Kelly Clarkson, who recently married talent manager Brandon Blackstock in a romantic Tennessee country wedding, opened up during a new interview with Time magazine on her stance on women's rights and whether nor not she considers herself a feminist.
"I wouldn't say [I'm a] feminist, that's too strong," Clarkson said. "I think when people hear feminist it's just like, 'Get out of my way I don't need anyone'. I love that I'm being taken care of, and I have a man that's an actual leader. I'm not a feminist in that sense... but I've worked really hard since I was 19, when I first auditioned for Idol."
Clarkson rose to fame after starring in and winning the first season of "American Idol" in 2002, having released five studio albums since then, including her latest Christmas album, "Wrapped In Red." Unlike some of her contemporaries, Clarkson has stuck to a relatively non-sexual image despite her celebrity and status as a pop star.
"There've always been women in the industry who have pushed the envelope - Cher, Madonna, Annie Lennox. I don't think anything different is going on. People say, 'Oh, you never go for the whole sex-appeal thing.' Well, I don't ever not go for it, either. I just go for who I am. People in the industry have tried douche moves with me, but of course they're going to, because they make money when girls do that," the star told Time.
As for stars like Miley Cyrus who use their sexuality to their advantage, Clarkson admitted she had no insight on the matter.
"I honestly don't, because we're nothing alike - I wasn't a child star," she said. "I have no idea what her life was like or what she goes through."
Clarkson did offer up the opinion, however, that country stars tend to be kinder than pop stars. The 31-year-old singer told Time that she had a lot of help from Reba along the way, and when it comes to political views, she's not set on one party in particular.
"I voted Republican at first. And then I voted for Barack the last two times. I feel like the parties have switched on what they set out to do. I’m probably more of a libertarian. I was for Ron Paul. I just love the guy that says it like it is and isn’t trying to skirt around things and make them look pretty so he can get voted for. I’ve never been the polished type," she admitted.
