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Janet Jackson in America February, 2004
Janet Jackson probably never knew she had such power – in just one breast. What a revelation…the FCC, the big wigs at CBS, the MTV producers, and mainstream America has spent two weeks obsessing about the woman’s mammary glands. Janet looked repentant, even a little sad as she offered her videotaped apology to the network, her fans and America…the ones she offended, that is. It’s debatable whether she should have taken full responsibility for the breast-baring act, but really who cared about who else was standing there, when you think about it. Then, there was a week of rumors and innuendo about whether Janet should or should not be allowed to perform at the Grammy awards. Then, came the dis-invitation, then the re-invitation, and alas, Janet’s final decision to dis-invite herself. So, while the night of the Grammy Awards has come and gone, the dust and trash swirling around Miss Jackson hasn’t…not, completely. Truth be told, because of 37-year old Jackson’s Super Bowl act, this Grammy night might be one of the more memorable in entertainment history. And, while Beyonce’ and OutKast deserve their props, Janet was definitely sharing that stage with them and the rest, at least in most people’s minds. The truth is, drama - whether it’s good or bad - is the currency that makes entertainers’ clocks tick. Most people want good press, but sadly, we’ve learned that bad press pays just as well…and, sometimes better. Most Americans were surprised, shocked, and even outraged at Janet and Justin’s half-time finale, but none of us can claim not to have seen such brazen acts in this new and improved entertainment age. So, as contrite as it sounds: What in the world is all the fuss about? Maybe we should ask the Tennessee woman who filed a suit against Janet and others involved in the breast-baring halftime show. This woman declares that the millions of viewers deserve monetary damage for exposure to the lewd half-time act. Say that, again? Can baring one breast really be more damaging than physical violence involved in the football games, or the uber-violence in the movies so many of us allow our children to watch each day, or the sexually lewd activities we find on Jerry, Jenny and the night-time reality shows? Come on, America, lay down your rose-tinted glasses, and be honest about at least one thing: Lewdness is the flavor of the day in television entertainment. Did CBS review the full half-time show before picking Janet out to censor? Did I see an entertainer wearing an American flag as a poncho, or were my eyes deceiving me? Yes…but, then, he wasn’t baring one breast. And, while the Grammy producers pretend that their hackles are up because of Janet’s “lewd” act…who saw the last Grammy show, or the one before it, and the hundreds of recent televised shows where breasts, butts and sometimes more was being paraded across our screens? Hypocrisy abounds here, folk. Hypocrisy, double standards. Inconsistencies. Janet is certainly not any sweet, young thing, any longer…you only have to listen to her recent albums to know that she understands and plays on her sexuality, and her fans’ interest in sex. But, neither are at least a dozen other women who have never been censored by network TV or the FCC, or the Grammy awards show. And, maybe, unlike some thought-provoking columnists have suggested, the “R” word had nothing to do with this two-week brouhaha. Maybe, it really was all about artistic expression going beyond the realm. But, then, maybe somewhere, somebody saw the sexy young Janet as a black woman… and, Michael’s little sister; and it was this combination that made the act too tasteless for the all-American audience. Just maybe. But, sadly, in America, you can never really know for sure. Janet has maintained the high road in this whole affair, apologizing to those she offended. And, who knows for sure that it wasn’t an act that didn’t go as planned. But, whatever the case, she took the blame from producers who willingly heaped it onto her, as if Justin Timberlake was simply an innocent observer. Janet and Justin has probably garnered more Hollywood and main street buzz from that one bared breast, than they could have paid for. Janet is now officially a sex bomb, and Justin is real cross-over material in more ways than one. Maybe the football league should have been the ones suing, since the two stole not only the half-time show, but the whole evening…and, the following days. And, maybe that’s what the two were after. Janet’s decision not to show up at the Grammy’s is commendable, for – good or bad - she surely would have stolen that show, as well. Alas, she can gain comfort in knowing those who love her, will continue to buy her albums; and, those who don’t, might at least be interested enough to give them a listen. What the Janet saga tells this country girl is that hypocrisy is alive and well in America, and that what’s good for the goose, is not always good for the gander. More than anything, it says that in this rapidly changing world of ours, it’s terribly hard to get it right, and being a black woman with a name like Jackson certainly doesn’t make it any easier… Janis F. Kearney is a Chicago writer, former journalist and diarist to President Bill Clinton. A Harvard W.E.B. Du Bois Fellow, she is currently completing William Jefferson Clinton from Hope to Harlem; and a personal memoir, Cotton Field of Dreams. Kearney Communications 5138 S. Kenwood Ave.#2 Chicago, IL 60615 (773) 493-2007 -- ph (773) 493-5747 -- fax janisfk@aol.com |
