Artistical Sexual Maturation

[Au$tin]

I was just thinking about this this morning after watching the "Cool for the Summer" music video and seeing how effortlessly Demi Lovato just put out a sexy music video, yet Selena's seemed forced in "Good for You." However, they both pull off their songs well, and their huge sex anthems were welcomed with open arms.

Yet, flashback five summers ago and Miley Cyrus received tons of flack and controversy when she tried to do it with "Can't Be Tamed" as she turned into a bird. Granted, she was 17 versus Selena's 23 and Demi's 22, which might have played a role, but "Can't Be Tamed" was much less sexualized than the other two.

Then you have Ariana Grande that gave us "Love Me Harder," which again was a hit, though she received mixed reviews when it came to the video.

Or even look back several millennia ago to Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty." Less of a hit than "Love Me Harder," and twice the mixed reviews of whether or not she pulled it off.

So let this thread be a gigantic discussion of how artists try to show their sexual maturity through their music and either succeed or fail, and why might some do better than others.

[Revelry]

I think 20-23 is the sweet spot for when this happens (successfully). It always seems to be the age where female artists amp up the sex factor to prove that they "aren't a little girl anymore." Tale as old as time...

[when the pawn...]

A lot of the public's reaction depends on how they transition. Miley going directly from "The Climb" and "Party in the USA" to "Can't Be Tamed" at the age of 17 was jarring. I haven't watched Demi's video but from where I'm sitting, "Dirrty" was way more sexual than any of these mentioned, which is why there was such a harsh reaction to it in 2002. Selena and Demi have both been releasing music in line with more mature Top 40 artists rather than 'teen pop' for the last few years so I don't think it was as hard to swallow. Ariana also had moved on from teen-pop with more mature songs like "Problem" and "Break Free" so LMH didn't feel like a shock. I think the new girls also benefit from Britney/Christina/Miley/etc. having done it already - now we expect this kind of transformation from young pop stars.

[Au$tin]

And if anyone can think of good male examples, that'd be interesting to talk about as well.

[mkarns]

Jul 24, 2015 13:27:13 GMT -5 Au$tin said:

And if anyone can think of good male examples, that'd be interesting to talk about as well.

Maybe Justin Timberlake? It seems he steadily progressed from the early 'N Sync hits to entitling an album "FutureSexLoveSounds" at age 25, but managed to do it without seeming overly contrived or in your face about it (possibly excepting the infamous Super Bowl show).

[Revelry]

I think Nick Jonas is definitely an example. Squeeky clean, purity ring wearing boybander to crotch grabbing/shirtless pop star.

[H.]

Justin Bieber?

[Wave.]

Usher, Derulo, Bieber and Nick Jonas are great male examples.

[JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME]

Madonna went from naughty and playful on her first two albums and then her image became more sexual with albums 3 and 4. Then it reached its zenith with the triumvirate of Erotica, the Sex book and the movie Body Of Evidence.

Austin Mahone is in the process if emancipating his sexuality. Same with Jason Derulo and Andy Grammer.

[allow that]

Jul 24, 2015 15:27:51 GMT -5 Wave. said:

Usher, Derulo, Bieber and Nick Jonas are great male examples.

I wouldn't say Usher. He was a teenager when "Nice & Slow" went to #1, which is a sex jam with a video that features him topless for many a frame.

[Wave.]

Jul 24, 2015 18:14:14 GMT -5 allow that said:

Jul 24, 2015 15:27:51 GMT -5 Wave. said:

Usher, Derulo, Bieber and Nick Jonas are great male examples.

I wouldn't say Usher. He was a teenager when "Nice & Slow" went to #1, which is a sex jam with a video that features him topless for many a frame.

Good point. I forgot all about that. I went all the way back to his debut

[Juanca]

I think Britney and Madonna pulled it off the best. Madonna was super radical and shut the door open with her sex era. Britney was radical due to her age and the musical style change that came with Slave. I haven't followed Janet's career but she could be another good example. Mariah also successfully sexed up her image with Honey after several years of a conservative image. In a way, Sheryl Crow's image change with If It Makes You Happy seemed radical to me...
In terms of males, Michael Jackson's more sexualized dance moves also showed good transition. The other male singer that ramped up his sexual image (as late as Madonna though) was George Michael. I want your sex was a super sexy song that started a series of sexual songs and videos (eg Freedom 1991).
Examples of past failures could be Olivia newton John who tried to be sexy with Soul Kiss and flopped miserably. I think Debbie Gibson's sexier image change with Anything is possible also contributed to her flopping.

[JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME]

Jul 24, 2015 19:23:20 GMT -5 Juanca said:

Examples of past failures could be Olivia newton John who tried to be sexy with Soul Kiss and flopped miserably. I think Debbie Gibson's sexier image change with Anything is possible also contributed to her flopping.

Same with LeAnn Rimes. Country was not here for her sexualization.

[mkarns]

Jul 24, 2015 19:23:20 GMT -5 Juanca said:

Examples of past failures could be Olivia newton John who tried to be sexy with Soul Kiss and flopped miserably. I think Debbie Gibson's sexier image change with Anything is possible also contributed to her flopping.

Re Olivia, "Physical" was pretty sexy and yet was #1 for 10 weeks, though it was softened by association with exercise (note the video, and the song's aerobics-class popularity.) This continued a trend, starting around the "Grease" era, of moving away from the good-girl image of her early hits.

[redrooster]

Have you seen this video?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4SQaPkzWD0

[JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME]

Jul 26, 2015 21:16:57 GMT -5 redrooster said:

Have you seen this video?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4SQaPkzWD0

I think it's fine if these Pop princesses want to be sexy and sexual. They're over 18. They can do what they want. Let them embrace and unleash their sexuality upon the unsuspecting world.

#BeSexyIfYouWantToSucceed

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

Jul 26, 2015 21:31:42 GMT -5 JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME said:

Jul 26, 2015 21:16:57 GMT -5 redrooster said:

Have you seen this video?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4SQaPkzWD0

I think it's fine if these Pop princesses want to be sexy and sexual. They're over 18. They can do what they want. Let them embrace and unleash their sexuality upon the unsuspecting world.

#BeSexyIfYouWantToSucceed

Your hashtag is interesting because it implies that you only succeed if you're sexy, which is an unfortunate reality a lot of the time for women, especially female singers. I agree that women should be able to do what they want (and why not?), whether appealing to sex appeal or not, but if success is only available to those who try and successfully pull it off, that's unfortunate.

[Deleted]

Reality is most female pop stars have to become softcore porn stars at some point if they want to stay relevant.

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

It's not just teen pop stars either. I mean, look at Shakira