative pop, today’s revival is fueled by a longing for something that many people of Gen Z never actually experienced and lived through. It’s retro and rebellious in one.
The New Pop Archetype
What is so unique about the period we are now in is how artists are reclaiming sexualization for not only themselves but also redirecting it. When Sabrina Carpenter plays with “feathered boyfriends” in her lyrics and music videos, she is using men as props rather than the center of attention. Addison Rae does this too when she shifts her choreography to subvert the traditional male gaze. Desire is no longer an exploitative force but an empowering one.
Despite continuing debates on whether or not hyper-sexualization empowers or objectifies, the success of these artists is evidence enough that it resonates with people. Our generation does not just tolerate provocation; it seeks it out, craves it, and expects it. These stars give shape to our collective fantasies, anxieties, and desires.
As were Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera a generation before her, Addison Rae, Charli XCX, Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan are redefining provocativeness in pop and creating a new meaning for what a pop star is in today’s day and age.
