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There was a lot happening on social media yesterday.
Christopher Polk/Getty Images
Football enthusiasts debated what would happen duringSuper BowlLII.
Kardashian fans celebrated the news ofKylie Jenners new baby.
And fans of Janet Jackson celebrated#JanetJacksonAppreciationDaywhile they waited to see whatJustin Timberlakewould do during his halftime show.
In 2004, Jackson and Timberlake performed together during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVIII.
The two singers performed Timberlakes hit, Rock Your Body.
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The garment collapsed and her breast was accidentally revealed."
Whatever the case, the fallout from nipplegate was substantialand incredibly one-sided.
Jackson released avideotaped apology.
Timberlake attended,performed twice, and took hometwo awards.
Timberlake received no such treatment.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received around540,000 complaints.
The FCCfined CBS $550,000for public indecency.
The fact of the matter is this.
Something surprising happened, live on TV, between two performers.
A nipple was revealed in a place where a nipple probably shouldnt have been revealed.
The person vilified for it was a woman of color.
I think that America’sharsher on women.
And I think that America is, you know,unfairly harsh on ethnic people."
What does that say about privilege?
Who is allowed to act poorly, and who is not?
Who gets punished, and who gets to laugh it off?
Neither of those things happened.
I’m not touching that thing with a 10-foot pole."
Even one of the loudest voices in vilifying Jackson at the time now admits that the reaction was overhyped.
But then in 2014, Powell told ESPN that the FCC overreacted and treated Jackson unfairly.
“I personally thought that was really unfair.
It all turned into being about her,“he said.
“In reality, if you slow the thing down, it’s Justin ripping off her breastplate.”
He never acknowledged what happened with Jackson (though he did includea potential (?)
callbackin his performance).
