The ability of women to sell music also pertains to their ability to be sexy and sell their sexiness.
Janet Jackson, now whether this is on purpose of it really was a wardrobe malfunction, exposed her breast (which just happened to have a nipple shield on it) at the Superbowl in 2004 while performing with Justin Timberlake. A little exposure of her red bra was apparently supposed to be planned but it was planned at the last minute and not everyone involved with the performance knew. However, instead of seeing her bra, the audience in the stadium and at home got a little peek of her breast. It is quite peculiar that she happened to have a nipple shield on under her clothing to cover the actual part of her breast. It is also quite peculiar that this situation occured just before an album of hers was about to be released. It is still uncertain of whether this 'accident' was planned or whether it really was a wardrobe malfunction but many people assume that Janet Jackson used her body and sexuality in such a way as to help her sales in the album she was to release in two months.
Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera are current pop stars that use their sexuality to gain attention and increase sales. In one particular performance with Madonna at an awards show both Aguilera and Spears kissed Madonna. The amount of attention these actions received was enormous. Even today people still talk about it. And it wasn't just a little peck on the lips - it was a full-out French kiss.
Looking at Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears and watching their appearance as they first came out compared to how they changed over the years it is quite obvious that they've become manufactured to sell records through their sexual appeal.
Britney Spears began her career as a sexy school girl, tying the shirt to her school uniform up in a knot and has then progressed to even sexier outfits throughout her career, even dancing with a snake on her shoulders while scantily clad.
Although Spears has become somewhat of a trainwreck looking back at her performances and her outfits you can easily see that she was manufactured to sell her music greatly because of her sexuality and good looks.
Christina Aguilera became successful around the same time as Spears and also morphed into a highly sexual singer as her career progressed. However, where Spears became addicted to drugs and alcohol Aguilera has once again morphed into a Marilyn Monroe type beauty, with the white blonde hair and red-lipstick and she is often seen wearing white, flowy dresses. Aguilera has changed her sex appeal from grungy and hardcore to softer and more of a pin-up type sexiness. Aguilera also had breast implants, emphasizing her femininity. While Aguilera was in her grunge-sexy stage she came out with a song called Dirrty. The music video was very controversial and even had warnings before it for its explicit sexuality. All of the dance moves in it are very sexual with gyrating hips and sexually suggestive body movements. The lyrics are even sexually suggestive - when she sings "I need that, uh, to get me off Sweat until my clothes come off" she runs her hands down her body in the music video to her crotch area.
Although Aguilera's style has changed she still uses her femininity and sexiness to sell music.
It is unfortunate that women feel that to sell their music they must sexualize their image by dressing sexually, emphasizing their curves, and wearing lot's of makeup. The majority of pop stars dress this way and it is difficult to think of current, mainstream, pop artists that do not feel the need to sexualize their music with their lyrics or their outward appearance. It is ironic how it was so unacceptable for Janet Jackson to have a wardrobe malfunction, costing the television station CBS almost a million dollars in lawsuits and fines but it is acceptable that these young pop stars allowed to dress so provocatively and sell their music through their sexuality.
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