Before his infamous crotch grab another signature step captivated the public.
No other dance move has been so closely aligned to an artist than Michael Jackson.
And the moonwalk instantly causing a global dance sensation
felt around the world upon its first televised outing.
The move forever secured Jackson's reputation as a legendary dancer.
Its magical quality indicative of the pop superstar's whimsical appeal.
Effortlessly gliding across the stage like a superhuman at a time when
Michael Jackson outwardly appeared untouchable during the dizzying heights
of Thriller mania and its far reaching success.
However, upon the release of his next
record, the majestic quality Michael held in the public's eye had seemingly turned
sour as he became increasingly a target for the tabloid press.
Characterizing the singer as a bizarre otherworldly childlike figure,
michael Jackson was looking to orchestrate a whole new persona befitting of his
position within the pop music universe, revealing his bold new look in the video
for the title track of his Bad album all in Black zips, Chains and Buckles.
The aggressive new style extended beyond
his visual appearance and into his famous dance ability.
The routines were more cutting than ever,
and his distinctive new crotch grabbing moves let audiences know
that Michael Jackson was no longer that kid from the Jackson Five,
and that he had no problem asserting himself as a superstar performer.
The new, sexually charged dance move naturally turned heads,
just as Michael intended it to, and it wasn't long until it stirred up
controversy and disapproval from parents and the wider press.
Not that any of this mattered to Jackson, who performed the soon to be signature
move time and time again in music videos and over as many years performing.
So where did the crotch grab even come from?
Why did Jackson adopt it as his own?
And how did this provocative move affect
Michael Jackson's squeaky clean pop star image?
Here's the detail.
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For much of the early 1980s,
Michael Jackson pandered into his good guy image.
The moral rock star in a new age of global
pop super fame shy, humble, sensitive and cartoonloving the superstar
soon grew out of his Peter Pan persona and likely felt the pressure from others
to establish a more mature image for his fans.
Around this time, Michael Jackson became increasingly the subject of speculation
in the media regarding his sexual exploits, or lack thereof.
With a strict no interviews policy
and a questionable history of romantic pursuits, salacious rumors began to swirl
around the artist that he was secretly only interested in other men,
possibly asexual or show desires to transition into a woman himself.
With Jackson publicly calling out such
ridiculous claims, it's not inconceivable that the singer also felt the need
to enforce a new, more explicitly sexual image of himself to the public at large.
What better way to do this than through his craft?
Similar to other provocative superstars
before him, akin to Elvis, the pelvis is hip thrusting and gyrating
moves that shocked and captivated audiences.
In the 1950s, michael Jackson was looking
to embody a bold, much more macho performance style.
Aside from dancing, the physical act of grabbing the crotch
can be recognized as a physical taunting gesture in many cultures.
Predominantly seen by males, physical taunts are typically intended
to intimidate, shock or elicit an emotional reaction from the recipient.
Taunts can also be used to enforce one's
own position or status in relation to others.
The fitting of Michael Jackson in the Bad
short film whose character was under threat and needed to aggressively assert
himself amongst his old school buddies from the inner city.
However, this may have extended beyond
the character Jackson played into his own life.
In the midst of an increasingly hostile news environment.
The global superstar himself needed
to uphold his position and take back control when it came to how he would be
portrayed in the public eye, circumstances that only intensified,
and therefore the assertive move remained as part of his act for years to come.
According to Karen Fey,
Jackson's longtime makeup artist, the superstar's new provocative moves came
after his break from the Jehovah's Witness faith.
This came after Michael felt that the religion which he had been
practicing ever since he was a child, was curtailing his artistry by stipulating
what he could or couldn't do as a performer.
The religion's elders opposed Jackson holding a gun in a smooth Criminal music
video and therefore issued him an ultimatum.
As Michael Jackson saw it, either quit your artistry or your
religion, and confronted with that stark choice, Jackson chose his art as a result.
This would allow Michael to express himself as an artist more freely and take
his musical career into a different direction.
Much like his contemporaries in the pop music scene Madonna, George Michael Prince
and even his younger sister Janet, michael Jackson wanted to explore more
adult material by incorporating more suggestive moves and explicit themes
of sex in his music videos and live performances.
The Way You Make Me Feel,
a video or the crotch grab, amongst various other sensual antics,
are greatly emphasized causing one New York journalist to proclaim,
quote the mists, unplugged fire hydrants and downpours come off as surprisingly
sexual, and that's largely because of the sexual question.
Jackson has injected this work with much
sexual tension, much testosterone and much blatant female.
Conquering the new Michael in 1988 Miami's News article reviewing his
show on the Bad World tour similarly stated this is the first time in a long
time Jackson hasn't come off as a sexless amorphous androgynous pat of butter.
It's a welcome change.
However, Michael didn't receive solely positive reactions to his whole new
sexually charged image, with a Florida based journalist
commenting, quote I'm troubled by the new trademark crotch grabbing.
There are children watching these things,
remember, and it's an overstated gesture he's trying to stampede.
In our minds as gender,
a crotch grabbing appears to be overcompensation based on insecurity.
Well, we've got it by now.
Knock it off.
However, aside from his new signature crotch grabbing moves as a solo performer,
jackson went far more provocative with his dancing style.
During this period, heavily gilded wrestler style belts were
worn, suggesting Michael Jackson was a champion of some sorts,
but also accentuating his gyrating hip thrusting routines.
His stage outfits were tighter and more
pronounced, accentuating his dancers body, bearing his chest and throwing himself
across the stage with such intensity during performances of hits like
Dirty Diana, the 1990s saw Michael only continuing to push harder and provoke
controversy with his sexually suggestive moves in his music videos and while
performing on stage, ultimately resulting in widespread backlash.
After the release of Jackson's Panther sequence in the 1991 video epic Black or
White, the dance segment at the end of the film
confused and angered social conservatives who questioned Michael Jackson's
intentions when it came to its nonsensical violence and overtly sexual tone.
This ultimately resulted in Jackson
cutting the whole segment out of the video and submitting an official public apology.
An Atlantic columnist expressing his
confusion over the video and that the whole controversy appeared forced.
Quote Michael dances on top of the car as he is smashing.
This time he dances alone, and this is where he grabs his crotch.
Do you think he simply was hit
with an irresistible urge to do that, or did his choreographer tell him to do so?
Okay, Michael, right after you do your
Purete and the two leg kicks, grab your crotch.
I'll signal you when it's time to let go.
Controversy over his crotch grabbing and suggestive moves persisted into 1992
after Michael Jackson accepted a government invite to perform
in the Islamic city Hi Lahore in eastern Pakistan.
However, Islamic tradition condemns any public display of sexuality,
which Michael's performance now had a substantial amount of.
As a result, Jackson faced resistance from religious leaders with plans to close
airports and organize street riots to protest against the King of Popper,
forming a spokesman for a conservative political party in Pakistan stating,
quote michael Jackson does not represent our culture, our position is clear.
We will organize people to protest.
Therefore, their performance was quickly
canceled, and it would be some years before Michael would have the opportunity
to perform in a majority Muslim country again.
The following year, Michael Jackson publicly addressed his
often controversial crotch grabbing moves and his reasoning behind him
in a groundbreaking live interview with Oprah Winfrey,
describing his experience while dancing as being taken over by a higher power or
becoming a physical extension of the sounds he hears.
the attire Jackson chose to wear during his Dangerous World tour featured a gold
fencing outfit that also placed a distinct emphasis on his crotch area.
His History Tour costume largely consisted
of a golden suit made from thin, iridescent material.
The suit's pants were tight fitting, with Michael Bush sharing that,
Michael would say, quote, girls love cake, so we give them cake.
You've got to impress the men and make love to the women.
In the years to come,
Michael Jackson's controversial dance style would come under criticism,
as the King of Pop would receive requests to clean up his act for highprofile
engagements, like in 1996 for his royal concert performance in Brunei.
For a cool $17 million paycheck,
michael Jackson agreed to not grab his crotch or perform any overtly sexual moves
during the Sultan of Brunei's birthday celebrations,
as well as the same year during the History Tour, jackson was forbidden
in Malaysia to touch himself suggestively in public.
Otherwise, he would face going to jail.
As a result, Michael abided by these rules
for the concert, and the crotch grab was out for that night, at least.
On reflection, the controversy Jackson's
crotch grabbing moves generated during his lifetime barely get a mention these days
as they have become so intertwined with the King of Pop's extraordinary dance
style and his unique legacy as a world class performer.
In all honesty,
crotch grabs appear somewhat tame when compared to the sexually charged antics
performers get up to on stage and in videos.
On today's music landscape.
But what do you think?
Was the crotch grab a dance move gone too far?
Thanks for watching the detail and we'll see you next time.
You.