One Titty Halftime Show...The Aftermath

Who would've thought that so much would be made of Janet Jackson's breast being exposed on TV for 2 seconds? It's been the story of the moment since it happened. Did MTV or CBS know about it? Was it a publicity stunt? Was her breast really supposed to be exposed? Well, I first described the incident as an accident, and I am sticking to that theory. I think Justin was supposed to pull off the black portion of the outfit but pulled the red lace off underneath on accident. What made me believe this was the case was the untelevised version of the incident. Immediately after it happened and the fireworks went off, Janet quickly covered up while Justin had a look that could only be described as an "Oh Shit!" look. More support:

-Janet's adornment on her breast was a nipple ring and not a pasty. The world has known her nipples were pierced since she showed the nipple ring through her clothing on the cover of Vibe.

-S&M gear similar to what Janet wore have pull off panels. Also, let's not forget that hers was not the only costume reveal. Nelly's cheerleader-esque dancers pulled off their outfits to reveal skimpier ones during the show.

-What about the supposed shocks/shocking moments that were planned? The reveal itself, if it had gone off without showing her breast, would still have been shocking because of the illusion of nudity. All it takes is to look like you're nude to get a commotion started. Britney Spears was talked about for wearing that famous sheer nude-colored outfit on the MTV Video Music Awards and she was completely covered. Then there's Christina Aguilera's controversial outfits that left extremely little to the imagination, J. Lo's famous Grammy dress, D'Angelo's "Untitled (How Does It Feel?)" music video, and the Victoria's Secret Fashion show (which CBS aired, ironically). All these instances got publicity even though complete nudity was never shown.

-So why would Justin and Janet practice the incident in secret if it wasn't that risque? CBS, plain and simple. CBS' reputation is that of a network for older viewers, which also means that they do not push the envelope. If the show was aired on FOX, the network brass may have actually approved of the stunt.

-Janet has a new album coming out...the breast stunt was because she wanted to help the sales right? Well, that's why she did the Superbowl show in the first place. We hadn't heard anything from Janet musically for a couple of years, and the Superbowl show was a good chance to refresh the public's memory and promote her new album. Yes, the breast baring may have sparked more interest in her new song and album, but it also has probably alienated her fans. As for Justin Timberlake...given that his song is the current marketing jingle for McDonald's (and also given McDonald's recently dropping Kobe Bryant as a spokesperson due to the rape charges against him), it doesn't make sense to risk losing out on endorsement money to show Janet's breast. This is especially true since his album has been out for a while and he has nothing to gain from the incident.

-Lastly, Janet supports her brother, Michael, and the stunt helped keep the media focus off of him for a while. Well, the media has an obsession with Michael Jackson that may never be equalled. Nothing Janet Jackson could ever do will keep the media from covering Michael Jackson for even a second.

There you have it, my full position on that incident. In all honesty, this is a case of people getting riled up over essentially nothing. Two seconds of a woman's breast being bared on broadcast TV caused all this commotion. While America's favorite Super Bowl commercial features a dog biting a man in the worst possible place so its owner could get his beer back. Every so often, we seem kind of backwards.