Michael Jackson Essay, Research Paper
Decades in the business and only 5 major albums to show for, each one has bulleted to the top of the charts and made recording history. From his mysterious demeanor, to his moonwalk and non-threatening voice, he became an icon to music lovers and fashion critics all over the world. His singing touched millions, and he left a profound impact towards everyone on Earth. In two words, he is summarized as simply ?The Man?. However now he sings and lives in Europe, Michael Jackson was forced to leave North America as the media broadcasted the sexual allegations against him, publicized his love life and the change of his skin color.
After Michael Jackson celebrated his fifteen years of adult solo career success in the fall of 1993, he was accused of sexually harassing a child. The thirteen year-old boy, traveled with his mother and sister, along with Michael?s traveling companions that year, which included accompanying him at the World Music Awards held in Monaco that year. This event was shown on television in North America on ABC, in the spring. Michael had the spot light on that evening as he received a good handful of awards, which were presented. He was purposely placed in the first row and nearly every reaction of his was shot on camera. Michael was shown with the same little boy sitting on his lap, which didn?t make things any easier for him.
These horrifying accusations pushed him into a shell. And people all over the world were wondering if he would ever come out. While 1993 became 1994, the media that supported him and told the world he was innocent, turned around and stabbed him in the back, as their viewer numbers dropped. They took the lead in presenting speculations and a string of untried statements, both from Michael?s former employees ad his strayed sister, La Toya. Each new speculation was posted mostly on highly named newspapers like the Globe. Then everyone wanted to sell a story, like his employees, beginning with Stella and Philippe Lamarque, Jackson?s housekeepers. They asked a price of about half a million but were sold to the Globe for $15,000. No one interviewed or questioned the motivations of any of these participants, and Michael?s continued denials seemed to go unheard by everyone. He released that everyone was against him, so decided to take a break and he left North America for sometime. He later returned but people still considered him as the very worst of humanity. It did not matter if he was innocent or not as the case was thrown out of court in July 1995. The media had already put it in the publics mind that he is guilty. They also made the public think that all the children who were ever seen with him must have also been sexually molested.
Michael?s love life was also posted on the television. The media interfered and followed him and his girlfriend Brooke Shields at his Nederland ranch and amusement park near Los Angeles. This drove Brooke Shields further and further away from him, as she didn?t want all the publicity at the moment. The media also influenced the divorce between Elvis? daughter Lisa Marie Presley with Michael Jackson. These two couples had secretly got married in the Dominican Republic as Michael told the world in the interview with Oprah. The media took pictures of them and anglicized them, they had pictures of them kissing and said that he didn?t kiss her as though he loved her. It was just an ordinary kiss. They also said these two couples did the nasty stuff but Michael not really meaning it. These accusations lead to their divorce and the end to another marriage for Michael.
In November 1996, he announced that his friend Deborah Rowe was carrying his child. The couple denied all tabloids reports that he was using her for her womb and she was artificially inseminated. As proof of their love, Jackson and Rowe got married in Australia just after the pregnancy became public. Three months after Prince Michael Jackson Jr. was born she gave birth to another child of Michael?s, a daughter Paris Michael Katherine who was born in the spring of 1998. The couple then announced their mutual decision to divorce in the fall of 1999 as the media said that he was cheating on her. The media also set rumors that Michael went out with all of the models in his music videos. One of them being Naomi Campbell.
The biggest story in the media in the late 1980?s was that Michael seemed to be growing lighter and lighter in complexion as time went on, something, which he wouldn?t speak on or admit. This disease is called Vitiligo; this disease is hereditary as he got it from his father?s side of the family. Vitiligo strips the skin of its pigmentation, turning the skin stark porceline white. In other to go out in the sun Michael has to wear a mask or carry an umbrella as it makes his skin very sensitive to the sun. It has taken over roughly 80% of his body now, that is the reason why he wears very light makeup. This brought up more gossip and speculations as people didn?t know the real reason of his light complexion. By 1990, all of it left us with a picture of Michael as someone who seemed very out of touch with reality and an unusual man. The media made people think, with the lightened skin and the nose and chin plastic surgeries, he seemed to turn himself into someone Caucasian. This sounded as a death knell to his status as a figure of acclaim in the African-American community. Michael though explained his disease and told everyone that he is very proud of his heritage as he stated in the Oprah interview.
Michael has continued his career outside North America because the media has focused on the accusations of the child molestation, his relationships and appearance. Michael has agreed to let Sony release his albums ?HIStory? in 1995 and ?Blood on the Dance Floor? in 1997, but they weren?t superstar act numbers. No one wanted to buy the music of someone who the media says is guilty for molesting a child ? and yet he wasn?t proven guilty in court. Michael then left North America, hopefully nor for good because a lot of his fans miss and want him back.