By: Amanda Anderson-Niles
There’s no doubt that today sex appeal plays a huge role in having a successful music career. Unfortunately for female artists in a male dominated music industry, the need to be sexy overshadows pure talent. And as a result, in a lot of cases, some amazing talent will be left undiscovered because an artist just couldn’t manage to pull of the sexy image a music executive feels they need to portray to sell records. Although recent successful singers such as Adele have managed to do quite well without taking the sex kitten route, it’s not really the norm for a singer to become popular without being considered some kind of sex symbol in today’s industry.
Sexy isn’t always a bad thing as it is still possible for a singer to be sexy and still keep things classy. One artist that people think of immediately when the argument that classy can be sexy comes up is the late Aaliyah. Many feel the singer was able to have a mysterious and unique kind of sex appeal that didn’t require her to take her clothes off and in a recent interview with Hip Hop DX, actress Meagan Good claims that she feels a lot of singers today can learn a lot from Aaliyah’s legacy.
Meagan says:
“What I hold closest to my heart is the way that she carried herself. To me, I feel like the way that she was perceived—especially by Black folks—is that she was our Princess Diana. She was so classy.
“There’s a way to be sexy…without giving you all of that. I’m not judging anybody else. Even her at 22 [years old] got that. Me at 22 [years old], I was still trying to figure it out. Her at 22, she possessed that wisdom and she just got it.
“She danced delicately within so many different genres.
“When she was associated with Roc-A-Fella [Records] and Dame Dash, she was also heavily loved and revered by Ruff Ryders and DMX. But she still never lost that ladyness. She never lost that dainty womanliness about her. She didn’t have to be rough. She could throw on a ski cap but still have on a half-cut shirt and her stomach out and wearing Jordans and still be a lady.
“I think Aaliyah kind of wrote the book on how to be cool but still elegant and sexy without throwing it all out there in a real ratchet and raunchy way.
“I think girls could still learn from Aaliyah even now.”
Do you agree with Meagan? Tell us in the comment section.
And I agree with her 100%! Rihanna should take a page out of Aaliyah’s book of sexy. Raunchy isn’t cute.
This! But we are living in a time where women don’t feel like respecting themselves is “cool” enough to do.
Cosign.
Cosign!
Yep. She definitely could if she was alive. I am so glad that we at least have Beyonce that is a symbol of the sexy yet classy look.
There are many artists out here today that are exhibiting class while being sexy. It’s a shame that they do not get the praise that the “sluttier” acts get.
Well unfortunately, women as a whole need to learn from Aaliyah. I look on Twitter and Instagram and I see women being absolute sluts because they think that’s what being sexy means. It’s so sad.
Meagan, I agree 100%!
Hell I agree and I loved me some Aaliyah. Gone but never forgotten!