Janet: 4Eva The Icon

Janet: 4Eva the Icon

Janet Jackson. Yes, I know you know of her as Michael’s little sis, but she is in a category of her own. She lives & breathes dance, sexy, performance, music…must I go on? Well, yes I will because she has it all and it is emulated by many.

What is an icon? That is a person that sets the precedent for all the others that dare to compete, an innovator; making her talents shinier for all to see, doing it all better the next time and the next, setting records never seen before, and making them all want to be her one day; from

Aaliyah[1], Ciara[2] to

Beyonce`[3], they have studied her and it shows. That is Janet.

Janet can mesmerize you with her stage presence and shock you with her lyrics…rewind…presses play, jaw-dropping, she said what? SMH, oh yes, she did. Then, you blush. She maybe too sexual for many, as seen during the half-time performance of the 2004 Super Bowl with Justin Timberlake.[4]“I’ll have you naked by the end of this song”, he sings from his song “Rock Your Body.” As he rips off Janet’s bra…oops, “wardrobe malfunction”, the coined phrase made infamous with that show. Yes, it was an accident, and she was hurt by the repercussions of it all, FCC regulations changed because of this alone, with the now new 7 second delay, all the media uproar, and being banned from the Grammy’s[6] that year, which was drastic, and uncalled for if I may say so myself, but pushing it to the edge. That is Janet.

Janet’s trickle-down effect profited the fashion & hair industry millions, benefiting from the style of Janet. In the beginning of her Rhythm Nation tour, she’s had all girls on the edge of their seats with her tomboyish qualities and hints of sex appeal thrown into her 90’s style. You had to have that key dangling from your hoop earrings, the military boots, and that black baseball cap. Then, onto the “dooky” braids from Poetic Justice. I couldn’t wait to get my synthetic pack of hair, so that my big sis could braid my hair just like Janet’s. I’m sorry I don’t have pictures of that, but I wasn’t the only one emulating her hairstyle back in the day. I can’t forget the Velvet Rope album when she showed us more so how beautiful ethnic hair is, and the hair industry couldn’t get the kinky packs of hair in fast enough.[8] If you were craving the embellished, bone-choker, you know the one she wore in “That’s Way Love Goes” video[9], or any other accessory that was made with bone around 2003, that trend was another accomplishment of Janet and her fabulous team. Even Jennifer Lopez has to credit Janet for blessing her with the opportunity to tour with Janet on her Velvet Rope tour; did you take note of J. Lo in the video? Now J. Lo has international fame, and an extraordinary career. She’s paved the way, a trailblazer. That is Janet.

[1] http://www.aaliyah.com/

[2] http://www.ciaraworld.com/

[3] http://dlisted.com/node/28097

[4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOLbERWVR30

[6]http://www.ugo.com/channels/music/features/grammys/janetjackson.asp

[8] http://thm-a01.yimg.com/nimage/31573ffc64a67058

[9] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUOkg4jFNus