Annie Lennox on Beyoncé: "Twerking Is Not Feminism"

Annie Lennox doesn't think that Beyoncé should be considered a modern feminist icon. The former Eurythmics singer had previously called Queen Bey "feminist lite" in an interview back in September, and now she is expanding on her opinion about Beyoncé and pop music. Annie said, "I didn't specifically criticize Beyoncé. I was being asked about Beyoncé in the context of feminism, and I was thinking at the time about very impactful feminists that have dedicated their lives to the movement of liberating women and supporting women at the grass roots, and I was saying, 'Well that's one end of the spectrum, and then you have the other end of the spectrum.'" She added, "Twerking is not feminism. That's what I'm referring to. It's not liberating, it's not empowering. It's a sexual thing that you're doing on a stage; it doesn't empower you. That's my feeling about it." Annie also said that she felt that overt sexuality has been "thrust" on performers who have young audiences and the she feels that it is "disturbing and exploitative." Although Annie clearly wasn't a fan of Beyoncé's brand of feminism, she did add that she thought that it might be a good thing "because it creates debate."

While Annie may not agree with Beyoncé's link to feminism, there are plenty of young people who are embracing the singer's labeling of herself as a feminist, including using her f-word moment at the MTV VMAs to inspire Halloween pumpkins.