Over the weekend, my 15-year-old niece wanted to decorate her room in a ’90s and Y2K theme. With our treasured pop culture relics safely stored far away somewhere in our parents’ basement, my sister and I didn’t have material objects to contribute to the decor. Still, we offered a detailed oral history that my niece tolerated for a longer-than-expected time. At the end of our joint verbal dissertation, my niece printed off pictures of “young” Britney Spears to hang in her room, symbolizing a milestone in the circle of life.
Basking in the glow of credibility from a certified Gen Z, I started to think about how I could work this theme into my next newsletter. I had just finished the Janet Jackson documentary, but I needed more. Whitney Houston must have been watching over me again1 because two of the most infamous supercouples of those dope days, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, and Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, are making headlines again.
So, this week I happily bring you my takes on some of the ‘90s and Y2K moments that popped up in celebrity news and filled the small screen.
Let’s start things off with Rihanna’s recent nod to the era.
Down On My Knees Over Rihanna’s Baby Bump Reveal
The week started with some good celebrity news (how novel!) — Rihanna and A$AP Rocky revealed that they are expecting their first child.
I felt happy for them, but it was Rihanna’s fashion choices that had me exulting. Within seconds of seeing the pics, my mind saw Madonna’s 1989 “Like A Prayer” album cover; thumbs tucked in the undone denim waist, revealing a belly draped with beaded gold chains. Heaven help me!
It’s tempting to claim that I knew “who” Rihanna was wearing, but I didn’t. As usual, I learned more about the look from fashion writer and commentator Louis Pisano (if you don’t follow them, you need to start now). Rihanna wore a hot pink, silk puffer coat (featuring Gripoix glass buttons) from the Chanel FW 1996 collection.
Some speculate that Rihanna wore pink to signify that she is having a girl. Perhaps that is the case, but I don’t tolerate gender reveals even in the form of vintage Chanel.
Rihanna’s jewelry choices were a nod to Madonna but not a replica of the “Like A Prayer” look. Madonna wore hand-made jewelry by artist Richard Minadeo while Rihanna wore a Chanel belt chain and pearls mixed with a Christian Lacroix gemstone crucifix necklace.
Days later, I am still not over this Madonna/Rihanna fashion revelation; it’s like a dream, no end, and no beginning. Let the choir sing.
Dear Bennifer
"It's a beautiful love story that we got a second chance." - Jennifer Lopez for People magazine.
Jennifer Lopez is on a love-fuelled media blitz to promote her upcoming romcom, Marry Me. For the first time since last spring’s revitalized relationship with Ben Affleck, JLo is talking about life and love in the land of Bennifer. Read this week’s People and Lopez will have you believing that she and Ben have learned from their past; they have matured and they are going to “grow old together.”
I want to believe in Bennifer 2.0. I really do! You will not find someone more obsessed with their past and present romance. But as an OG Bennifollower (did I just coin a term for a fan base?) I have seen it all; the compulsive rushes towards happiness, the cat and mouse games with the paparazzi, publicity stunts, cheating allegations, rehab stints, the merging of various families only to fall apart at the seams, and the endless attempt to frame every romance as one that was meant to be.
I didn’t know what to do with my concerns about their relationship, so I decided to write them a letter.
Dear Bennifer,
You might not know it, but I have been a part of your lives since 2002; I have witnessed the ups and downs you have shared and experienced while apart. I know that you are excited about the life you are rebuilding together, and so am I, but I ask that you take a moment to read my thoughts before moving forward.
Jen, you told People you want to protect your relationship with Ben and “keep it safe.” Still, it worries me that you are sharing more information about your private life ahead of the release of Marry Me. Do not let promotion get in the way of your relationship this time; it led to heartbreak years ago. And, for god’s sake, don’t even think about staging an engagement or a wedding at the premiere of Marry Me.
Ben, you have been staying away from your more dangerous vices, and for that, I am glad. However, I do miss seeing you indulging in your less harmful habit, so go ahead and treat yourself to some Dunkin Donuts every once in a while.
Both of you are doing great with co-parenting your children. I love seeing you go to amusement parks, theatres, and shopping centers as one big happy bunch. You seem to be at your best when you are together as a family.
Keep enjoying each other as a couple, holding hands, and stopping for smooches. You are adorbs!
Stay in this sweet spot for a long while, soak it up, and keep it as private as you can. If you can do that, I believe that your love will last.
xoxo Bex
Dear Jennifer,
If it doesn’t work out with Ben, marry me!
xoxo Bex
Pam & Tommy: Not Just Titillating TV
If you are looking for titillating entertainment, Pam & Tommy strips away the mythology around the 1996 Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee sex tape scandal, baring the details of a true crime story that is more shocking than the tape itself. The 8-part miniseries was released on Hulu and Disney Plus yesterday, and the first episode made my jaw hit the floor. Surprisingly, it also made me see the story in an entirely new and humanizing light.
Before this week, I would have bragged about my knowledge about the Playboy model/Baywatch beauty and the untamed Mötley Crüe drummer who frolicked and licked their way to the front page of every magazine cover. They were the epitome of ‘90s sex and rock & roll.
I knew that the sex tape was a private home video recorded by Lee on his 1995 honeymoon with Anderson. But, my perception was that one of Lee’s friends obtained the footage and sold it online, almost like a joke that both Lee and Anderson were kind of in on. It seemed like a quick sensationalized blip in time that revolutionized access to online porn but caused very little damage to Lee and Anderson. But, unfortunately, that version of events is wildly inaccurate. In researching this story, I found that the acquisition of the sex tape was an outside criminal job that led to a lengthy legal battle and the destruction of Pamela Anderson’s personal and professional reputation.
The first episode of Pam & Tommy (based on a 2014 Rolling Stone article) introduces the central plot; a dispute between a disgruntled contractor Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen), and a shotgun-wielding Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) leads to an elaborate story of revenge. To seek justice for being wrongfully fired and uncompensated, Gauthier devises Operation Karma, a plan to steal a safe from Lee’s highly secured compound. Hoping to pass as Lee’s pet shaggy dog, Gauthier dresses up in a faux fur blanket to access the property and disable the security camera. The laughable ploy is a success, and the contractor makes off with the safe containing unknown valuables. When Gauthier opens the safe, he finds firearms, money, jewelry, and the unholy grail, the now-infamous Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee sex tape.
Pam & Tommy succeeds in bringing this outrageous story to life. The backdrop of Lee’s obnoxious Malibu property and the perfectly curated soundtrack, including Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You” and Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer,” well, nail the time and place. Rogen brings humor and empathy to the role of Gauthier, a down-on-his-luck working class man carrying an emotionally abused inner child around with his toolbox. We get a few shadowy glimpses of Lily James as Anderson, but the first episode points the lens directly at Tommy Lee. Sebastian Stan perfects Lee’s appearance, mannerisms, and his King Shit behavior, setting him up as the antagonist of the series.
While the series's premise is salacious, the first episode presents a new, nuanced narrative that might right some wrongs perpetrated by the sex-shaming, women-hating media nearly two decades ago.
ICYMI: Janet Jackson - The Documentary
After years of her narrative being co-opted by others, Janet Jackson finally had the opportunity to shape it to her liking in last weekend’s four-hour A&E/Lifetime documentary, Janet Jackson. As a Janet fan, I was desperate to hear her account, hoping that she would clarify rumors that followed her throughout her life and career. Jackson did address all of the things that I hoped she would, but her answers were very controlled. I was left feeling disappointed, skeptical, and guilty for wanting more from the superstar who has already given so much of herself, just not in the way that the ever-curious public wants.
Here are the top three questions I had before watching the documentary, along with Jackson’s answers and my thoughts.
Question: Did Janet have a secret baby with her first husband, James DeBarge?
Answer: “I could never keep a child away from James,” Jackson said. “How could I keep a child from their father? I could never do that; that’s not right.”
Thoughts: Okay, but that’s not a “no.” My obsessive brain needed a hard “no.” Is it any of my business? No. Do I believe her? Not really. Do I respect her decision to answer it that way? Absolutely.
Question: Did Janet ever believe the sexual abuse allegations against her brother, Michael Jackson?
Answer: “Never. I know my brother,” she said. “He didn’t have that in him.”
Thoughts: Oh god, this is a hard one. I don’t want to believe the accusations either, but as a social worker who has worked with hundreds of sexual assault victims, I know that the people we love can do things that we cannot even conceive. Nostalgia is muscle memory, and my body begins to rock as soon as I hear the first note of any Michael Jackson song. I am still emotionally chained to my version of who I wanted Michael Jackson to be, so I can only imagine Janet's difficulty in seeing him in a disparaging light.
Question: Does Janet blame Justin Timberlake for Nipplegate?
Answer: No. Jackson continues to assert that the ‘wardrobe malfunction’ was an accident. When the press began to demonize her, Timberlake offered to make a statement in her defense, and Jackson told him not to. Jackson went on to say, “Justin and I are very good friends, and we will always be very good friends. We spoke just a few days ago, and he and I have moved on, and it’s time for everyone else to do the same.”
Thoughts: I believe that Timberlake offered to make a statement and that Jackson told him not to. But I still don’t think the wardrobe malfunction was entirely a mistake. I continue to believe that both Jackson and Timberlake planned and choreographed that part of the routine without the knowledge of network executives. I think part of the wardrobe was supposed to be torn off, but the full exposure of the breast and nipple was a mistake. I watched the documentary, Malfunction: The Dressing Down Of Janet Jackson and shared my thoughts in a previous newsletter.
My unquenchable thirst for celebrity juice is my problem, not Jackson’s. The point of the documentary was to both humanize Janet Jackson and to showcase her groundbreaking career as a Black woman in the entertainment industry, and it did just that.
Super Bowl Concert 2022
I’m taking next week off so I will tell you this now… I am all in for this Y2K/’90s halftime show lineup airing on CBS on February 13th — Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar!
I wonder if Ms. Janet Jackson will pop up for a surprise redemption performance. If she does, you know I will be talking about it in the next issue of Obsessed!
See you on the flip side!
xoxo Bex
If you enjoyed this issue, show me some love 💕 and buy me a coffee. ☕️
Whitney Houston is my beloved guardian angel. How ’90s of me!
Issue #18: Bennifer, Pam & Tommy, and Janet
I adore a nice hit of pop-culture nostalgia -thanks!
I am riveted by this 90s nostalgia! Keep us all posted on the Bennifer thing; I hope it's real and not just marketing. Thanks for the great content, as always.