ABSTRACT
In just seconds, the flash of Janet Jackson’s breast at the Super Bowl half-
time show in February of 2004-exposed under a glistening black
“dominatrix” outfit by the roving hands of music sensation Justin Tim-
berlake-propelled her into Internet history. What could easily be
described as a deliberately choreographed striptease, or a terribly
humiliating gaffe to teach us of the dangers of performing live before
millions of football stadium spectators and television viewers, we are
nonetheless reminded of the effect of black nudity on the national
psyche. While news coverage and Internet downloads circulated both
the still and motion pictures of Janet’s revealed body, public moral
outrage at this “indecent exposure” disguised the public obsession with
black female bodies. According to CNet News at the time, Janet’s half-
time performance became the most searched for event on the Internet
since the September 11 tragedy and the most downloaded video offered
by TiVo, a site that allows viewers to rewind and replay moving images.1
