Ok first of all, this is not a bash on these women, cause i love all 3 of them in different ways, but im seeing its not for music more and more. Ok so lets approach this problem, Beyonce recently made a statement about not being taken seriously. So where does the problem lie, with us, or them, the industry and what it does to promote women are all of the above. Just in the last 2 months i have been bombarded by magazines showing me all of Janet Jackson, i really think i see more of her than JD does! Every newstand i pass she is grabbing her breasts. Now today i bought the new Blender because Beyonce was on the cover, so when i was trying to actually read the interview there are pics of her laying on her bed and laying in a bathtub, so what should be my focus? And Mariah well, at this point you know she will showing those legs for one amongst other things. Now im sure Beyonce wants the music respect that someone like Norah Jones has already, i mean getting to work with willie nelson,ryan adams,elton john,dolly parton, im sure Beyonce love that kind of respect, but has she done herself in. I think when you push yourself as something its hard to come back as something else. Now we can all debate about who we like, and all that but to stick around this long as at least Janet and MC have done and surely Beyonce will follow, you have to have some talent to perform, but can they get respect?

Hmmm, do they want respect?

They seem to have worked hard for fame and influence.


Shucks, even Norah doesn't always get respect, often being called jazz-light...


Mtv dubbed Janet an "Icon" a few years ago. Joan Armatrading has "respect," as do Patti Smith, the Go-Gos, Cyndi Lauper, Cassandra Williams, Rachelle Ferrell and many others...

But, the three women you mentioned are celebrated for their knack for being able to combine their various talents with highly marketable packages.

They might not get the respect of other, seminal artists... but I bet they're thankful for the compensation that goes to artists in their category.

ThreadBare said:

Well i think thats the problem, i think Beyonce has a hard time with the fact that she will not be taken seriously, beyond her looks or how she dresses. Sure all these ladies make the $$ and Im sure they wouldnt give it back to just be repsected more musically. Well i think the MTV thing cant be taken too seriously since it is Mtv and they at this point have very little respect themselves.

I disagree. MTV has tons of respect. They're one of the leading brands with a proven track record for connecting with and leading that targeted, below-34 demographic.

How other people or companies might feel about that is one thing, but you can't deny MTV's influence with its (and, by extension, Mariah's, Janet's and Beyonce's) target market.