Billie Piper has spoken out about the ‘MeToo‘ and ‘Time’s Up‘ movement, claiming that she felt ‘oversexualised’ in the ‘sanctioned pimping’ by her agents in her early career.
The former singer turned actor rose to fame as a pop star when she was just 15. She released two albums and experienced top five success with singles such as ‘Because We Want To’, ‘Something Deep Inside’, ‘Honey To The Bee’, and ‘Day & Night’ in the late ’90s.
But despite her young age at the time, Piper says she was well aware that she was being oversexualised in a new interview with The Sunday Times. Piper has spoken up in the battle against misogyny and sexual harassment in the entertainment industry.
“I find the abuse of power really upsetting,” she said of the ‘MeToo’ movement. “If I’m honest what I find really sickening is all the agents subjecting their clients to it, knowing full well what’s going on. Like sanctioned pimping.”
She continued: “I think that’s why, for so long, my desire to hide my body in baggy clothes took hold.”
Around the same time, Piper suffered with bouts of anorexia and had even contemplated suicide when she was just 16.
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However, Piper also revealed that she’s not necessarily a fan of the ‘MeToo’ movement on social media.
“Let’s say I know a lot of headstrong actors and actresses wanting to get something who wouldn’t say they’re victims of this,” said Piper.
She added that she thinks women should find other ways to show their ‘sisterhood’ rather than being ‘judgy and competitive’ online, and share less ‘over sexed’ photos.
“That doesn’t feel like feminism to me,” she said. “Like, this whole thing of “I’m liberated enough to bare my arse” doesn’t remotely cut it with me.”
“The emotions are the same, it’s just the semantics that have changed.”
After her acclaimed roles in the likes of Dr Who, Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, and Yerma at the Young Vic, Piper will return in playwright Sir David Hare’s new BBC Two series Collateral with Carey Mulligan.