The most famous fashion failure: what you can learn from the documentary about Janet Jackson

Juliette Morgan
The most famous fashion failure: what you can learn from the documentary about Janet Jackson

The Hulu and FX platforms present a new documentary from The New York Times Presents series. The previous tape from this series was dedicated to Britney Spears, now the focus is on Janet Jackson, and to a greater extent - one of the brightest moments in the entire career of the star. Yes, yes, we are talking about the very scandalous performance of Michael Jackson's sister at the 2004 Super Bowl, when her number partner Justin Timberlake accidentally (accidentally?) he demonstrated Janet's breasts to the whole of America and the whole world live. The documentary is called - Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson ("Fashion Failure: Undressing Janet Jackson").The film, of course, will tell you how Jackson's career developed, but most of the screen time is devoted to the sensational performance with Timberlake. The main reason for the controversy that the incident generated is how differently this episode affected the reputation and career of the two stars and how differently the public perceived it. If Justin continued to rapidly move to the peak of popularity, then Janet faced shaming: the media openly laughed at the singer. And this despite the fact that the artist's chest was visible for only a fraction of a second! So, what is the film about? We have collected some of the most interesting moments.

Janet has faced bullying since childhood

As it turns out, the actress is no stranger to shaming. She has been acting in TV series since the age of 11 and says that even then she felt vulnerable because of comments about her appearance. On the set of the sitcom "Good Times", the girl's breasts were tightly bandaged to make her look less curvaceous. For the same project, she was somehow asked to lose weight. I immediately thought I didn't look good enough,

Janet recalls. According to her, she also got it from the closest ones: the brothers (Jackson had five of them) practiced wit, giving her sister nicknames like "donkey" or "mare". The exposure on stage was "almost" accidental

According to the film, to some extent, "nudity" during the duet performance of Timberlake and Jackson was planned — but something went wrong. Justin was touring Europe at the time, and he and Janet had little time to rehearse for a joint release. Initially, the idea arose that in the finale of the performance Timberlake tore off his partner's skirt and she would remain in one bodysuit. It was supposed to happen right on the line from Justin's hit Rock Your Body: "I bet you'll be naked by the end of this song." Then they decided that the "focus" would be with the upper part of the singer's costume. According to the producer of the show, Justin, Janet and her stylist met in the dressing room before the performance and agreed that Timberlake would pull Jackson's top, under which there would be a red bra. However, it turned out that he pulled the top together with the bra and Janet's breasts were seen by all 140 million viewers. The fact that she was decorated with a silver accessory in the form of a star left most viewers in no doubt that the accident was not accidental.

That very moment was not immediately noticed

According to the creators of the tape, even the producers of the show did not immediately realize what had happened until they were hit by a flurry of calls from the media. Immediately after the performance, Janet hurriedly left the venue, and Justin apologized to the audience for the incident, but said in an interview that "it turned out funny." According to the authors of the documentary, the press then turned against Jackson: everyone believed that she should apologize. In addition, it was her who was suspected that the exposure was rigged. In the end, Janet issued two apologies at once and took responsibility for the embarrassing incident. But then the singer was criticized even more — for the fact that her reaction was not instantaneous. Jackson later admitted in an interview with Oprah: in her opinion, she should not have apologized for what was just an accident.

Jackson's career was under attack after the Super BowlThey say the scandal was so hot that it even led to several dismissals in the team preparing the show. Janet herself was not presented in the best light in the press: the tabloids were discussing her forms with might and main, one article said that she had "absolutely ordinary breasts of a middle-aged woman", in the TV show the star was reproached that she was allegedly no longer at the age to undress on stage (meanwhile, the singer was 37 years old at that time). It got to the point that sales of Janet Damita Jo's album fell, although it had previously made a great start in the charts, radio stations preferred not to put her tracks on the air, and the MTV channel stopped playing her clips. At the same time, Justin Timberlake's career was on the rise, and, according to the position of the authors of the film, he got away with it, distancing himself from Janet and the whole situation. Moreover, in 2018 Timberlake sang at the Super Bowl again, but Jackson never participated in the show again. Many fans of Janet still believe that it was Justin who did the wrong thing in this situation, because he "defamed" a colleague.

More in the section Celebrity

People: Pete Davidson visited a psychologist because of Kanye West's threats
Celebrity

People: Pete Davidson visited a psychologist because of Kanye West's threats

Pete Davidson, Kim Kardashian's ex-boyfriend, whose breakup became known last week, had to visit a psychologist because of harassment and th...

'Grease' star Olivia Newton-John dies
Celebrity

'Grease' star Olivia Newton-John dies

Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John has died at the age of 73. This was reported in her official accounts in social networks. O...

Lars von Trier diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
Celebrity

Lars von Trier diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

Danish director Lars von Trier has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This was announced by the Zentropa film company founded by him....

Ashton Kutcher opens up about rare autoimmune disease that nearly blinded him: 'I'm lucky to be alive'
Celebrity

Ashton Kutcher opens up about rare autoimmune disease that nearly blinded him: 'I'm lucky to be alive'

Actor Ashton Kutcher spoke for the first time about a rare autoimmune disease that nearly robbed him of his sight, hearing and ability to wa...

Snezhana Georgieva spoke about nutrition, her daughter and the development of taste
Celebrity

Snezhana Georgieva spoke about nutrition, her daughter and the development of taste

Secular diva Snezhana Georgieva once again held a Q&A column among her followers on Instagram* and spoke about her daughter Sophia, diet...

Kanye West reacts to news of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson's breakup
Celebrity

Kanye West reacts to news of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson's breakup

Kanye West reacted to the news about the breakup of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian with comedian Pete Davidson. On Instagram*, the rapper posted...

Mike Tyson accused the creators of the series about his life of stealing a biography: "They stole my story"
Celebrity

Mike Tyson accused the creators of the series about his life of stealing a biography: "They stole my story"

Mike Tyson has accused the creators of the Mike biopic, streaming platform Hulu, of stealing his biography. In social networks, the boxer sa...

Off-duty: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky on a walk in New York
Celebrity

Off-duty: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky on a walk in New York

Singer Rihanna and her lover A$AP Rocky got into the lenses of the paparazzi during an evening walk around New York. For a walk, Rihanna, wh...

Limp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst married for the fourth time
Celebrity

Limp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst married for the fourth time

Limp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst married for the fourth time. This is reported by TMZ, citing documents obtained by journalists. The cerem...

Selena Gomez says she wants to get married and have kids
Celebrity

Selena Gomez says she wants to get married and have kids

Selena Gomez gave an interview to the Giving Back Generation podcast in which she shared her plans for the future. The singer admitted that...


Top of online calculators in 2023 year
Entertainment

Top of online calculators in 2023 year

People: Pete Davidson visited a psychologist because of Kanye West's threats
Celebrity

People: Pete Davidson visited a psychologist because of Kanye West's threats

'Grease' star Olivia Newton-John dies
Celebrity

'Grease' star Olivia Newton-John dies

Lars von Trier diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
Celebrity

Lars von Trier diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

Ashton Kutcher opens up about rare autoimmune disease that nearly blinded him: 'I'm lucky to be alive'
Celebrity

Ashton Kutcher opens up about rare autoimmune disease that nearly blinded him: 'I'm lucky to be alive'

Snezhana Georgieva spoke about nutrition, her daughter and the development of taste
Celebrity

Snezhana Georgieva spoke about nutrition, her daughter and the development of taste

Kanye West reacts to news of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson's breakup
Celebrity

Kanye West reacts to news of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson's breakup

Mike Tyson accused the creators of the series about his life of stealing a biography: "They stole my story"
Celebrity

Mike Tyson accused the creators of the series about his life of stealing a biography: "They stole my story"

Off-duty: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky on a walk in New York
Celebrity

Off-duty: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky on a walk in New York

Limp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst married for the fourth time
Celebrity

Limp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst married for the fourth time

Selena Gomez says she wants to get married and have kids
Celebrity

Selena Gomez says she wants to get married and have kids

Renee Zellweger reveals she loves getting old and criticizes anti-aging ads
Celebrity

Renee Zellweger reveals she loves getting old and criticizes anti-aging ads

Jessica Chastain arrived on a visit to Kyiv
Celebrity

Jessica Chastain arrived on a visit to Kyiv

Kevin Federline spoke about the unwillingness of his common children with Britney Spears to communicate with his mother. The singer answered him: "It hurts."
Celebrity

Kevin Federline spoke about the unwillingness of his common children with Britney Spears to communicate with his mother. The singer answered him: "It hurts."

US police are looking for a thief, like two peas similar to Bradley Cooper
Celebrity

US police are looking for a thief, like two peas similar to Bradley Cooper

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson are parents again
Celebrity

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson are parents again

'Six Days, Seven Nights' star Anne Heche had an accident and was hospitalized with serious burns
Celebrity

'Six Days, Seven Nights' star Anne Heche had an accident and was hospitalized with serious burns

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson split up
Celebrity

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson split up

Child harassment, sect and "putrid stench": what became known about Ezra Miller from the investigation of Business Insider
Celebrity

Child harassment, sect and "putrid stench": what became known about Ezra Miller from the investigation of Business Insider

Off-duty: Claire Danes on the beach in Malibu
Celebrity

Off-duty: Claire Danes on the beach in Malibu