She's one of the most recognizable celebrities in the world.
The youngest sibling in her generation of an iconic family, Janet Jackson became a star
in her own right.
But while she has celebrated decades of massive success, she has also suffered many challenges
along the way.
Here's why Janet Jackson is still turning heads.
Despite her superstar status today, Jackson was born into very humble beginnings.
Conservative and lower-middle class, her parents, Katherine and Joe Jackson, had a large family
of 10 children, including son, Michael, and daughter, Janet, the latter of whom was born
on May 16th, 1966.
Even though she started out in show biz early in her life, having been raised under her
devout Jehovah's Witness mother's watchful eye, Jackson did not celebrate holidays like
Christmas or her birthday, and she was encouraged to be modest and wholesome in how she dressed
and behaved.
"Is there something you want?"
"Uh-huh.
Him."
This image would stay with her for many years to come.
That is, until she totally changed things up…
As her star continued to rise, Jackson began to take bigger risks.
Gone was the reserved young girl we had seen earlier in her career, and, in her place,
a confident young woman began to emerge.
Jackson's willingness to embrace her sensuality was never more apparent than in 1993, when
she posed topless for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Covered by just a pair of hands, which were later revealed to be those of a man she had
secretly married, Jackson simultaneously caused controversy while becoming a bona fide idol.
But darker things were stirring under the surface.
After releasing her career look-back album, Design of a Decade, Jackson renewed her contract
with Virgin Records for a reported $80 million which, at the time, was unheard of in the
industry.
From the outside, it may have looked like the happiest time in her life, but her follow-up
album revealed otherwise.
"Velvet rope's been put up to shut people out, you know, in terms of..."
"Shut people out, not letting people get to know us, not getting to know ourselves even."
When The Velvet Rope was released in 1997, it was immediately obvious that the tone was
more personal and serious than anything Jackson had recorded before.
Not only was she physically transformed, sporting tattoos, a nose piercing, and flaming red
hair, but her lyrics were also more revealing.
The New York Times called The Velvet Rope Jackson's quote "most daring, elaborate, and
accomplished album," tackling themes including depression, anxiety, domestic violence, and
anti-gay sentiment.
She went on to use the accompanying tour to work with retired General Colin Powell on
the "America's Promise" initiative to support at-risk youth.
While Jackson had previously shown support for the LGBT community, nothing solidified
her status quite like her album The Velvet Rope.
The effort won her the award for "Outstanding Music" at the 9th Annual GLAAD Media Awards
in '98, and her single "Together Again" was heralded as a quote "anti-homophobia" anthem.
Incredibly, she donated a portion of the proceeds to the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
"You're probably thinking you're all alone, but you're not.
There is a world of acceptance waiting for you."
Ten years later at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, Jackson also received the Vanguard
Award for promoting equality.
As the organization's president explained,
"Ms. Jackson has a tremendous following inside the LGBT community and out, and having her
stand with us against the defamation that LGBT people still face in our country is extremely
significant."
In 2001, huge stars, including Britney Spears, Destiny's Child, Pink, Usher, Jennifer Lopez,
and the late Aaliyah, gathered for a ceremony honoring Jackson with the very first MTV Icon
Award for her contributions to music, videos, and pop culture.
The event featured incredible performances and commentary that even included a young
Beyoncé Knowles revealing how much Jackson had inspired her.
She said,
"In the third grade and fourth grade, I used to dress up like her.
I know all the kids at my school thought I was trying to be grown up.
I had the lipstick, had the hair, even had some leather boots.
But at that time they weren't real leather.
But I tried."
It was a big deal when the NFL announced that Janet Jackson would be performing during the
halftime show for Super Bowl 38 in 2004.
She performed a medley of hits before launching into a duet with Justin Timberlake, something
that would go down as one of the most controversial performances in Super Bowl history.
"He was to take and rip the piece off that he did…"
"The leather piece."
"...but more came off than what was supposed to."
As the pair performed "Rock Your Body," Timberlake pulled off a piece of Jackson's costume, exposing
her breast.
The mishap prompted both singers to issue an apology after the show, explaining that
she had suffered an accidental wardrobe malfunction.
But while the error barely affected Timberlake, Jackson's career took a sudden nosedive.
"It's an understatement to say that it was sort of unfair."
Both singers were slated to appear at the 46th Grammy Awards, but Jackson's invite was
rescinded.
Her involvement in a Lena Horne biopic also abruptly ended, and a statue of Mickey Mouse
wearing a Rhythm Nation costume was removed from Walt Disney World.
The controversy also derailed the release of her Damita Jo album in March 2004.
Her music was also blacklisted from radio and music channels, a ban that continued for
another two albums, and something from which her career has never fully recovered.
When the "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, died at the age of 50 in June 2009, accusations
of abuse shrouded his death in controversy.
But Janet didn't hesitate to speak up on her brother's behalf.
At the 2009 BET Awards, she told the audience,
"I'd just like to say, to you, Michael is an icon, to us, Michael is family.
And he will forever live in all of our hearts.
On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of
your support.
We miss him so much."
Months later, she dedicated her performance of "Scream" to her brother at the 2009 MTV
Video Music Awards.
The network stated,
"There was no one better than Janet to anchor it and send a really powerful message."
On top of being an accomplished singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress, Jackson is also a best-selling
author.
Through her writing, Janet revealed she had come a long way since her darker days, but
remembered with E! News,
"I was very, very sad.
Very down.
Couldn't get up sometimes.
There were times when I felt very hopeless and helpless, and I felt like [the] walls
were kind of closing in on me."
In 2011, she released her self-help book, True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving
Yourself, which takes fans inside Jackson's struggles with body image and confidence,
and the book quickly topped the New York Times' Best Seller list.
Janet said she hoped her message can inspire readers of all ages, saying,
"I wish I had a book like this to read when I was a kid, maybe it would have helped me."
Over the years, Jackson's weight has fluctuated wildly.
The singer has admitted to falling into the trap of yo-yo dieting for more than three
decades, stemming from negative messages she received about her body starting from a very
young age.
"I got called slaughter hog, pig, cow, horse, donk.
I got called a lot of names."
But by the time 2012 rolled around, the performer decided to partner up with Nutrisystem to
conquer her own demons, while changing the lives of others.
"This is what success looks like."
In addition to sponsoring the weight-loss program, she helped donate $10 million worth
of food to the hungry, proving that as she empowered herself, she also empowered others.
"I believe in a world where zero children die from malnutrition."
In the ultimate power play, Jackson gave herself more creative freedom by establishing her
own record company.
She launched her Unbreakable album through her Rhythm Nation label, followed by a world
tour.
Long-time collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis explained that the album's title and
theme reflected quote "being able to be vulnerable and to be able to withstand what comes to
you," without breaking down.
After securing a publishing partnership with BMG allowing her to release music through
the Rhythm Nation label, Jackson expressed her gratitude via her website, saying,
"Thank you to the talented team at BMG, my new artistic home.
The opportunity to be creative in music and every form of entertainment has great potential
here."
Jackson shocked fans in 2013 by confirming that she had married Qatari businessman,Wissam
Al Mana, in a private ceremony the year before.
And just weeks before her 50th birthday in 2016, she flipped the script again by tweeting
that she was going to take time off from touring to focus on starting a family.
A few months later in October 2016, she announced that she was expecting her first baby with
her husband.
The couple welcomed their son, Eissa, in January 2017, but split soon after.
Even so, regardless of her relationship status, Jackson seems to be relishing in her role
as a mother.
"He's my first…"
"Okay."
"...and foremost.
He comes first.
Everything else falls behind that."
In late 2017, fans started to notice Jackson's new svelte and visibly fit figure.
Considering she had given birth to her first child less than a year prior to revealing
her stunning transformation, fans were dying to know her secret.
According to trainer Paulette Sybliss, the "secret" to Jackson's 70-pound weight loss
was actually no secret at all.
Jackson shed the extra pounds by committing to an exercise regimen and working tirelessly
toward her goal.
"There were days she didn't wanna see me, but she gave me 100 percent every single session.
She's really such a professional."
Sybliss told E! News,
"I started training her about six weeks after she had Eissa…We had a very vigorous training
schedule.
We were training a minimum of four times a week and the sessions were never less than
45 minutes, no more than an hour.
[It was] very intense, though.
Very intense training."
"Anybody can just lose weight, but it's about learning how to maintain."
For fans, it might come as a surprise to learn Jackson's training didn't include any traditional
cardio, and she even ate some carbs.
As Sybliss told E! News, weight training was the key to quote "creating that fat burning
affect both during the session and [after]."
Jackson looked better than ever when she took to the stage to perform some of her most beloved
hits at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards.
Showing off her 70-pound weight loss, Jackson proved she was as much of a superstar as she
was 20 years ago.
In addition to wowing the crowd with her epic performance, the songstress also delivered
an inspiring speech while accepting the coveted Global Icon Award.
She said,
"Tonight I feel moved to speak for women whose voices have been stifled.
I am one of those women.
Women who have been gagged, both literally and emotionally.
Women who have been abused.
Women who have been intimidated.
Women who have lived in fear.
I stand with you.
You are my sisters."
"I know I've worked for a long time in this business, but there's so much more I wanna
do."
Few celebrities have been able to escape accusations of plastic surgery, regardless of whether
or not they actually went under the knife.
In June 2019, Jackson found herself the subject of vicious plastic surgery rumors, with some
media outlets reporting that the singer had undergone multiple procedures.
Though he has not treated Jackson personally, Dr. Dennis Schimpf of Sweetgrass Plastic Surgery
told Radar Online,
"Most recently, I would say that her face has changed dramatically.
I believe that she's had eyelid surgery, otherwise known as Blepharoplasty, as well as an eyebrow
lift.
Janet's nose also appears to have undergone a significant transformation."
Apparently, some Twitter users also noticed Jackson's allegedly changing face, and it
turns out, some of the singer's fans think Jackson's features should be left untouched.
One user tweeted,
"I think Janet Jackson was already extremely gorgeous and didn't need plastic surgery on
her face."
Even still, others are impressed with Jackson's rumored surgery.
One Twitter fan praised the songstress, tweeting,
"She is a plastic surgery success story for sure!
Looking good as hell."
"I think it's in my DNA."
"Right."
"I really do.
That and castile soap, it's the only thing."
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