"GMA" cancels Adam Lambert and reveals double-standards about men and women
Tabloids, teeny boppers and tweeters have been going bananas over Adam Lambert’s interesting performance on the American Music Awards this past Sunday. The controversy is swirling around the American Idol runner-up’s pelvic-thrusting, dancer-on-a-leash, fellatio-simulating, male keyboard-snogging shocker of a performance, that was much different than the usually wholesome realm of Idol.
Lambert, scheduled to perform on Good Morning America today, was quickly dropped after ABC received a barrage of livid objections, berating the producers at the prospect of having to watch the raunchy performer over their morning cup of Java. According to the New York Times, an ABC spokeswoman commented, “Given his controversial American Music Awards performance, we were concerned about airing a similar concert so early in the morning.”
Upon learning of the predictable public backlash to his performance, Lambert, in an interview with Rolling Stone, bemoaned the double-standard about male vs. female performers:
Female performers have been doing this for years — pushing the envelope about sexuality — and the minute a man does it, everybody freaks out. We’re in 2009 — it’s time to take risks, be a little more brave, time to open people’s eyes and if it offends them, then maybe I’m not for them. My goal was not to piss people off, it was to promote freedom of expression and artistic freedom.
Indeed, that wasn’t the first time a performer has used S&M imagery, was sexually provocative or kissed someone of the same sex at an awards show. A vast number of female performers have found great success when upping the sex in their image and performances. Perhaps the most famous onstage same-sex kiss was between Madonna and Britney Spears (the Madonna/Christina Aguilera was less sensationalized), and though it sparked public outcry, it also furthered both performers’ careers and was often lauded for “pushing the envelope.”
Janet Jackson, Madonna and Lady Gaga are no strangers to onstage bondage and simulations of sexual acts either, yet have seen continued support for overly their sexual performances. In fact, Miss Jackson chained a male dancer up at a Los Angeles show in 2008 and simulated oral sex.
Madonna, too, has imitated the act on stage at a number of onstage shows and photo shoots.
Perhaps Lambert was correct when he told CNN that ABC’s censorship of parts of his performance (namely, the oral sex simulation) is “a form of discrimination and a double standard.” Women are typically encouraged and often celebrated for being as close to nude as possible, simulating sexual acts onstage and focusing on the exhibition of their bodies and sexuality, and record sales often skyrocket as a result. It has been years since the crotch-grabbing heydays of Michael Jackson, who was arguably the last male to use overt sexuality onstage, and the public’s as well as ABC’s objection could reflect a double-standard of attitudes toward men and women’s sexuality as well as its exploitation of women’s bodies.
Furthermore, that Lambert is openly gay may play a factor in the brouhaha. While it is acceptable for otherwise heterosexual women like Britney Spears to kiss another woman to make a statement and appeal to straight male audiences, a gay man kissing another man on primetime television spark s homophobia. Though ABC assured CNN that the “gender has nothing to do with [the cancellation],” it is hard to overlook the situational implications.
Though ABC dropped Lambert, CBS’s The Early Show seized the opportunity to enlist the controversial singer and scheduled him this morning in GMA’s place.
Fans are already sympathizing with Lambert on Twitter, and #ShameonYouABC is trending right now (thanks to Dorothy Snarker for the tip). What is your opinion on the censoring of and uproar in reaction to Adam Lambert’s performance? Is it a double-standard, homophobia, both, or none of the above?
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I saw him on It's On With Alexa Chung the day after
Grr.
I Ain't No Prude, But . . .
There is a time and a place for everything and a prime-time TV show is not where middle America/Canada want to have their eyeballs assailed by Adam's balls-in-mouth behaviour. Come on, do you want your tweens watching that? A kiss is a kiss but this . . .?
Nash
www.brokenbarrel.ca
"...eyeballs assailed by
"...eyeballs assailed by Adam's balls-in-mouth behaviour. "
what? i enjoyed it... i guess you are a prude...
see, i thought this article was going to be about him tongue kissing that keyboardist woman while being gay.... because really, that was the only thing bothering me from his all performance and the only thing i can actually remember....
Potatoes, It's Not About You
Since you don't know me from Adam, you can't call me a prude. The routine was a bit 'in your face' vulgar and kids DO watch these shows or record them to watch another time. I totally understand what Adam Lambert (I was rooting for him to win on AI) was trying to do but he chose the wrong time and the wrong arena. He shot himself in the foot and now the mainstream networks will penalize him and ban him in future.
Nash
www.brokenbarrel.ca
How...?
How is this show any different than the Madonna/Britney kiss? It was shown around the same time (of day), but only on different channels.
I don't particularly like seeing any type of crude/extensive sexual acts on TV but really? It's okay for Janet Jackson & Justin Timberlake to have a 'wardrobe malfunction' but not for a simple flipping peck on the lips?
whoa, that's not what
6 years different, among some other things
Peck on the lips = no big deal
Adam Lambert having clothed oral sex = very big deal
He could've shown who he was and interpreted his lyrics well, keeping in mind that this would be aired on FAMILY tv stations, without being so... risque (for lack of a better word).
He said he "got carried away"... that "it was impromptu" but if he can't be professional enough to keep himself in check then he should take a break and work on that part of his performing. If he truely wishes to be professional then he should have this in check.(This coming from the performer in me).
I'd count this as his mess up (because everone does). He needs to be more audience-aware. (although somehow I don't think that he will be seeing as he blamed everyone but himself for the fact that children had been watching and refused to apologize)
Yeah, I'm with ya...
I agree with you, this sort of thing on prime time T.V. has bugged me for a while regardless of the genders or sexuality of those involved. I'm very bothered by the fact that this is causing more of a backlash than similar performances prior to it, of course, but that isn't to say I believe this sort of thing should be shown on a program that tweens will be watching. This sort of thing wouldn't bug me at all if I had seen it in a different context, but I just remember being really young and staying up extra late to watch awards shows so all I could think was "oh my gosh, there were kids watching that!"
well put.
look puritan, human
nobody has a RIGHT to be on
excuse you, that's a
excuse you, that's a horrible analogy, because adam lambert was just expressing himself which really wasn't intentionally hurtful or purposefully hateful like your asinine choice of an example of a racist gay basher. i can't believe you'd be idiotic enough to compare the two and to try to take two personal aspects of my being (that i'm a black lesbian) to make your ridiculous arguement. don't think i didn't notice it, and don't try pulling that crap again. if you've got a point to get across you'd better do it in a different way.
as for a particular program not choosing to have a particular artist on their program when other artists have done analogous or worse things (like the lack of public uproar about eminem claiming that he was a rapist and murderer on the same program and screening the britney/maddonna kiss on air while blurring out adam lamberts gay male kiss on cbs) show that banning a "certain artist" doesn't come out of vacuum. there are various biases that APPARENTLY make certain forms of self expression from certain people more acceptable then others. THAT'S what everyone's discussing, so take your head out the sand. "not choosing to have a certain guest on their show" (code for being biased) is not going to go unquestioned and unexamined because you want it to.
i agree with Nash; it was
I thought the kissing was no
I thought the kissing was no big deal, I had a feeling that he would do something like that. I was weirded out that the part of the dancing looked very incomplete then I saw that it was censored the next day and all I could say was...WTF!! I mean, yeah its different when you see a man doing it cause its not like we're going to see Justin Timberlake doing that anytime soon. Its deff a double standerd because he is a man, and that man happens to be openly gay, so I think I with the tweeters in this one...shame on you ABC
And my other WTF moment was when I heard that GMA cancelled his performance, but I think they were scared that he would do something similar so early in the morning
_________
vivono nella speranza
it's the AMAs..
You have to expect that sort of thing from a music show these days, it's all sexualized. And if you don't want your tween watching it, buy a tivo and preview it first. It was only just barely in "prime time" anyway.
I don't go out of my way to see dudes simulating oral sex, but I did think the nature of the act fit the song well. And it's absolutely a double standard/homophobia. The same things from a scantily clad woman would have provoked cries from the same folks this stuff always does, but I can't imagine she would be unwelcome on a morning show afterwards.
Agree
With Nash. There's a time and place -- This wasn't it.
Not to mention, this was his first performance since American Idol. Now, instead of being remembered for his singing, he's going to be remembered for the over the top performance.
It may be a double standard, but you're not going to make strides with such a raunchy performance on national television. If nothing else it's going to alienate people more.
___________
Forum Rules
AfterEllen Moderator
I could not possibly care any less
CBS’s The Early Show
CBS’s The Early Show seized the opportunity to enlist the controversial singer and scheduled him this morning in GMA’s place.
But sadly they perpetrated the same homophobia/double standard -- they showed an uncensored photo of the Britney/Madonna kiss but blurred out the Adam/Tommy one.
And they kept harping on Adam about why wasn't he thinking of the children when he performed at the AMAs. The damned show was rated TV-14! Children shouldn't have been watching in the first place. He's absolutely right, it's up to the parents to monitor what their kids are watching, not the performers.
So he is whining about not
So he is whining about not being objectified and exploited as women! Poor him! Such a great cause he's fighting for! Really so brave!
God I hate stars!
"Only a fool speculates about the life of a woman!"
SO true
It's painfully obvious he's just trying to cover his tracks for the awful vocals and presentation of that whole performance, but he doesn't get how dumb the statement really sounds.
i don't
i don't agree....
..... an overly-sexual woman can mean one of two things:
- either she's being exploited
- or she in power.... take madonna for instance...take lady gaga as well....
....i don't like your argument because it sound victimising (and mind you, i am a feminist)
Just my opinion...
I think because society has been so male dominated for so long and men like to see women in scantily clad clothing and they like to see women kissing women, it has been accepted and okay for women to act a certain way in both the music industry as well as film. However, I have to agree with Lambert that it was his way of expressing himself and times are changing. However, that doesn't change the fact that it's going to take people a much longer time to accept men acting that way than it did for them to accept it with women. However...Was it okay to do it on TV at an hour when children could be watching? That is up for debate! The fact that some parents don't want their kids being exposed to that sort of influence has to be taken into consideration. So, there are a lot of factors that need to be looked at...
oh please.
I saw this "what about the children" argument crap on HLC, and thought it was complete BS. You can't help what your kid sees or is exposed to. The only way to keep their eyes clean is to raise them in a bubble. A dark, light-proof bubble.
What those angry moms miss is that being responsible of what your kids watch isn't just about censoring or insisting your child covers their eyes when a naughty scene is unleased on the masses, it is really about making sure that your child digests all this information in a way that they know that its just a show, and they understand that they don't have to emulate everything they see on screen. When they pick role models, they decide to choose good ones.
To those moms out there who seem to be mad at just about everything, I have this to say. We all know what growing up is like, someone tells you you can't see something you'll seek it out. You've never heard of sex before, but your bestfriend at school will tell you what she heard it was like, or you don't know what oral sex is - so you google it to find out. Information is not hard to come by, there are many voices out in the world that your child will be exposed to, what's important is that the voice they place the most trust on is yours.
are we supposed to be giving
Double standard
Yes, it's definitely a double standard, and there's probably some homophobia involved too. Because as we all know, gay men kissing = "ewwww groooosss" but gay women kissing = "Can I watch??" (eyeroll)
That said, I also think Glambert is at least partly to blame here. He had to have known that his performance would cause all the Middle American conservative soccer moms & dads to get their panties in a knot, and now he acts surprised and shocked because...uh, they did? Oh, and giving the audience the finger was an incredibly classy move. (not)
It's a shame, Adam's quite talented but now he's pretty well kissed any chance of being seen as a 'serious musician' goodbye.
Exactly!
Parental Objections - really?
I was reading some of the news articles concerning his performance and many of the complaints came from parents about their children viewing the performance. The show was on at 11 o'clock at night on a school night - what parent lets their kid watch a musical performance show that late at night and doesn't expect some level of sexuality and pushing the envelope? I think parents need to spend less time blaming the media and more time taking responsibility for what their children are doing.
As far as it being "inappropriate" I think that we need to re-evaluate what that means. There are so many videos and performances that are the same level of "inappropriate" but you don't see the same kind of uproar for similar performances by women. I think that he's handling the entire situation very well and sticking to his beliefs. It is the action of artists like this who are bringing these issues to light and helping the gay community move towards equality.
Yes and No.
lol
I suspect that if this performance of Adam's had been part of the MTV VMAs...there would have been talk about it the next day but there would have been no censorship and no cancellation of any performance.
But on American network television...during prime time...they have different rules of the road to follow...so I think it is unfair to compare a performance on the AMAs to a VMA performance or any performance during a concert that is never televised.
And I don't think it was the kiss between Adam and the keyboardist that so many objected to. The next day when his performance was talked about again and again on other television programs...I saw the kiss again and again. But what was blocked again and again was the simulated BJ...that is what I think most viewers objected to...and I do think that if Madonna and Britney Spears had done something similar during the Grammys or the AMAs or any other award show broadcast on a US network...there would have been similar reactions to what Adam got regarding his performance.
Instead of comparing this to Madonna and Britney kissing during the MTV award show...better to compare it to Janet and Justin and Janet's wardrobe malfunction...because I do think that is where the network execs (and I am no big fan of network execs) are coming from regarding this particular performance by Adam Lambert.
very well said. the
Yup!
One would almost expect something such as this on an MTV award show, but its a whole new thing on ABC.
Is it really a male female double standard?
The examples of explicitly simulated female sexuality to which Adam Lambert is comparing himself is a contingent of women who largely identify as straight and in every scenario (with the exception of Maddona's SEX book) they are simulating heterosexual sex. Imagine if KD Lang had kissed another butch during the AMA's, I can almost guarantee that the cameras would have cut away.
Genuine lesbian affection is also censored, and when it's not, the media markets it to a heterosexual male audience. Britney Spears kissing Madonna is not threatening because these are two women who everyone knows are not actually going to sleep with eachother. It's an act. But the second it ceases to become a fantasy, and women are legitimately expressing sexual attraction toward each other, their expressions are censored. Outside of Ellen and Portia, I cannot think of a single mainstream lesbian couple whose relationship has not been dismissed as a fling, a stage or a devience, and these are the relationships that the media deigns to acknowledge! But I digress.
I agree with Adam Lambert, there IS absolutely fault in the way that the media handled his performance, and a double standard DOES exist, but it is not one of men vs. women, because gay women's relationships are still being illegitimized in the media. Gay men and women are both fighting to be represented appropriately and respectfully in the media--let's not turn on each other in an attempt to prove a point.
Yes! i was just about to
MY EYES, MY EYES
I don't want to see any of this! And I'm not a prude either. It's either exploitative or offensive or in poor taste. Glad I missed all the hoopla over this Adam. I would have been spared completely except for this article.
Everyone made such good points here about why any of this isn't a good idea to begin with.
Sex is different when it is perceived as titillating to males and when it scares the masculinity out of them. And it isn't exactly the same having male/male as male/female as or even two women together as long as it turns men on.
Women together, as we know, is so well received as long as men enjoy it. Two actual lesbians even so much as holding hands in public is still barely acceptable, but in the last few years only, and it's still reported like a breaking news flash!
Two lesbians that are "hot, femme, lipstick, sexy, a babe"...blah, blah (whatever words are being used to describe desirable or "I'd do her")---applause.
Two lesbians that are not any of those descriptions, and are actually into each other---no, no, no....CENSOR.
That's the double standard. Fantasy vs. real, male oriented vs. lesbian or gay oriented.
I agree. People tend to
Spiders from Mars
Sorry, but it grossed me out !Adam Lambert does nothing for me.
David Bowie did this during his Spiders from Mars tours with the late guitarist Mick Ronson. (Mid 70's) Guess it is a bit of a glam rock gesture. David Bowie was rather entertaining and gutsy for the time that it was.
Two women kissing is hot no matter what. I'm biased !
not grossed out, just not my thing, but then I like girls ;-)
A few things...
First, I agree completely with Pyewacket: "if this performance of Adam's had been part of the MTV VMAs...there would have been talk about it the next day but there would have been no censorship and no cancellation of any performance."
Certain behaviors are appropriate for certain networks. Adam is representing American Idol, which is a family friendly show. I'm sure kids got to stay up late to watch his performance, & on ABC, parents shouldn't have to worry about sexual simulations or provocative behavior that may be inappropriate for younger viewers.
I agree there may be a double standard/homophobic attitude associated with all of this, which of course pisses me off, but we really cannot say for sure since it's not being looked at with anything comparable. Britney/Madonna were on MTV. Parents know to use discretion with MTV. Marilyn Manson had an MTV performance years ago featuring male backup dancers in pink cop uniforms making out with one another, which wasn't censored. I'm sure that Manson never even had an invite to perform on ABC, but the point is that it was at the right time & place & audience.
Overall, Adam Lambert should have known better than to display any sexual acts on this network. This goes for hetero or homosexual acts. It's a shame that his performance will be remembered this way instead of positive reviews for his talent.
"AT THE TOUCH OF LOVE, EVERYONE BECOMES A POET." - Plato
good point, MTV verses ABC
Loved it.
I personally loved his performance. The song is kind of catchy and he has a good voice. His costume was pretty rocking and I have no problem with performers bringing sex, kinky or otherwise, to the stage. (Does anyone else remember P!nk performing "Fingers" in that net?) Frankly, I thought the performance was damn hot and he looked hot in it. It reminded me of Bowie (although obviously not as good) and Velvet Goldmine and many things glam rock and beautiful.
That said, I've only seen it on youtube because I read this article. I don't know what the AMAs represent to the world (or really what they are). But it seems stupid to expect him to do a similar performance on GMA. Isn't that a talk show? I haven't ever watched it, but from what I do know it doesn't sound like the kind of place where anyone would bring ten backup dancers, leather clad or otherwise. So if I'm right and there's no reasonable reason to expect a repeat of the same performance, the only explanation I can come up with for not having him on the show has to do with homophobia.
i have mixed feelings about it...
ABC made it bigger than it was
Personally...
The kiss was an awesome move. He probably would've been commended for it if he hadn't preeceded with the heavy stuff. I think that if he really wanted to make a statement, he should've thought it out a bit more. Britney and Maddona's 'kiss' was on the VMAs, you know, MTV, the channel that provided the gratuitously, shame inducing trainwreck that became A Shot At Love. The AMA's, on the other hand, were being broadcast on ABC, during primetime, on Sunday. This is the channel that shipped its daytime, token lesbian to Paris, and banished another token lesbian to 'The Parking Lot of No Return'. Sure, it tried to win us back with Calzona but, let's face it, those two are on a tighter leash then Adam's dancers when it comes to actual PDA.
I think all artists deserve creative freedom but not all artists can handle it. Most of the overtly sexual things pointed out in the article were done by the artists during their shows and concerts. Which means if you were there, you probably spent your cash, and more than likely knew what you were getting yourself into. A tv show, on a Disney affiliated network, where one of the most nominated artists is a tween idol, is not the best choice. I mean parents nowadays can pretty quickly explain a same-sex smooch, but a guy taking people's faces and shoving them in his crotch? Yeah, that one's a little tougher. "He was just helping him with his zipper sweetey." "With his mouth?" "He was using his hands to crawl! Stop asking questions!"
What threw me the most was the crappy performance itself. All 'entertainment' aside, his vocals weren't that good. In most cases all the antics are supposed to add and bring attention to the singing, in this case I think it was meant to distract your brain from 'Dude! I voted for that on Idol?!?! I WANT MY(insert personal text messaging rates here)BACK!!!' to something along the lines of 'WTF was that?!?! Why is he giving an impromptu lesson on stop, drop, and roll? I thought he wasn't into the whole XX chromsome thing? What does a mirror door and throne with optional stripper attachment have to do with anything?'
So, just to make it clear kudos on the kiss, if you're going to play the 'double standards' card, make sure the situations are actually the same, or else your point is mute -which is coincidentally a button on my remote (one that in hindsight I probably should've used- and if you really want creative freedom wait 'till you're the boss(i.e.:concerts, tours, your shower).
I respect all the opinions expressed, both before mine and after, with or without conjunction to mine, and simply ask for the same courtesy. Thank you for your time, goodevening and goodboobs...er, I mean goodbye ;)
If I ever start the think straight, this heart'll start a riot in me
-Paramore(That's What You Get)
this is just my opinion, but
this is just my opinion, but i thought the oral sex and grabbing were over the top. kiss was fine, the other stsuff wasnt. male or female, it was totally inappropriate.
also, it was shocking. its not the image we got from AI, so why is he so shocked that people responded the way they did?
it wasnt an enjoyable performance to watch. madonna is madonna, she can do whatever the hell she wants because she is a legend. as was michael jackson. adam doesnt have the music to back up his bold actions yet. people can question his performance and rightly so.
well...
maybe i'm crazy but i don't care if you're male or female... i wouldn't want to see it either way. i'm not an adam lambert fan though, so my opinion might not count. also, people should remember who has made up his fan base so far: tweeny boppers who watch american idol. so of COURSE those are gonna be the people who tune into awards shows like this and of COURSE their parents are going to be upset. nothing in any of his previous performances hinted that this was the type of perfermance what they should expect from him. i'd probably be upset if i was the parent of one of his younger fans as well.
also, i'm curious what time zones people live in. the show started at 7:00 here in the midwest which is really a pretty acceptable time for children and teenagers to still be up and watching tv as far as i'm concerned. or do i have my start time mixed up?
The mere sense of living is joy enough. -Emily Dickinson
double standard
Definitely there is a double standard, I'd have to be homophobic to distinguish what's more disturbing about his performance than those of so many women performers who are making out with one another or grabing themselves and other's body parts....
Not that I don't get sick of how often women are sexualized and sexualize themselves on stage because it pays $$$, but if it weren't just women then I'd feel like at least it wasn't a gender thing, just a sexual thing....
Then again, none of it is that shocking to me anymore, that's how over sexualized so many popular music, etc. performaces are.. I don't mind it so much as long as it doesn't encourage sexual abuse... same with expressions of violence in music performances, I don't mind it as long as it doesn't encourage violence.... but man, Hollywood action movies are way worse in terms of violence and no one seems to care...
It is important to rememberand that this was ABC and not MTV.... and that Madonna shocked people too when she began, only now do we see her shows as not so shocking... years later when we're all used to it....
....and there is no way he didn't know what he was doing, but it's good to spark debate I think.... or I hope....I completely agree with
I completely agree with Pyewacket. I think his performance should b more compared to the Janet/Justin performance rather than Britney/Madonna. Which was pretty messed up because Janet got all the bad publicity for that one but that's another story. Anyways, I do think the media was more shocked by the 'crotch in face' part of his performance. I don't think the kiss would have been so huge to people if he didn't have so many 'shock' moments to his performance. But yeah he did know exactly what he was doin and maybe he did want to shake up some things, I just don't feel that he went about doing it the right way. He even included the middle finger which I have no idea why...but if he wanted to push the envelope, I think he pushed it wide open! It was kinda messed up though about the GMA cancellation.
TJ
I think he is young and has
Is there something
What