Janet Jackson stirred up conversations recently for kissing one of her male dancers during a performance. The video, which has been circulating across social media sees the “That’s The Way Love Goes” singer leaning into her male dancer before locking lips with him. The video has been received with mixed reactions. Some found it unseemly for Jackson to be kissing a visibly younger dancer. Those comments prompted a conversation around ageism.
Others simply had no idea that staging hyper-sexualized performances or simply owning hers is nothing new for Jackson. As one Twitter user noted, “This nothing compared to 90s -2000s Miss Jackson.”
Below are some of the other times Janet Jackson tapped into her most sensual side without apology.
The (In)Famous Rolling Stone Cover
In 1993 Janet Jackson appeared topless on the cover of Rolling Stone with hands covering her bare breasts. The headline on the cover read, “Janet Jackson: The Joy of Sex. The cover came out the same year she released the self-titled album “Janet”. The album formally shifted Jackson’s imagery from innocent to self-possessed.
“I’ve had to go through some changes and shed some old attitudes before feeling completely comfortable with my body. Listening to my new record, people intuitively understand the change in me, Jackson told Rolling Stone about the transition.
The Hawaii Show
During a 2002 show in Hawaii, Jackson famously pulled a fan on stage. She had the bespectacled man tied, arms apart, on a cross and proceeded to glide across him. The man can be seen getting excited as the crowd cheers. In 2021, Normani recreated this iconic moment during her performance at the VMAs. This time, she had Teyana Taylor tied to the cross.
The LA’s Staples Center Show
In 2008, four years after the unfortunate Super Bowl incident involving Justine Timberlake took place, Jackson kicked off her first tour in seven years. During a performance at LA’s Staples Center, she asked a male audience member to join her on stage. “I think it is time I found a new man,” she had said, before calling on the fan. The fan was also tied to a wooden post as she writhed below him while on the floor.