http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/sites/musique/img/1757_Top_PussycatDolls.jpg

 

 

Are The Pussycat Dolls too sassy?

 

Parents complain these US popstars make bad role models but fans continue to lap up their sexiness

 

WELL-TONED bodies, impossibly long legs, faces to die for and majestic manes.

 

I'm looking at The Pussycat Dolls (PCD).

 

The girls sing, they dance and they're full of energy. In short, they're hot - and dressed in even hotter costumes.

 

The New Paper was in Kuala Lumpur last week to meet the sextet during the group's Asian Tour where it performed at Sunway Lagoon.

 

Every PCD fan we spoke to, male or female, young or old, described the girls as H-O-T because of their catchy songs and sexy gyrations.

 

However, the girls' performance drew fire from the Malaysian media yesterday for being too raunchy and revealing. (See report on facing page.)

 

The girls say their sex appeal is as much by design as it is a combination of their unique qualities.

 

And, they come in different 'flavours' and hair colours.

 

When asked which one of them gets the most attention from the guys, Ashley Roberts, 23, replied: 'We are a melting pot, everyone brings a different flavour to the group.'

 

Added Kimberly Wyatt, 23: 'We're spicy, sassy and sexy. And that makes a really great dish!'

 

But the pop group's critics may find that hard to swallow.

 

Lately, The Pussycat Dolls has been getting flak for their signature skimpy dressing and wild dance moves.

 

Two months ago, toy firm Hasbro aborted its plan to produce a line of fashion dolls modelled after the girls after receiving over 2,000 letters from parents complaining that The Pussycat Dolls members were inappropriate role models.

 

Yet, fans welcome the sexiness.

 

'I don't see why a woman can't flaunt her sexuality,' said NUS law student Pamela Lim, 22, who was in Kuala Lumpur to catch the concert.

 

'They're good entertainers and I like the entire package. They're good-looking, dance well and sing well.'

 

But when it came to press briefings and interviews, The Pussycat Dolls weren't as risque, dishing out such politically correct answers that they almost sounded apologetic.

 

Said lead singer Nicole Scherzinger, 27, on the Hasbro fiasco: 'It was disappointing at first.'

 

Added Carmit Bachar, 31: 'But it was the right decision. They were going for a much younger audience and we appeal to a much wider demographic group.'

 

The girls are not sorry for being who they are - and that includes the sexy outfits and videos.

 

Said Scherzinger: 'Hopefully, (mothers) will listen to what we have to say. It's about what we stand for, that is to have confidence and believe in yourself, and to follow your path. In our case, our path is to perform.

 

'We don't think we need to tone down our act. There is nothing we portray that is in an unclassy manner.

 

'We love being women and we try to tell women that it is okay to enjoy being a woman and it's okay to have power as a woman.

 

'What's also special in our group is that we always talk about female empowerment but we do it in a fun way.'

 

Added Bachar: 'So it is very inspiring to see six women being confident and showing their power.'

 

And talking of girl power, it's hard to ignore the lesson learnt from Brit quintet Spice Girls. The girl band burst onto the scene in the mid-'90s with its overt sexuality and female power messages.

 

All that fizzled out within a few years when its prime audience of teen girls got bored with all the feminist messages and decided to go back to their proverbial idols - the boy bands.

 

Yet, going by the Dolls' immense success over the last one year, it would seem that the public today is more open to its approach and visual style.

 

Its single Don't Cha was No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the charts for 28 weeks while Stickwitu and Beep stayed on the charts for 20 weeks and 16 weeks respectively. Over 3.8 million copies of its debut album PCD have been sold worldwide, with over 12,000 copies sold in Singapore.

 

Also in the group are Jessica Sutta, 23, and Melody Thornton, 20.

 

The girls are not mere airbrushed airheads with a good gym trainer.

 

They work hard to maintain their figures and admire respected female icons like Tina Turner and Madonna.

 

Said Scherzinger: 'It's a lot of hard work. We have to watch our diet. This is what we signed up for. I pretty much work out every day, whether or not we have a show.

 

'We all do our workouts together and then we do our cardio together on stage.'

 

Offstage, the girls say the sexiness is sometimes just an act.

 

'We pretty much travel low-key, in our sweats and glasses. We're normal girls and on stage, we have a different persona,' explained Scherzinger.

 

As for endorsements, said Bachar: 'Probably not alcohol and cigarettes. At this point it's just not really a good look and it is not something that we do.'

 

And when those bodies tire out and the sex appeal wanes, what next?

 

Bachar said she would love to get into volunteer work, particularly with children - 'kids with cleft lip palate'.

 

Looks like while these Dolls get hearts pumping, they too, have a heart.

 

 

 

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Too sexy, say some M'sians

 

DURING its 45-minute performance, the Pussycat Dolls lived up to its sexy reputation with gyrating dance moves and a healthy display of legs, cleavage and bare midriffs.

 

The sold-out crowd of over 10,000, comprising mostly teenagers and young adults, lapped it up.

 

But while the sexy performance raised temperatures, it also raised the ire of some Malaysians.

 

Malay daily Utusan Malaysia described the girls' dancing as obscene and said their dressing was not appropriate for an Asian audience.

 

Likewise, Harian Metro said the girls' risque dressing would be a bad influence on teenagers.

 

Malaysian Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim told Utusan Malaysia on Tuesday that an investigation would be carried out to determine if the concert had been approved.

 

He said: 'Action will be taken. Ideally, ministry officials should be present to observe and stop the performance immediately if such incidents happen.'

 

The concert was also condemned by Madam Azah Aziz, an influential former Berita Harian journalist who champions Malay culture.

 

'I am puzzled as to how artistes who are dressed like that could perform in Malaysia. I am not interested in slick and revealing dance moves that appear crude and are an insult to Malay culture,' she told Utusan Malaysia.

 

Speaking to the press before the concert, lead singer Nicole Scherzinger said she was aware that Malaysia was a conservative country.

 

'I was surprised at the number of people watching me through the glass window of the gym while I was working out,' she said.

 

The reporters later told her that they were Middle-Eastern female tourists, who were veiled and dressed conservatively.

 

Scherzinger added that the Dolls did not receive any guidelines for the concert performance.

 

Malaysian fashion and retail graduate Didie Dayana, 21, who was at the concert, said: 'People of my age group appreciate their moves and songs. They didn't do anything obscene or vulgar.'

 

Another Malaysian in the audience, Mr Yassif Magin, a 25-year old post-graduate law student, said he personally felt that the girls' dressing was appropriate.

 

'I don't think it was too much compared to what we see on TV at say concerts by Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears. Besides, they were just dancing and not pole or lap dancing.'

 

 

Eugh so what about people like Britney, Christina, Madonna? We've all seen them all half naked yet know one complains