Cheryl Fernandez-Versini says women don't have to sexualise themselves to sell music

The singer said that 'older men behind the scenes' tell women how to dress

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini has criticised the music industry's objectification of women and says that the current climate of raunch is a bit too hot for her taste.

"I mean, sexy and all that is great to an extent, but you shouldn’t have to sexualise yourself to be selling music," Fernandez-Versini told the Telegraph's Stella magazine.

She added: "I’m sure some women are naturally like that. They objectify themselves because they want to be like that. Which is fine. No judgment at all. But sometimes it’s just unnecessary."

"If you are going to be explicit with your lyrics, dress differently. It’s a bit much at the moment, I feel."

When asked about her own past in Girls Aloud - which saw the members dress up as French maids, and strip out of overalls in a garage in music videos - Fernandez-Versini said: "it was fun, it was quirky. It wasn’t trying to be sexual."

The singer added that celebrities can easily become de-humanised by the industry, saying stars become "an object".

She said: "You’re not a person any more. They forget you’ve got feelings."