JANET'S VIBE COVER & INSIDE PICTURE

I love Janet, but something about this Vibe cover just looks off to me. I just can't put my finger on it. As a young black girl growing up in 21st century Europe, we were put under a lot of pressure to look good, to have smooth skin and to be so pretty that the candy effect on ones eyes would give you diabetes. Not to mention that you had to be stick thin. Of course I adhered to these pressures (I would often write poems about it). Back in '93 when I first started high school, this is when the Janet CD was released and to this day, that album will always be my favourite Janet album. I would see her on TV and be in awe at this woman's beauty, seeing her in video's like Again, That's The Way Love Goes, Any Time Any Place and If. One night I recorded Again and must've watched the video 10 times in one hour. Mom's friends would come round and say: "Toya, what do you want to be when you get older?" I would say: "Janet Jackson". My obsession with this woman was paranormal. I think it was just some phase I was going through that time in my life. Ten years later, I still have the same admiration for the woman. It use to be: "Wow, I hope I look like Janet when I reach my mid-30's" but I look at this Vibe cover and such admiration disappears. Well at least the picture below is lovely.

She is now 40 and I no longer want to look like Janet when I get to that age. Don't be fooled by the antagonising theory that age is nothing but a number and that you're as young as you feel. Age is actually a growth and when you reach a certain age, you need to act, carry and treat yourself accordingly and in moderation. She is not 20 years old any more (no pun intended) which means her body cannot sustain the harsh pressures that she supplies it with. I think all that dramatic weight loss is having a backlash not just on her body but on her looks as well. It's not healthy when you have those type of weight issues, especially if you supposedly suffer from thyroids. I know that as Janet gets older, her yoyo dieting and zigzag weight pattern will have tragic consequences that will eventually catch up with her in the long run. Janet, save yourself before it's too late and don't end up like your good friend Luther Vandross.