Evil. Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 http://www.redeyechicago.com/entertainment/kyra/ct-red-kyles-files-0729-20110728,0,4362097.story Kyra Kyles The Blunt Truth About Babes In The Buff I have no problem whatsoever with near-naked bods. I watched "True Blood" twice this week just to see Alexander Skarsgard in the almost altogether. (Okay, three times.) But sometimes nudity seems outright gratuitous. Such is the case with Kelly Rowland's current, and much buzzed-about, Vibe magazine cover. Rowland, back in the spotlight on the heels of her "Motivation" hit, poses topless with only her hands over her breasts. Yes, she looks beautiful in the photo and an online spread, which includes a pic of her perched nude atop an ottoman. Her hotness or notness, however, is beside the point. We need to rip out the page in the pop singer playbook that requires total or near-nudity from the female of the species. I blame this trend on Janet Jackson. Miss Jackson isn't the first to take it off, but she set a new pop standard in 1993 when she posed for Rolling Stone (not Playboy, mind you) in nothing more than unzipped jeans and a man's hands over her nipples. The sultry shoot has since been imitated by artists including Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Avril Lavigne, and Christina Aguilera who have done their versions of the topless pose. Where on this lengthy list are all the male musical artists? Ne-Yo wears three-piece suits. Usher keeps most of his clothes on these days. Justin Bieber's survives on his Flowbee 'do alone. Some muscled males have dropped their tops like Corvettes in the summer, but the majority of the gentlemen nudes fall into the artistic, non-sexual category. Case in point: the iconic Rolling Stone image ofJohn Lennon. Female singers, on the other hand, traffic in ever-envelope pushing sexuality to keep climbing the charts. These images send a troubling media message about the worth of women. The founder and director of South Side youth mentoring group Polished Pebbles has dealt with the effects of this pop double standard first-hand "I'm driving down the street right now and the shorts couldn't get any shorter," Kelly Fair said on Thursday evening. "Young girls want to show as much as they can...And unfortunately, it's become the norm." The nude-as-norm effect also raises another question, even of those who salute nude magazine covers. What will these songstresses do for an encore? Allow X-rays of their insides? Email: kkyles@tribune.com ___________ Lord please forgive me for what I'm about to do.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwistedElegance™ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 This bitch is a walking contradiction. "I have no problem whatsoever with near-naked bods." Good, then shut the fuck up and stop complaining about one of the most iconic images in music history. And this ho wants to call out these girls for gratuitous nudity but loves her some True Blood. Shit doesn't get more gratuitous than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyna ♔ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Pick out your arms. We're going after this bitch. I got mine ready: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil. Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 Her selective memory is a fool....wasn't Madonna naked for 80% of the 1990's? Erotica? The SEX book where the bitch is getting fingered? Was it not Cher who came before her...and Betty Paige and Marilyn Monroe before her? The sad part is that she picks apart two black female artists as if they are the worst of the bunch. She is perpetuating a stereotype and she doesn't even know it. Ugh....wait until I get off work. This bitch has got this coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodienda76 Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 So naked men is art, but naked women is sexual? Short shorts and women showing more SHOULD be the goddamned norm. Women shouldn't be wearing fucking burqa's just because of these whinning bitching sexist assholes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bu. Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 "Your turn: What do you think of female artists posing nude on magazine covers? Is it just part of their sexy image or part of a double standard? Tell me what you think of the Kelly Rowland Vibe cover and the other images I mentioned by sending an e-mail to kkyles@tribune.com. Please include your full name, age and neighborhood in case we publish your comment." You sins will be forgiven by the Queendom Hall of Janhova if you all send an email each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janetDAYZ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 I seen both sides. A diss and a hidden compliment..I aint mad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyna ♔ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 "Your turn: What do you think of female artists posing nude on magazine covers? Is it just part of their sexy image or part of a double standard? Tell me what you think of the Kelly Rowland Vibe cover and the other images I mentioned by sending an e-mail to kkyles@tribune.com. Please include your full name, age and neighborhood in case we publish your comment." You sins will be forgiven by the Queendom Hall of Janhova if you all send an email each. Already did. One from all 3 of my email accounts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bu. Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Already did. One from all 3 of my email accounts YES!!!!!!! ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyna ♔ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 YES!!!!!!! ! You know I don't play when it comes to Janet. No ma'am, no girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Wonder Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 "Please include your full name, age and neighborhood in case we publish your comment." I don't think they'll want to publish my comment. http://twitter.com/thekylesfiles Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kyrakyles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyna ♔ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 "Please include your full name, age and neighborhood in case we publish your comment." I don't think they'll want to publish my comment. http://twitter.com/thekylesfiles Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kyrakyles Clicks links. Be right back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyna ♔ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 This bitch actually replied shiiitt!! :lmao: :lmao: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Wonder Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 I'm talking to her on Twitter right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janetDAYZ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Well whats the exchange of words? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyna ♔ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 I'm talking to her on Twitter right now. What's she saying? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Wonder Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Here's mine: http://twitter.com/JanhovasWitness Here's hers: http://twitter.com/thekylesfiles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyna ♔ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Here's mine: http://twitter.com/JanhovasWitness Here's hers: http://twitter.com/thekylesfiles ....I'm emailing this bitch 3 more times. Btw, I'm following you now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimpy Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 AUSTIN!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Wonder Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 ....I'm emailing this bitch 3 more times. Btw, I'm following you now I'm gonna throw one together real quick. AUSTIN!!! All in a day's work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyna ♔ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 This is all a mess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Once again, Janhova influences the lessers.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Wonder Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Okay, I threw this together real quick, so don't give me too much. Good afternoon, In continuation from our short discussion about your article, I am still taken aback by your article and its many flaws. I read your article very carefully - I'm a future law student - and your pretenses suggest that Janet is the root of the problem behind the female musical artists today posing "near nudity". I have seen Kelly Rowland's Vibe cover, and the main flaw I see is the over use of hairspray as her hair is creating a glare on the cover. In any event, you referenced Janet Jackson's 1993 Rolling Stone cover as the root of the problem. Perhaps you misinterpreted the objective of the photo. In actuality, Janet has stated in her NY Times best-selling book "True You" (in stores now), that she had stalled all day during that photoshoot because she was not comfortable telling the photographer Patrick Demarchelier about her idea for the picture. Eventually she mustered up the courage to take the picture. The final result stood a 27 year old woman in control (no pun intended) of her sexuality and embracing her sexual nature. This is a part of life, regardless of it society puts on the charade that it doesn't exist. Perfect example of Madonna and her phase with the sex book. She was scrutinized for it. She then spoke out, "Would it sound better if I were a man?" in her "Bedtime Stories" album. In a world where women are condemned for being comfortable with themselves, we should be applauding Janet's bravery to challenged the norm. She succeeded. With that said, Janet set a template for women around the world to embrace their sexual side and be comfortable with it. Today, the musical landscape in general has become a commercialized industry focused on image and microwaved music. And to quote an age old cliche "sex sells", one could only assume record labels would employ sex as a tool for selling the artist to the public. As a journalist, you can not place the blame on Janet for her template being distorted from its original intent. In actuality, the templates Janet has set - and not only Janet but Michael Jackson and Madonna as well - have been watered down to the point of disappointment. Janet instilled a strong woman capable of challenging norms and being at the top of her game. Today, showing skin and being suggestive equates to being a sex symbol. That's not what Janet set forth. Also, you mentioned the likes of Usher. Did you not see his most recent tour where he invites a woman on stage and gyrates on her while singing (that doesn't include the preceding suggestive dance). Chris Brown, in illo tempore age 18, also performed a song titled "Take You Down" while gyrating on a rotating stage in front of young girls. There's also another musical act by the name of Jeremih who released a song entitled "Birthday Sex", where his target audience is high school children. Is that the message we want to be sending to America's future? I found it questionable how you juxtaposed female and male approaches to sexuality, while patronizing the women and not the men for the exact same approaches, and then mention "double standards" in the article. Rather ironic, wouldn't you say? So in closing, I hope that you can understand my position on this topic. The templates and foundations that the artists of the 70s, 80s, and 90s have all become watered down versions of what artists are doing today. Consequently, you can not demean them for that. In hindsight, if any of those artists knew what would become of their influence, do you think they would have done it? I'll let you be the judge. Best Wishes, A Loyal Janet Jackson supporter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyna ♔ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Okay, I threw this together real quick, so don't give me too much. You know you did the damn thing so I'm not even gonna say much. I applaud you, darling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Wonder Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 You know you did the damn thing so I'm not even gonna say much. I applaud you, darling. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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