Remember when Billboard sl**-shamed Brit and Xtina

[spectral_lights]

I know this article is from *another time* (early January 2004) when sl**-shaming and the patriarchy were not widely discussed concepts, but oof...it reads as so bonkers today. Basically the article suggests that ***ual explicitness by female artists is one of the reasons for declining sales. Here's a screenshot of the article when it was in print. 

A condensed version can be read here. 

I just had to round up the most hilarious quotes: 

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Jewel for example, has gone from folk songstress to cover girl, and 40-something Sheryl Crow struts onstage in hot pants even as she bemoans that other artists are being marketed like '**** stars.'

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While some considered Madonna's kiss with Spears at the MTV Awards a symbolic anointing or passing of the vamp torch, it was more like she was casting off a worn pair of shoes. Today, the pop diva's well-cultivated image as a mother and children's book author is much more reflective of the times.

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That mood plays into the resurgence of the singer/songwriter, where audiences are eager to hear what the individual has to say...Alicia Keys is representative of the trend. Her songs are introspective and soulful. Her image, while also ***ual, also exudes strength and character. Not surprisingly, her latest album is doing well on the charts.

Why would Alicia Keys and Norah Jones be "vamping it up" when they were in different genres? Never mind that Britney and Xtina co-wrote/produced multiple tracks on ITZ and Stripped. 

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The fear is that such rising stars as Beyonce Knowles could fall into the trap [of playing the ***ual card to juice sales]. Although her vamp quotient is low, some of the songs on her latest album, "Dangerously In Love," flirt with vampiness. 

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Spears, of course, has played the s** card most often and most blatantly in the face of declining sales. Her biggest single BOMT, cut when her image was most wholesome, spent 39 weeks on the singles charts in 1998, including seven weeks in the top spot. Her last single to hit No. 1 on the chart was "I'm A Slave 4 U" in 2001. It spent one week at the top.

Wasn't Slave 4 U during the time Clear Channel wasn't playing her songs? And yeah she would be more "wholesome" during BOMT because she was just 16 then.  

[FemmeFataleBrit]

To be fair, Jewel’s transition to Intuition was shocking to everyone. Loved it though and the song remains a bop.

[BUWYGF]

The way our society changed in only 15 years from that hot mess to what we have today is insane! Only 10 -15 years ago slu*t-shaming women was even encouraged. I think that all the generations wanted women to obey to the rules of the str8 white male up until millennials grew up. We really changed the record and thats when most of the str8 men were put into their place, meaning to mind their own fu*king business and let women do whatever they wanna do.

Gen Z is following in our footsteps for sure  The moment millennials grew up enough to make financial decisions, all of these magazines and neswpapers changed the way they speak about women. 

[ohoney]

How dramatic people were back then,they look fully covered compared to nowadays, I wonder how would they feel if a video like WAP wa released at that time

[Moscow]

Now we get songs like WAP and nobody says anything, my god 

[thebritmaster]

It’s cool to be ***y but it can definitely reach a point where it’s too much 

[Broccoli Spears]

Oh so billboard have been irrelevant and out of touch since at least 2004. Good to know.

[Stefani]

The fact that they criticized a girl-on-girl kiss, yet now they praise Lil Nas X for having gay orgies live on stage and in his videos.  The juxtaposition is shocking. 

[Sia]

13 hours ago, ohoney said:

How dramatic people were back then,they look fully covered compared to nowadays, I wonder how would they feel if a video like WAP wa released at that time

How Many Licks and My Neck My Back say “hello.”