Why is Tate McRae pushing back on fashion shaming? Pop star defends seemingly provocative style in new cover story

Tate McRae is Rolling Stone's January 2026 cover star and she opened up about her big 2025 moments, including the scrutiny she received for wearing seemingly provocative clothing. She discussed the topic of her fashion choices while talking about her hit song Purple Lace Bra from her So Close to What album. 

She talked about being shamed by the media for her clothes in the interview with Rolling Stone, published on December 11. She said: 

"People always want girls to put themselves out there. And the second they do, they get ripped apart for it."

The Greedy singer recalled a certain instance when she felt proud and confident about her work, only for her to be shamed for it. Tate McRae added:

"I was feeling s*xual and confident for the first time in my life, and then I would release something and feel s*xualized, and feel like all of my work and effort was taken away from me."

She also lamented the fact that scrutiny towards women is still happening and may have even gotten worse over the years.

She also spoke about people putting too much attention on little things girls like her do when men wouldn't be scrutinized for doing the same things. 

However, McRae is not swayed by her critics. She remains excited to perform Purple Lace Bra to her fans, especially the line in the bridge, 'You only listen when I'm undressed.'

She said hearing the girls in the front row screaming the line gives her "full-body chills" because it feels like they are having a shared experience. 

Tate McRae opened up about the backlash over her collab with Morgan Wallen

Another thing that Tate McRae had to defend in her new Rolling Stone cover story is her collaboration with country star Morgan Wallen. She was featured in his single What I Want, which was released in May 2025, for the album, I'm the Problem. 

What I Want became McRae's first chart-topping hit, per Rolling Stone. But the collab also earned her a fair share of criticism rooted in Wallen's colorful history, including his use of racial slurs in 2021 and the 2024 bar incident in Nashville when he threw a chair off the roof. 

When asked about the backlash she received for working with Wallen, Tate McRae opened up about her love of country music and being excited when she first heard that she had the opportunity to do a country song. She said: 

"Honestly, country music is huge where I'm from. My brother's always been a rabid country-music fan. I've always wanted, at some point in my life, to do folk music or country, and I probably still will in the future. But I honestly just got the opportunity to do a country song, and I was like, 'Oh, this is so cool.'"

She added that the collab was "just about the song" for her and didn't realize how it would be connected to a lot of factors.

She said it shocked her to receive a lot of scrutiny, adding that she never met Morgan Wallen in person. However, she also doesn't regret doing the duet. 

Tate McRae has the potential to earn her first Grammy after getting a nomination for best dance pop recording for Just Keep Walking.