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Some are upset with Justin Timberlake but really social & systemic misogyny was to blame. Justin did nothing but have a break up with Britney & follow pre-planned choreography with Janet. Society painted Britney as a heartbreaker/demonized Janet & her body. That’s the REAL issue.
I don’t think Justin Timberlake is faultless; there’s definitely more he could have done when he saw the social response both were facing. But blaming him for the response of society, which attacked and judged autonomously based on ingrained misogyny/sexism misses the root cause.
Janet was clear that Justin Timberlake was not to blame. Jackson's representative explained the incident, saying: "Justin was supposed to pull away the rubber bustier to reveal a red lace bra. The garment collapsed and her breast was accidentally revealed." An accident occurred.
Even then, writers highlighted how society caused the Janet backlash, not Justin Timberlake: "Janet became a symbolic Joan of Arc to burn at the stake. The story got an undue amount of attention when the fact is, nobody has proved how her breast harmed anyone."- The Village Voice
Blaming Justin Timberlake ignores the fact that it was society & the media which took a disgustingly sexist stance, launched a misogynist attack against Janet while demonizing her body, repeating a traditional cycle of judging women & their bodies as impure, & reacting violently.
With Justin Timberlake & Britney, after they broke up, they both released songs about it. He released “Cry Me A River” suggesting she’d been unfaithful. As an artist, he had a right to share his experiences. He was entitled to his pain & story. Male & female artists have done it.
Britney’s song "Everytime" was written as a response to Justin’s "Cry Me a River", per the songwriter, and it’s a plea for forgiveness for inadvertently hurting a former lover. So both artists released music sharing their side of things with a similar narrative that she was wrong
Justin Timberlake shared his experiences with Britney in his art, which he is entitled to do as artist have done. It was the social baseline of sexism and misogyny that used it to bring down Britney in a double-standard response to how it treats men who cheat.
Men cheat all the time, yet get a pass. Britney, however, was painted as a negative “jezebel” who was dirty, impure, hurtful. Justin made a song sharing his story, and left it there. It was society that applied a violently misogynistic lens & treatment; a typical double-standard.
So very much of what happened with Janet & Britney may have started from interactions with Justin Timberlake, but if you put the blame on him for SOCIETY’S RESPONSE and the MEDIA DISTORTION, you’re missing the real issue. He defended both, but society still ripped her apart.
Social misogyny/sexism are what hurt Janet & Britney, & while blaming Justin Timberlake is easy, it removes accountability from where the judgment & attacks originated: society. Justin didn’t write the articles & stories, or form, solidify, and spread the opinions. Society did.
Again, Justin Timberlake isn’t faultless & chose self-preservation. He should’ve defended Janet more & said his issues with Britney were his own, not the world’s. He BENEFITTED from social misogyny/sexism. But HE DIDN’T CAUSE IT! That crucial difference highlights the root cause.
Until we address that, blame is misdirected, & new women will replace Britney & Janet as the cycle repeats. We see it, in the way women are still shamed for their bodies like Janet was. In the way men still get a pass for cheating, but women are held to near-religious standards.
Until we assign accountability/responsibility appropriately, & actually address the rampant sexism & virulent misogyny ingrained society, instead of looking for avatars of it, we’ll keep seeing this cycle. There’ll be a new Justin/Janet/Britney. The issue was & still IS societal.
