Janet Jackson: A Case Study On A Cultural Icon Who Misspoke

Rosalyn Morris
9 min readSep 23, 2024
Janet Jackson in concert. Amy Leiton, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

I will start off by saying — I love Janet Jackson down. You will never make me hate her. You will never make me not a fan.

I was literally just in a group chat Thursday planning to see her in Las Vegas at the end of the year/beginning of next for her upcoming residency… I could screenshot and post the messages, but of course I’m not.

Just know, I love her for real.

Let’s be clear. Janet Jackson is an ICON — all CAPS. She’s one of the most important, relevant, influential, and culturally significant artists to ever live. Period. Rhythm Nation. Iconic. That military jacket, that gloved countdown, that warehouse, and those moves are emblazoned in the culture’s psyche for anybody who knows and loves music. That music video will never be duplicated. Janet. A classic. If, That’s The Way Love Goes, Again, Because Of Love, and Any Time, Any Place all on one album. Insane. Control. Another classic album. What young woman hasn’t felt the lyrics to the titular single to their core? Nasty. That song gave us the infamous line — No, my first name ain’t baby. It’s Janet. Miss Jackson if ya’ nasty. All For You. Another classic album from Janet J. Damita Jo. Discipline. Underrated classics from Mother. Velvet Rope. My favorite. I mean this album…what can I say? I want to pay homage to it with my hair and…

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