As a member of Girls Aloud, Cheryl was initially recognised as a teen idol. She mentioned her rise to stardom: "[...] it was a really difficult transition to go through. Coming in to this industry and being an object. [...] I really struggled with that adjustment." She felt "uncomfortable" in wearing "short skirts and some outfits that were quite sexy" as a member of the group, but said "it wasn’t trying to be sexual. I would never do something I didn’t want to do". Her relationship with footballer Ashley Cole was subject of intense media scrutiny and she was labelled a football "WAG", a term she found "derogatory".