Soulbounce Asks “How Can Justin Timberlake Still Objectify Black Women And Get Away With It?”

by Latoya Peterson

Reader Crash Happy tipped me to this provocative article published on SoulBounce, asking “How Can Justin Timberlake Still Objectify Black Women and Get Away with It?”

Contributing editor Ro writes:

Someone please explain why Justin Timberlake continually gets a pass to fetishize and exploit the image of Black women. Right now. Because after watching him aggressively pulling on a chain wrapped around Ciara’s neck only to later use her bending body as a leaning post in her new video for “Love Sex Magic,” it’s getting ludicrously difficult to understand.

It been years since “Nipplegate” after which he distanced himself from Janet Jackson, cowardly allowing her to endure the overly harsh criticism alone. The outcry against his actions from those of us in the indignant minority was quickly overshadowed by an increase in album sales, multiple music awards and an increase in his Pop stardom miming Black music and culture. Instead of subjecting his next project with trepidation–let alone dismissal–nearly every “urban” club, radio station and music channel on the planet had the masses bumping to a song with a hook that’s about shackles, whipping and slavery.

From behind a wry smile and with his hair faded he actually tarnished a reigning, Black Pop star’s image arguably beyond repair by exposing her breast on national television and then built his street cred further by bringing sexy back, Middle Passage style. He’s transitioned from the post-racialist’s pop culture dream of somewhat harmlessly lusting after beautiful Black love interest in the video for “Like I Love You” into something more sinister. He uses the scapegoat of S&M edginess in which he is the aggressor, the dominant force, to subordinate his object of desire when she is Black.

Ro goes on to argue that while both Ciara and Janet Jackson chose to collaborate with Timberlake, “that just makes his ability to exploit their collaborations to the point that they are subjugated to his dominance, wittingly or not, more protestable.”

The comments over at SoulBounce were as provocative and engaging as the post. Here are a few of the choice ones:

You talk about JT “miming Black music and culture,” but until we get away from this insular view of racial ownership of culture (and a type of music) we will never be an integrated society. By making him out to be an imposter because he borrows from hip-hop and collaborates with black women (although his last popular single was with Madonna), aren’t you singling him out soley for the color of his skin and not the content of his musical product? That seems like precisely the kind of thing we are trying to get away from as a country.

Luce | March 25, 2009 5:02 PM | Permalink

I guess a black woman can’t express their sexuality with it being considered some kind of objectification. I’m not interested in seeing this time of video ALL the time, but it’s one kind of video. Ciara’s been doing this since the beginning of her career. Let’s face it, her voice is not the reason why she has a career. All of her videos follow the same MO. She’s up there with Britney Spears in that aspect. I’m not sure why this is a JT thing and he’s objectifying Black women. As for her being treated like a prositute in the video? I didn’t see JT handin’ her any money. People express their sexuality in different ways. It’s not always the vanilla type of thing. We look at Ciara being objectified, but how did we view Madonna in her Human Nature music video?

kidadank | March 25, 2009 4:39 PM | Permalink

t’s not just Justin. Look at how many black rappers and singers objectify women in their videos! The problem as I see it is w/ these women not demanding more and lowering their standards for a pay check. The industry isn’t going to change if women keep allowing this. Justin could’ve never treated Ciara like a whore in her video if she hadn’t allowed it. She didn’t seem to have any problem being pulled on a chain and bending over for him. So, I don’t blame JT. I blame the women who allow themselves to be exploited this way.

SistaSouljah | March 25, 2009 2:39 PM | Permalink

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