Kelly Clarkson on Sexism in the Music Business: ‘I’ll Call It Out’
Kelly Clarkson has stood up to powerful men over the course of her career, and in a new interview, she reveals why she doesn't hesitate to call people out.
During an appearance on The View on Tuesday (Nov. 28), Clarkson was asked about some of the allegations of sexual misconduct that are being made about powerful entertainment figures including movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. She says that while she's never experienced an outright assault along those lines, she's definitely been spoken to "in a sexist way or a belittling way because I'm young ... just demeaning."
"I'll call it out. Like if somebody asks me a question, I'm not gonna lie for you," she says. "I think that's the best thing to do ... not like you're attacking someone, just telling your honest story."
She says it's important for everyone to stand up.
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"You have to tell your truth, you have to be honest. I have a lot of friends that unfortunately had horrific things happen in their childhood, and it damaged them for quite a long time, because they felt they couldn't say anything. And I don't think people realize the weight and the gravity that takes on a person, and how to handle it. You have to be honest about it for you to heal."
Clarkson did not specify what encounters she was referencing on The View, but she has talked in public about the difficult time she had after the release of Breakaway in 2004. That album shot her to worldwide stardom, but she tells Attitude magazine that she was so unhappy that she felt she couldn't take the pressure anymore. After a series of battles over creative control of her music and career course, she made some big changes for her 2007 album My December.
"I was around some really negative people, and I got out of it because I had a lot of great people there too. It was a case of turning around, facing them and walking toward the light," she says.
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