i understand the whole "if you still got it, flaunt it" spiel, but last week ll cool j was on so you think you can dance doing his new single...with his shirt off. now the brutha is still ripped, but i'm thinking "dude, 90% of the audience are teenagers" that's like their dad or uncle up there with no clothes on. the same with janet and a few other performers. at a certain age you need to tone it down a notch

they did the vh1 greatest songs of the 90's and had Gerard (rico suaaaavvvvayyy) on there and he said it was a good thing the song eventually went away, because it would be ridiculous to be sining that song with his shirt off at 40 (before you make fun of him, he works for Columbia and helped fing enrique iglisias, so it's not like he's making this comment up from walmart)

Well IMO I think performers should rely on their wit and style after 40. Attractiveness is always appreciated at any age,but flaunting your body after 40 is plain pathetic. I think all performers after a certain age should master the art of being subtle yet sexy. Those that never need to flaunt their bodies are truly gifted performers.

Flip that... I am also sick of these really young teens trying to behave all sexually aggressive on stage, its tired.

I think as long as you're fit and nice to look at you can do it. Madonna comes in mind. Turnin 50 doesn't mean you're not sexy anymore.
I guess such a question gets only asked by someone who's younger.

They should never start.

And yes, LL and Janet are two very sad whorebags.

But that's the nature of the industry now, which isn't in the business of selling records or tickets. Every element is so calculated that there's been a parade of pop whores and a shower of random roided up, shirtless, greasy wannabe thugs. Why? Because jackasses over the age of 14 actually want to see this mess and others have been thoroughly conditioned to want it.

I was watching the embarrassment that's known as Showtime at the Apollo(not that it was always like this)and to see a grown ass man who's supposed to be some kind of artist(Tank)

1. Come out dressed like he fell off a bus transporting inmates, and into a puddle of glitter and BABY BLUE dye

2. Sing about choking the shit out of his girlfriend

3. Take his shirt off and simulate masturbation

4. Display slightly more talent than bums you pass on the street everyday

And grown ass women that couldn't have been any less than forty were falling out in the damn aisles like JESUS WAS ON THE STAGE

graecophilos said:

So... you like Tom Jones flaunting his camel toe and grey chest hairs?

It's not so much how old you are as how good you look.

But you can be sexy without showing off your body.

There's nothing necessarily wrong with having a tight, sexy body and using it to help display your musical talents per se, but a lot of it depends on how you have used your sexiness to promote your image over time and whether or not it is age appropriate for that artist. If an artist has looked extremely sexy during their career but has always presented their sexiness in style, class, and good taste, then they probably can get away with the sex appeal for much longer than some artists. Case in point, Tina Turner was always looked at as a sex symbol and loved to show off her fabulous legs, and while she always looked sexy on stage, she never tried to be sexual. Even during her mid 80s comeback, she was sexy without being tacky. Jon Bon Jovi is another artist who was considered a heartthrob and sex symbol who has aged gracefully while still retaining much of his sex appeal. Prince was overtly sexual early on in his career but has managed to present himself as a GQ-type heartthrob with good taste and outstanding musical chops over the past few years. Madonna made her entire career on being overtly sexual, but much to her credit she has toned down much of her overtly sexual overtones over the past ten years or so and still retained much of her image.

On the other hand, Mick Jagger looked like a clown when he performed with the rest of the Rolling Stones a few years ago during the Super Bowl halftime show, strutting around on stage the same way he was doing during the late 1960's. Sure, he was sexy then, but no one wants to see Gramps from the AARP convention walking around on stage looking like he's trying to pick up some hot college chick.

As for Janet and Mariah, there was nothing wrong when they came out looking hot and sexy during the mid-1990's because both of them had started their careers as being wholesome and sort of prudish, but they are both taking their sexy act a little beyond their sell date. Yes, Janet looks fabulous for being over 40 and she loves sex, but her last four or five albums have been only about sex, and lyrically it has gotten tired. Even when she released janet and showed off her sexual side, we got other songs showing her vulnerable side like "Again" and "Where Are You Now". She needs to write more songs like that which show her maturity. As for Mariah, Yes, I absolutely love the way she looks now, but I'm a little bit disturbed at the way she presents herself in public about being a "eternal 12 year old". And in a lot her videos and stage appearances, she presents herself in a very age-inappropriate manner. Would someone remind her that she is 38 years old and not 18? Plus, she has the actual ability to carry her music with her vocals and not her sex appeal (even though vocally she has gotten weaker over the years).

As for the younger crowd, if Britney could get her act together in her personal life, she may be able to play the role of the sex kitten for a few more years, but then her musical career would basically be over, since her voice is thin to begin with. Beyonce, Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys, however, have the talent to last a long time in the music business. And Usher and Justin Timberlake could have lengthy careers if they can somehow continue to show some more depth in their music. As for the whole R&B thug image, however, I'm shocked that it has lasted as long as it has, but even Ne-Yo and Chris Brown are saying that this can't last much longer and are looking beyond that to propel their careers.

I think Usher shouldn't be in a list of sexy people.

graecophilos said:

You and me both

Also they are media stars not straight up musicians, big difference. They are on magazine covers, they are in movies, and just happen to have an album or two. Ryan Adams,Norah Jones are musicians and artists who dont have to do anything but albums, they arent cover-girls or boys. But at the same time there is a serious double standard, and its really all about looks anyway, for the most part, even when people bitch about things, i see reviews on artists and all i hear is what they look like, and alot of times its for people that can sing or perform, so its a little bit of both.

graecophilos said:

No even if your body look 20 years old, there is point when you have to have respect for yourself. You should really want to share that with your husband/wife and not the world.

its a desperate cry for attention when someone that old shows off their body. thats what i think.

Dance said:

actually janet doesn't dress like a "skank" if you look at most of her stuff its baggy pants, and a hat.

she may dress provocative
in a magazine cover, but thats it. When you see janet in interviews, out and about, really look at how she dresses and its covered up.

how can you call janet a whore bag but not mariah who wears bikinis everyday and never gives it a rest.






you call this inappropriate for a 40 plus year old woman. then you have issues.
Janet has always dressed appropriate for her age. I know some of her magazine covers are racey but its not an everday thing for other old artist.
[Edited 8/2/08 16:32pm]

When it comes to this I think a lot of people just shouldn’t start.

I feel, personally, that to rip your clothes off on stage is all well and good so long as you have the talent to back it up (musical talent that is lol).

A grown man/woman on stage half naked looks a little bit of a fool but a grown man/woman on stage who has zero talent looks like a whore.

I think all performers need to realize that a little bit goes a long way. Sexuality is natural, yes, but that doesn't mean I need to see your hoo ha.

I still think as long as you look sexy and feel sexy you got every right to act sexy.
I mean, what do you say, how should Michael Jackson appear on stage next time?
He's 50, not sexy at all, but about 50 % of his moves are about sex.

if there is a certain age when you have to tone it down a bit, then there's also a certain age where you have to realize, "maybe only the person with their shirt off should be the judge of that..."

Fury said: