Olaf
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This is an editorial that appeared in the Guardian, a British newspaper.
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How low can J-Lo go?
Jennifer Lopez's music career is three albums and three relationships old. Ben Affleck should be worried when it's time for her fourth album, says Colin Paterson
Saturday November 16, 2002
The Guardian
When Jennifer Lopez launched her own perfume it was proof she would use every aspect of her life to market herself. Here was a woman willing to sell the smell of her own skin. Boyfriends being publicity tools was merely par for the course.
What is remarkable about J-Lo is the extent to which she has chosen to define herself by her beaus. Her music career is three albums and three relationships old. She has managed to appear in a video with each of her fellas. Only Pammy Anderson can claim to keep up with a record like that.
The companion piece to her new CD This Is Me... Then is a relationship with Ben Affleck. He stars in the video for the first single, Jenny From The Block. Some may consider this degrading, but after Pearl Harbor anything was going to be an improvement. And when Ben pings her bikini bottoms it look like he is hunting for more than goodwill.
Despite this week's engagement announcement, many are still dubious about the reality of the J-Lo/Affleck relationship. It does seem mighty handy given that J-Lo has a new album coming out and they have made two films together that need to be publicised. But the new Lopez album does includes a track Dear Ben. One assumes Michael Jackson is not being two-timed by his rat.
What the Jenny From The Block video plays on is the idea of media intrusion into Lopez's relationships. Now magazine even fell into the trap and printed fake long-lens shots from the video of Ben and Jen "stealing a kiss".
But here is the problem. A pop video is the most base way to market your image as a commodity. Including your partner in one (no matter what the context) automatically reduces the relationship to the status of marketing tool.
Doing this once could be seen as a mistake (just look at Shakira and her bloke in Underneath Your Clothes). But with J-Lo only her first husband Ojani Noa (from her pre-international superstar days) has missed out on the honour. His consolation prize includes still being the manager of her restaurant in Pasadena.
It is telling that pop promos actually document the major relationships in her life. The start of her love affair with Puff Daddy is seen as they lark around together in his Been Around The World video. But this romance was clearly over by the time she appeared in Love Don't Cost A Thing, apparently on the phone to an imaginary boyfriend saying she cannot be bought.
Her marriage with Cris Judd can be traced from the happy days of getting frisky with him in I'm Real through to the clear break-up signs - Ain't It Funny, where she's flirting away with Ja Rule. Shortly afterwards Cris was not just missing a consonant in his name, but a wife in his home. Not to mention his dignity. He can currently be seen in the I'm Right Here video, riding in Samantha Mumba's fire engine.
Ben Affleck should be worried when it is time for Lopez's fourth album. Behind every great man is a great woman. But in the video behind J-Lo's great behind will there be a new boyfriend?
_______________________________
How low can J-Lo go?
Jennifer Lopez's music career is three albums and three relationships old. Ben Affleck should be worried when it's time for her fourth album, says Colin Paterson
Saturday November 16, 2002
The Guardian
When Jennifer Lopez launched her own perfume it was proof she would use every aspect of her life to market herself. Here was a woman willing to sell the smell of her own skin. Boyfriends being publicity tools was merely par for the course.
What is remarkable about J-Lo is the extent to which she has chosen to define herself by her beaus. Her music career is three albums and three relationships old. She has managed to appear in a video with each of her fellas. Only Pammy Anderson can claim to keep up with a record like that.
The companion piece to her new CD This Is Me... Then is a relationship with Ben Affleck. He stars in the video for the first single, Jenny From The Block. Some may consider this degrading, but after Pearl Harbor anything was going to be an improvement. And when Ben pings her bikini bottoms it look like he is hunting for more than goodwill.
Despite this week's engagement announcement, many are still dubious about the reality of the J-Lo/Affleck relationship. It does seem mighty handy given that J-Lo has a new album coming out and they have made two films together that need to be publicised. But the new Lopez album does includes a track Dear Ben. One assumes Michael Jackson is not being two-timed by his rat.
What the Jenny From The Block video plays on is the idea of media intrusion into Lopez's relationships. Now magazine even fell into the trap and printed fake long-lens shots from the video of Ben and Jen "stealing a kiss".
But here is the problem. A pop video is the most base way to market your image as a commodity. Including your partner in one (no matter what the context) automatically reduces the relationship to the status of marketing tool.
Doing this once could be seen as a mistake (just look at Shakira and her bloke in Underneath Your Clothes). But with J-Lo only her first husband Ojani Noa (from her pre-international superstar days) has missed out on the honour. His consolation prize includes still being the manager of her restaurant in Pasadena.
It is telling that pop promos actually document the major relationships in her life. The start of her love affair with Puff Daddy is seen as they lark around together in his Been Around The World video. But this romance was clearly over by the time she appeared in Love Don't Cost A Thing, apparently on the phone to an imaginary boyfriend saying she cannot be bought.
Her marriage with Cris Judd can be traced from the happy days of getting frisky with him in I'm Real through to the clear break-up signs - Ain't It Funny, where she's flirting away with Ja Rule. Shortly afterwards Cris was not just missing a consonant in his name, but a wife in his home. Not to mention his dignity. He can currently be seen in the I'm Right Here video, riding in Samantha Mumba's fire engine.
Ben Affleck should be worried when it is time for Lopez's fourth album. Behind every great man is a great woman. But in the video behind J-Lo's great behind will there be a new boyfriend?
