Michael Jackson, best known for his iconic music videos, revolutionary dance moves and innovative sense of fashion was aptly deemed music’s “King of Pop”, as he reigned supreme as an international superstar who artistically and aesthetically changed the music industry and who appealed to all audiences. Starting his career at a young age with the Jackson Five, Jackson moonwalked his way into the hearts of fans all over the world and led an illustrious career spanning over 30 years. Even two years after his death, Michael Jackson still holds the record for the best selling album of all time for Thriller and is currently nominated for a Grammy for his post-mortem single, “This Is It”. Although Jackson is remembered for his contributions to the music industry, he is also known for his eccentricities and ever-changing appearance; once clearly distinguished as a black man, Jackson continued to appear more and more white over the span of his career (see photo below). In accordance with James Monaco’s celebrity taxonomies, Michael Jackson was a “star”, more famous for his public persona than his professional profile (at least this was the case in the latter years of his career). However, this categorization does not necessarily encompass the way in which all Michael Jackson fans view the King of Pop.
Before and following the death of Michael Jackson, people have been in continuous debate about the enigma that is Michael Jackson’s appearance. With rumors that Jackson was bleaching his skin, many wondered and still wonder if his changing appearance signified his betrayal of the black community. Cheryl Contee, who writes for a blog centered on black politics called “Jack and Jill Politics”, was quoted as saying, “I think [it] troubled a lot of people that he left his skin colour behind and seemed somehow to be ashamed of who he was [when] he was born” (Alban 2009). In opposition, Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of black popular culture at Duke University’s Department of African and African American Studies, claims “[Michael Jackson] was somebody who most of his career [audiences] read as being asexual. And I think that many of the changes to his face, particularly his skin tone, he was almost trying to achieve an a-raciality” (Alban 2009).
In 1993, Jackson was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey and denied the rumours that he was bleaching his skin, and insisted he suffered from the skin disease vitiligo, a disorder that destroys skin pigmentation. Throughout the segment, Jackson continuously questioned, why his changing appearance matters. What Jackson and others have failed to realize is to a majority of the black community, Michael Jackson is not just a “star”, but is considered to be a “hero”.
Segment from Michael Jackson’s interview with Oprah Winfrey
Monaco defines the celebrity “hero” as someone who has done something spectacular (Turner 2004). The Jackson Five were a group of black working-class boys, sporting Afros and bell-bottoms and were still capable of achieving mainstream success. Jackson was the first African-American to perform on MTV, and paved the way for other black artists to have their music videos shown on television. Reverend Al Sharpton was quoted as saying, “Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of colour way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama. Michael did with music what they later did in sports and in politics and in television” (Alban 2009). Sharpton also spoke at Jackson’s televised memorial in which he exclaims, “[Michael] broke down the colour curtain” and “it was Michael Jackson who brought blacks, and whites, and Asians and Latinos together”. To many, it was Jackson’s contributions to the progression of the black community that made him spectacular.
Al Sharpton’s speech at the Michael Jackson Memorial
So, why does Michael Jackson’s changing appearance matter? Michael Jackson’s relationship with his black fan base goes beyond a para-social relationship of fabricated intimacy (Turner 2004). For African Americans, Michael Jackson, the entertainer, signified an accomplishment for black culture as he was one of the first and the most successful African-American performers to be considered a global icon. Consequently, what makes Michael Jackson’s appearance of such great importance is the fact that many African Americans feel they are losing an important black icon to the central system of domination; white males.
At the BET Awards in 2009, Jamie Foxx spoke about the King of Pop and said, “We want to celebrate this black man. He belongs to us, and we shared him with everybody else”(James 2009). This quote speaks directly to the idea that Michael Jackson’s changing appearance was not merely a target for media spectacle, but was and continues to be a site for portrayals of race relations and hierarchies. Jackson’s increasing “whiteness” (encompassing the changes in his skin tone, surgeries to his nose, lips, etc.) came to signify a cultural imposition onto the black culture, as if the white man were stealing one of black history’s most important figures.
Consequently, Michael Jackson’s relationship with the black community remains as ambiguous as the colour of his skin (James 2009). Many feel betrayed, and many stay loyal to their musical hero. As Stacy Brown, author of Michael Jackson: Behind the Mask, puts it, “either you loved him, you identified with him, you saw him as one of your own, as a black performer important to the black community, or you saw him as someone who basically, I don't want to use the term sellout, but ... as a creature and a creation of the white world” (James 2009). Although Jackson claims, “It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white”, it is evident that many members of black culture would disagree. For the black community it is important that the King of Pop, a man who changed the face of the music industry forever, be acknowledged as a product of black culture.
Experience with Wikipedia
The Michael Jackson Wikipedia page is “semi-protected”, preventing anonymous and unconfirmed members (those signed up for four days or less) from contributing to the page. This semi-protection is likely the reason for this particular page’s “Featured Article” status, marked with a star to signify it is one of Wikipedia’s best articles because of its accuracy, neutrality, completeness and style.
Had I not been blocked, my contribution to the Wikipedia would have been centered on the Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey interview and the discussion about his changing skin colour. I also was interested in adding more information about Michael’s contributions to black history in terms of his accomplishments music. Particularly, I wanted to focus on the Michael Jackson's impact on MTV and the ways in which he opened the doors for other black performers to have their videos televised. While reviewing the Michael Jackson Wikipedia page I was surprised at the lack of acknowledgement of Jackson’s African American heritage and importance to black culture.
Experience with Wikipedia
The Michael Jackson Wikipedia page is “semi-protected”, preventing anonymous and unconfirmed members (those signed up for four days or less) from contributing to the page. This semi-protection is likely the reason for this particular page’s “Featured Article” status, marked with a star to signify it is one of Wikipedia’s best articles because of its accuracy, neutrality, completeness and style.
Had I not been blocked, my contribution to the Wikipedia would have been centered on the Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey interview and the discussion about his changing skin colour. I also was interested in adding more information about Michael’s contributions to black history in terms of his accomplishments music. Particularly, I wanted to focus on the Michael Jackson's impact on MTV and the ways in which he opened the doors for other black performers to have their videos televised. While reviewing the Michael Jackson Wikipedia page I was surprised at the lack of acknowledgement of Jackson’s African American heritage and importance to black culture.
This all became extremely relevant to my discussion of Michael Jackson’s role in the discussion of race relations. Even on one of the most “accurate” pages on Wikipedia, contributors failed to recognize Jackson’s relationship and importance to the black community. This omission put the debate about Michael Jackson’s racial allegiance into perspective for me, as this Wikipedia page aimed at chronicling the history of Michael Jackson disregards the importance of his African American heritage and ultimately renders it insignificant to the discussion of “who is Michael Jackson”.
Jackson's Wikipedia page makes no mention of the fact that he was the first black performer on MTV
"I'm a black American, I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am. I have a lot of pride and dignity" - Michael Jackson
"I'm a black American, I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am. I have a lot of pride and dignity" - Michael Jackson
