August 19, 2008

Avril Lavigne Faces Possible Ban In Malaysia For Being 'Too Sexy'

By Gil Kaufman (MTV.com)

They forced Gwen Stefani to cover up her world-famous belly, drove Beyoncé and Christina Aguilera to neighboring shores to avoid a hassle, and rang up fines against the Pussycat Dolls for flouting decency rules during a 2006 concert.

Now Malaysia's Islamic opposition party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, is trying to ban Avril Lavigne from playing a show in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur after deeming the singer's stage moves "too sexy." According to The Associated Press, the youth wing of the party said on Monday (August 18) that the skate rat turned glam-pop singer's August 29 show would promote the wrong values ahead of Malaysia's independence day on August 31.

"It is considered too sexy for us. ... It's not good for viewers in Malaysia," party official Kamarulzaman Mohamed said. "We don't want our people, our teenagers, influenced by their performance. We want clean artists, artists that are good role models." Kamarulzaman sent protest letters to the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry and Kuala Lumpur's mayor last week, calling for the concert to be canceled.

A Culture Ministry official said the government has not signed off on the concert yet and that department officials are slated to meet on Tuesday to discuss the promoter's application. The promoter denied that Lavigne's show would have any "negative elements" and was confident the permit would be approved.

It might, however, require the formerly frumpy, now couture-loving singer to change up her look, though, as Malaysia requires all performers to be covered from chest to knees and avoid clothes that feature obscene or drug-related images, according to the AP. A rule that might be more onerous for the hyper Lavigne is the one that bans jumping, shouting, hugging and kissing onstage.