Happy Janet Jackson Appreciation Day, Family!
What is Janet Jackson Appreciation Day, you ask?
It’s a holiday created by Oscar-winning filmmaker Matthew A. Cherry in 2018 (and observed each year on Super Bowl Sunday) as a means to celebrate the legendary icon Janet Jackson and push back against the corporate entities who attempted to block her bag and steal her joy following her performance at the Super Bowl in 2004.
If you recall, Janet Jackson took all the heat for a so-called “wardrobe malfunction” in which her breast was partially exposed for half a second after the double agent Justin Timberlake ripped away a piece of her bodice. Jackson immediately apologized, but was banned from the industry anyway, while Timberlake got off scot-free and continued to thrive afterward.
We subsequently learned that CBS studio head and alleged sexual assaulter Les Moonves was obsessed with ruining Jackson’s career and tried to sabotage her at every turn. Jackson was, however, undeterred, and continued to create art even under those humiliating, unfair, and overwhelming circumstances.
In the United States, there is something frighteningly religious about the way football is worshiped (football, in fact, seems to be one of the most popular religions in the country)—down to the money being made, and the minds and bodies of the athletes being sacrificed to Mammon on its behalf. While it might be thrilling to watch, to me, there seems to be something sadistic in the watching. Thus, I often choose not to watch.
Instead, I choose to dance.
So today, I join the chorus of voices reminding the world why Janet Jackson is one of our most groundbreaking, incredible, and influential artists; and why, even after many have tried:
“YOU CAN’T ERASE THE BLUEPRINT!”
Last year, I took my mother to see Janet Jackson at Madison Square Garden in New York for the Together Again Tour. We had a blast! Check out Ms. Jackson performing “Again” below!
May music be as much of a balm for you as it has been for me.
Blessings upon blessings,
Robert
P.S. Don’t forget that on Valentine’s Day, Wednesday, February 14, 2024, I will be releasing my first essay exclusive to paid subscribers. It’s called “Unphased” and I hope that it’s received in the spirit of love and vulnerability with which it was written. To sign up for a paid subscription, please click on the appropriate button below. Thank you.