Media Review #1: Serena

Nasty x Janet Jackson Review By Serena R:

Words: 331

            Nasty by Janet Jackson was released in 1986, under the album Control, which happened to be her first number one album. Nasty has won awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Single, & Best Music Video Choreography. In an interview with late night TV star Jimmy Kimmel, Jackson revealed she was in Minneapolis for the weekend and she was taking a dance class. While leaving the hotel, there were 5 or 6 “older men” standing up against the wall, and they started messing with Jackson and her friends. She was very upset and did not like how they were catcalling her, so when she told her producer, her producer told her to express her feelings into a song. That song is what we know as Nasty, today. This piece of work is iconic because it mentions how women are people too, and not just objects used for mens’ entertainment.

            “I’m not a prude (no) I just want some respect” is a line in the song that stood out to me the most. This line is powerful because most men treat women as if they are disposable, so Jackson explaining that she is not a prude, she just wants respect, shows that most men do not give women any respect. It also highlights what I said earlier about how this piece of work explains that women are people too.

            Another line that stood out to me was “no my name ain’t baby its Janet”. This line stood out to me because most men think when they call a woman by a pet name, that it is cute and sexy, but really it comes off as gross and demeaning when you do not know the woman. Jackson reinserts her dominance when she says “its Janet”.

            This song relates to women’s bodies because it shows how women are people too, and not just objects that are used specifically for their bodies. It empowers women and teaches them to remember their worth, and to be treated with respect.