Washington, DC (March 15, 2021) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) says the CBS Grammys broadcast contributed to the sexual exploitation of women by objectifying them as well as glamorizing prostitution and stripping. This was true of the performance featuring Dua Lipa as well as the segment featuring Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion that showed the two women and backup performers wearing thongs and lingerie, dancing on a stripper pole, and crawling around and twerking on a bed together.
“In a performance that could have been cut from a hardcore pornography film, CBS allowed a glamorization of stripping and prostitution to be broadcast in front of a national audience – a portion of which were children – for no other reason than for TV ratings,” said Dawn Hawkins, senior vice president and executive director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. “Despite the ‘popularity’ of the song performed by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, as well as the one performed by Dua Lipa, CBS should have never allowed this kind of explicit performance to happen at the Grammys.”
“Prostitution and stripping are never empowering for women, as they set up systems that exploit and oppress women. CBS has contributed to furthering the sexual exploitation of women and contributed to the ‘normalization’ of porn culture.”
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-partisan organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
