Country Star Tells Fans to Stop ‘Slut-Shaming’ Her Over Topless Photos in Playboy

Country music star Maren Morris on Tuesday accused fans of trying to “slut-shame” her after she shared topless photos from an upcoming Playboy spread.

Earlier in the day, the Billboard-charting artist posted two risqué photos of herself for the viewing pleasure of her more than 1 million Instagram followers.

“Strip it down. something with @playboy is coming next week…” Morris wrote in a caption accompanying the images, which show her topless and sporting a cowboy hat.

Not all Morris’ followers weren’t as appreciative as she had apparently hoped. In an Instagram video, she defended herself against critics whom she accused of trying to “put me in your little box.”

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“The thing about me is, I make music for myself. I learned later that it touches others, which is the most wonderful byproduct of a songwriter’s calling,” Morris said. “Some can slut-shame me for my lyrics about sex, and you can put me in your little box, but I just want to live and love.”

She added: “I recently accepted myself and will put these photos in a frame because I’ll never have this moment back. Can’t wait for you to read my interview with @playboy in their ‘Gender + Sexuality’ issue next week. I drop some truth too.”

Some Instagram users chimed in to support the singer, emphasizing her autonomy as a woman.

“Playboy is iconic and so much more than photos for gawking. Also her body HER CHOICE. i know I’ll be buying my copy as soon as it comes out. I’m so proud of this WOMAN,” one fan wrote in an Instagram reply.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Byk9VrvBsu8/

Is Maren Morris new country?

Morris’ Playboy shoot – and vaguely feminist defense thereof – come at a time of flux for country music.

Traditionally, the genre has reflected the conservative politics of the rural regions where it is most popular. Will Wilkinson, Vice President of Policy at the free-market Niskanen Center, vividly captured the sentiment in a 2012 essay for BigThink:

Country has an ideology. Not to say country has a position on abortion, exactly. But country music, taken as a whole, has a position on life, taken as a whole. Small towns. Dirt roads. Love at first sight. Hot-blooded kids havin’ a good ol’ time. Gettin’ hitched. America!

However, as pop-country has increasingly merged with mainstream music of all types, from rock to rap, Wilkinson’s stereotype may be less accurate than it once was.

Writing for NPR last year, music writer Jewly High observed that popular country music artists have begun to make gestures toward progressive politics and social consciousness.

She said: “Their songs have all been carefully calibrated for country listeners, and many don’t seem to have much of social or political significance to say until you consider their place in the dialogue about country’s moral footing.”

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