The transition from wholesome teen star to mature pop star is tough. Most artists flop trying. Others push the "mature" envelop too far, and ruin their image. Chloe Bailey, on the other hand, has made a smooth transition.

She earned critical acclaim for her first release post-Chloe x Halle. She has had to contend with criticism from fans who still see her as distractingly wholesome. Chloe Bailey addressed this criticism during a recent Instagram and gave a perfect response.

Chloe Bailey refused to shy away from her detractors during her IG Live session. She read a comment that other pop stars might have preferred to avoid. "Her sexy act ain’t believable because she’s goofy and nerdy," she read aloud.

The singer's rhetorical response to the comment effectively shut it down. "Why can’t I be both?," she asked. She also dismissed the notion that her increased sex appeal is an "act" meant to entice more fans. "It’s not an act, honey," she asserted. "But not everybody will have access to that.

Women can be both. Women can be multi-faceted." Bailey made light of the criticism towards the end of the clip, however, singing that she can be a "lady in the streets but a freak in the sheets."

This is not the first time Chloe Bailey has been attacked on the basis of sex appeal. In 2023, she told People Magazine that the response to her song "Have Mercy" left her feeling self-conscious. "Deep inside it was killing me, to be honest," she admitted.

"I started to look down on myself even more than what I already was doing with my own insecurities." The secret to Bailey's confidence since? Simply ignoring what detractors have to say. "Once I ignored it," she added. "I've been good."

Bailey has also made a concerted effort to avoid easy categorization with her music. During a recent profile with Nylon, the singer claimed that she was categorized as "R&B" strictly on the basis of her skin color.

Bailey also praised pop icons like Beyonce and Whitney Houston for defying these racially-based labels. "I was really proud of Beyonce doing Cowboy Carter," she explained. "Because Black people originated country music. It’s just showing that possibilities are endless."