In today’s news that apparently matters to some newspapers, one has revealed that X Factor contestant Chloe-Jasmine Winchelloonce did a modelling shoot featuring kinky outfits – including a sexy little bo peep costume and hot nurse’s outfit. This comes shortly after another article, which we’re not going to link to, ‘outed’ her as having attended Killing Kittens, an upmarket club for swingers in the posh end of London.
Firstly, can we reiterate that The X Factor is a competition where people attempt to secure a record deal on the basis of their voices. That’s the important thing to keep in mind here – they’re not auditioning to be the Pope. You don’t need a clean sheet and a perfect private life devoid of sex in order to sing a song. In fact, judging by most huge international female artists at the moment, you’re certainly allowed to actively say you enjoy having sex. So why has Chloe-Jasmine been scheduled in the tabloid media’s little black book for this year’s round of Let’s Sex-Shame A Female X Factor Contestant? And yes, this is reserved only for females; never has there been such hysterical attempts to sex shame any male X Factor contestants.
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Remember Chloe Mafia in 2009, who The Sun hysterically pointed out also worked as a prostitute? Yeah, instead of spinning the story of a young sex worker trying to make something of herself in the music industry, everyone else tended to jump on the ‘Exposed: Lying X Factor Hooker’ (actual headline) bandwagon. And yes, The Sun decided to break it as a video, with an undercover reporter secretly filming her and writing such charming captions as, ‘Our X-rated video shows the teenage wannabe urging our reporter to join her on the double bed for a romp as she begs, “Come and get it.”’
Well, if she was a call girl, then it’s not exactly surprising she did that. What is surprising, though, is the venom with which she was treated and the way she was targeted with almost terrifying focus – yes, she was exposed for allegedly snorting cocaine, but that’s only because* The Mirror* put all their manpower into destroying her. Because it’s not like anyone else in the music industry has ever done anything untoward, right?
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It’s also reminiscent of another X Factor hopeful known as Katie Waissel – but you might remember by her tabloid nickname Katie Weasel. In 2010’s Let's Sex-Shame A Female X Factor Contestant, it turned out that Katie had an escort grandmother who charged £250 a hour on a website called Vintage Vamps.
Even tabloid favourite Stacey Solomon got her own special Sex-Shame moment. ‘But despite the squeaky-clean image on screen, friends paint a racier picture. There are tales of fancy dress parties where Stacey swept up her naturally dark hair into a beehive to emulate her idol, Amy Winehouse, and evenings in bars where she liked nothing better than to knock back glasses of Malibu and Coke and belt out karaoke hits,’ one wrote of the ditsy single mum.
Dressing up as Amy Winehouse and drinking Malibu and Coke? God that’s racy.
So now it’s Chloe-Jasmine’s turn, and it's not hard to see why: she’s suddenly become a bit posh-sounding. She’s a model. She’s beautiful. She likes going to upmarket swingers parties. A very bitter ex boyfriend has bad-mouthed her. She, like everyone else on X Factor (bar a few) comes across a bit fame-hungry. It’s almost all too easy.
But all too sad, too. Yes, Chloe’s modelled ‘racy’ outfits, but she also modelled for JustForFivePounds.com in floor-length, very normal clothes. Because she’s a model. Of course, The Daily Star used this as ammunition against her apparent accent change from regional to posh between her audition for the 2006 X Factor and her current (more successful) stint, opting for the headline, ‘Chloe-Jasmine exposed as £5 dress model, as her mum defends “posh” accent.’ She can’t win either way, and she won’t win either way, because everyone has dirt if you look hard enough, and put enough effort into finding it.
As an aside, it’s worth pointing out that Chloe-Jasmine’s modelling agency described her as ‘extremely hard-working and self-funded’ and that, between her two auditions, she attended a £30k-a-year school which would play havoc with even the strongest regional accents, but that's not an interesting enough story, is it?
And in terms of the racy outfits she’s been modelling, if Chloe ever releases her own single – or, indeed, during her next X Factor appearance – she’ll almost definitely be wearing something way sexier. We don’t shame Rihanna for her flesh-baring sartorial choices. We’ve stopped doing it to Miley. So can we maybe give this girl a break, too?
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.