Janet Jackson More Repressed Than Madonna

Lol Nice try, Jabba.

Janet should have saved showing her tit for cable TV instead of network TV.

I'm sorry but Madonna got threats after "Like A Prayer", she was publicly ridiculed after the Sex book, she was ridiculed after the Britney and Christina kiss, she temporarily banned from radio stations because of "American Life" and if Madonna did nipple exposure at the Super Bowl she would have been cancelled and criticized by moral guardians too. Madonna defended Janet actually because she understood what it was like being attacked by right wing conservatives for her open sexuality.

Troll thread.

Madonna risked her career repeatedly because of her stunts and she had to work hard to win the public's grace over and over. Janet actually played it safe for most of her career and often chose to break grounds musically and visually rather than doing stunts. The Nipplegate thing was shocking because it seemed out of character for Janet. I agree the public reaction to Janet's nipple was overblown and it was bullshit that Justin Timberlake suffered no career backlash either since he was complicit with the stunt. But Madonna is not a good example of white privilege because she put her career in jeopardy many times and she had little to no defense for her actions especially compared to people like Britney, Ariana and Billie who get excuses all the time.

[quote] Madonna risked her career repeatedly because of her stunts and she had to work hard to win the public's grace over and over.

Well, she failed at that but it seems her few remaining shills will defend anything she does. She had chance after chance to improve as an actress and didn't. She had chance after chance to improve as a singer and didn't, and her material got worse.

The point is Madonna is not a good example of white privilege at the expense of Janet. Madonna nearly destroyed her career so many times and nobody gave a shit that she was a white woman nor treated her special besides her fangirls. Madonna has been fucking up since the late 2000s actually and alienated many in the process. Janet made a mistake and she got way too much backlash for it. Though she should have known better to think flashing her nipple at the Super Bowl would have been a good idea. But despite that Janet was still making money after the Nipplegate scandal, Janet focused on doing movies with Tyler Perry and she had a few hits like "All Nite", "Call on Me", "Feedback" and "Nothing" on R&B stations. "Feedback" was even played on MTV and BET. Janet is still well-liked and not desperate for attention like Madonna is. Janet's biggest mistake was making lame music with that shortie Jermaine Dupri. She made two mostly forgettable albums with him and disappeared for years until 2015 when she released her first good album since over a decade, "Unbreakable" and that was thanks to working with Jam and Lewis again.

The fact that anyone still cares at this point is the problem. She's not shocking, just a bore.

R6 Janet is a better actress and dancer than Madonna. Madonna is just too stiff and cold. Vocally, I would give the edge to Madonna though neither of them can sing that well to me. Both are still miles better than Paula, J Lo or Britney though. Madonna fucked up her career so badly. Janet at least bowed out gracefully and didn't release as many shitty albums or cringy singles as Madonna ended up doing.

No, the point is Jabba is desperate.

I think Madame X is a great record. Madonna is more of a natural dancer. Janet does high school cheerleading squad dancing -- though it's good. As an actress, well, both of them are mediocre.

This is bogus revisionism. Is OP familiar with the Sex book? The treatment she got from the media and the public was way worse than what Janet experienced after the Superbowl. The difference is Madonna actually desexualized herself after that while Janet didn't let the "sex kitten" thing go until she was well into her 40s. And Madonna didn't piss off Les Moonves. Madonna's newer music was also pretty much pulled from the American airwaves after she made Anti-Bush comments during the America Life period(Clear Channel made sure of that).

Who are these people?

Madame X isn't terrible. Some songs work like Dark Ballet. Others don't. Her singing has gotten less pleasant to the ears to me and I miss her when she was a street smart NYC girl not this fake European aristocrat. I think her dancing is more out of the theatre, seems more restrained, she is good at visuals, posing and presentation. In comparison, Janet's dancing is more spontaneous as it's hip-hop choreography. I would say Paula is the better dancer in terms of technique but Paula is nowhere near as good a performer as both of them.

Janet is practically a nobody these days, but at least she stopped courting controversy after the Super Bowl stunt backfired. Janet was an okay actress, she was sweet and natural on the screen. Madonna was beyond mediocre as an actress. She was repulsive. Madonna's only career today is that of being a 4th rate Madonna impersonator.

I loved Madonna's earlier voice too. I loved when she sang Everybody live on The Virgin Tour. I liked the tone of her voice through Ray of Light. After that, it gradually became more shrill and dull.

I never understood all the hoopla about that stupid wardrobe stunt. It was obviously planned and they threw JT (I’m no fan ) under the bus. Janet had no voice, and was a robotic dancer Paula had no voice and was a cheerleader Madonna could do it all until she blew herself up with Botox and fillers and became a circus act. She’s the worse in her thirst to stay relevant. She used to shock in a good way. Now she’s just cringy.

JT was not thrown under the bus. JT was seen bragging about the event after it happened and then he became defensive and apologetic when he realized he could get severely punished for the stunt. He was crying on the phone with the cbs executives and apologized. What a pussy.

I really don't think white privilege benefited Madonna especially at the time of her peak. I mean she was "ethnic" by being Italian with an Catholic mononym and she never Anglicized herself, she started out doing urban music like post-disco and synth-funk with gospel choruses, she attached herself to gay community and always a vocal ally in Reagan era America at that and she was always sexually open and had a tough, masculine energy to her. She really didn't fit into any of the stereotypes of white femininity at all and she willingly "othered" herself.

Janet can't act. If she could, then we'd believe she was a success.

[quote] What Janet did was an accident and it ruined her career (temporarily).

She didn’t do it. Justin Timberlake did.

JT was a fake as fuck. He suffered no repercussions at all. I don't think either Janet or JT should have been punished but the Janet was the only getting blacklisted as fucked up. It wasn't like JT was this groundbreaking, game-changing and innovative artist at the time.

Madonna was definitely not a better dancer than Paula or Janet. Madonna is trained though and her type of dancing worked well with her style of performances. As Janet's did as well. Paula was a better choreographer than performer but she could dance her ass off. I think Britney or Beyonce fit the cheerleader-dancer description a bit better. I would also say Mya and Shakira are probably the most natural dancers. J. Lo and Ciara are up there too.

Janet can't dance. Never could.

Britney is the worst dancer from R23's post. She could never move her legs even at her prime. And now she's a vegetable.

Um...excuse me: they were BOTH in on it. No woman wears a pasty on her a nipple underneath clothes. That's not normal. The only women that wear pasties are women who are stripping or expecting to get stripped. Duh, it was all planned.

This revision that JT was the villain and whisper-coo Janet was a victim is just ridiculous. No doubt JT acted like an ass but it was Janet's show. She was the headliner. She had the final say. JT didn't.

Janet allowed this to happen during her headlining show. She paid the price for that decision.

Ism, ism, ism, OP. But I believe you have a point, although you suffer from Slogan Stockholm Syndrome. The only people who haven't seen Madge's udders are reading this site in braille. Wasn't this the first time anything like this happened to La Jackson? I'd say W.P., plus the treacle of the tawdry the screaming yellow tabs slathered onto this particular piece of toast. Yawn.

Janet Jackson has one thing Madonna doesn't: Talent. But she's not as recognized because of the color of her skin.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Janet has no talent.

If you want to get into white privilege in regards to pop girls then call out Britney, Fergie, Jessica, Gwen Stefani, Katy, Ariana and Miley. All did crazy or said stupid things but they got massive media defense and excuses.

While, I don't think Madonna is incredibly talented. She worked hard for success and it wasn't like her career was handed to her. She made interesting music and pushed boundaries. She's a joke now of course but in her prime, she was a serious cultural influence. She had courage and longevity.

Has Madonna ever sang this well?

She was in serious decline well before the nipple thing.

If it wasn’t for michael would Janet have even been a star...?

R32, several times.

Okay.

Janet Jackson was already a has been at the time. She didn’t get blackballed, no one gave a shit about her at that point.

Janet Jackson owes her entire career to her surname.

She's a dreadful singer.

Janet enjoyed a very long career. She was big in the 80s and 90s. I think she made a lot of career mistakes besides the Super Bowl incident that did her in. Apart from ditching her producer dream-team Jam & Lewis, she kept overplaying the sexpot role despite her age. It's similar to why Mariah and Madonna lost their appeal. Not everyone is into cougars and most young people can't relate to 40 to 50 year olds singing about sex and partying. All For You was fine and it had enough diversity of dance, rock and club songs but Damita Jo, 20 YO and Discipline seemed over-the-top and seemed a bit desperate. I do think Damita Jo was a good sex album for grown folks but it wasn't commercial or radio friendly at all. Once Janet started doing Tyler Perry movies, that showed she shifted gears to an older and exclusively Black audience. She still got paid though.

Neither Madonna nor Janet would not make it past the auditions for American Idol. I don't get trying to argue about singing ability. Neither are good singers. Now if you're comparing Gaga, Pink, Beyonce or Ariana who all can sing. That would make sense.

Janet has now been repositioned as a victim whereas in 2004 she was the headliner who showed her nipple. There will be essays and think pieces dedicated to vindicating her for years - heck, decades - to come. Justin will continue to be villainized and there will continue to be essays and think pieces about how he profited from white privilege while Janet was and is the poor, suffering, fragile woman who was treated horribly and unfairly despite the fact that it was ultimately a) her show and b) her decision.

Time is a funny thing.

Justin Timberlake just benefited from being a dude. This situation is not a good example of white privilege. But he showed his dick then he would have gotten cancelled too. Britney and Madonna would have gotten the same treatment as Janet if they showed their nipple as well. Justin admitted he was deeply ashamed of how he responded in reaction to the Super Bowl and that he apologized to Janet in private about it. Janet said in another interview that he did apologize and that they made amends. But to his credit, he was a rather immature kid who just had his solo album at the time and probably didn't want to piss off the record execs who controlled his career. It was selfish of him but understandable given the pressure he was under. He certainly grew up and seems humbled now especially after Man of the Woods flopped and his Super Bowl performance got bashed. He's nowhere near as insufferable as he was in the 2000s.

The situation is totally an example of white privilege.

His career flourished.

Her career was done.

R43 Nope. Ageism and misogyny.

Janet was 38 (which is 60 in pop star years) and her career peaked in the 90s.

Justin was 23 and just went solo from the 2nd biggest boy band at the time.

Their skin color did not matter so much as their age and sex.

White privilege is Elvis getting dubbed "King" over Chuck Berry or New Kids on the Block getting more attention than New Edition.

Janet's sabotage also had to do with clearing her away for younger starlets like Ciara, Beyonce, Rihanna and Cassie. The music industry is like Hollywood, they dispose of female talent once they become too old. The industry is also run by horny old men and Janet was considered a senior citizen. The 90s was probably the last time when middle-aged women could get a hit on the radio.

Nope. They are both no talent, over celebrated, old whores. Janet would never have made it big without her brother, Michael (who was more talented as a kid than an adult).

[quote] , Michael (who was more talented as a kid than an adult).

One of my friends was shocked I thought Janet was a bad singer and he even claimed Janet is as good of a singer as Michael. I have no idea what planet he is from.

Planet Jabba

Madge did it first

I wouldn't have given a dime for either of these old broads, by the time Janet's titmouse roared.

Not a fan of either - HOWEVER by this point in time Madonna was a living legend. Janet was just a long running pop star.

Janet ruined a career that was already sliding downward and would never reach legend status.

Madonna destroyed her own legend by becoming disgusting joke of herself.

At least Janet can fade into more obscurity, and those that look back can think of how innocent her nip slip was, when all was said in done.

No one is forgiving Madonna for becoming the horrific train wreck she double, triple, quadrupled down on.

Also, Jabba, put the fucking snacks down. YOU TYPE FAT.

R47 I think Michael was a great singer up until Off The Wall and early 80s The Jacksons albums. Once Thriller hit he became more soulless, too self-conscious and more focused on popularity and less rooted in R&B. He started lip syncing sometime after Bad too. Prince deserves more attention as a singer because he had a far wider range and versatility, singing rock, R&B, soul, new wave, disco, funk, gospel and pop.

R13 I love RiRi but don’t lump in Gaga, the thirstiest shoved down our throat attention whore to end all. Gaga has tried everything under the sun for years to get the public interest and has only managed to get a little with the help of others (Tony, Bradley, Ariana). Yet, it never lasts. Remember her dressing up all the time, calling the paps, and literally walking in and out of hotels? Nothing is more cringe than Gaga. Nothing. Not even the latest Madonna shit.

Speaking of, Janet is the least talented cunt in entertainment only in the game due to nepotism. Otherwise, she’d be laughed out of any audition.

Janet's career decline was also the cause of other factors. Her personal drama and friendships and relationships ending too. Janet was a human being who made mistakes and let personal life get into work. Also, being a Jackson opened the doors, she got a start as a child actress. But it was her relationships she made in Minneapolis and LA which she did without Michael's help. She fired Joe as her manager unexpectedly too. Michael didn't help Janet at all, he didn't want any competition even from his own sister. Janet also wanted to work with Prince (her brother's rival) and ended up working his former bandmates Jimmy and Terry and released a Minneapolis sound funk album (Control). Janet and Michael's relationship declined in the late 80s. It was Michael who used Janet to further his image because she was hot stuff in the 90s. He had Janet introduce him for a 1993 Grammy (in lite of the abuse allegations) and Janet didn't vocally support Michael during this time (something which pissed him off). Michael later used Janet's producers Jimmy & Terry to produce him a hit single "Scream" and had Janet as his feature (though she's credited as his equal). He also worked with Spike Lee and Babyface. He needed to expel the self-hate rumors as well.

Janet was going through a tough time. She lost her husband and the friendship with her choreographer. "All For You" was her declaration of independence and being a single woman but she kept that theme going for four albums straight. Virgin wasn't giving her the best promotion either and released very questionable singles at that. Jermaine Dupri was another example of Janet letting personal life into business. He was boyfriend at the time and was producing for other artists. But that didn't mean his production fit her voice. She made a big mistake ditching Jimmy & Terry for her booty call and it was stupid because she alienated so many people and companies would not promote her. She should have taken Madonna's route and try to focus on what her fans wanted or do some experimental or groundbreaking work and desexualize herself a bit. 20 YO and Discipline flopping had more to do with Janet than the blacklisting. Her Janet fans admit those albums were bland and forgettable.

Superbowl thing is such a scapegoat honestly. It did damage but Janet did way more to her music career.

She should have made another Velvet Rope-style album after Damita Jo. It would have been the perfect career move. She could have had another feminist album and spoke about the slut-shaming and misogynoir. She was older too, so could have been introspective and similar to Ray of Light. Jermaine Dupri really was a mistake for her.

She also could have used the Tyler Perry movies also as promotion for a grown-up R&B album. She really let her own career dwindle, I imagine she just lost her ambition and grew complacent with the wealth she built up.