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The 2004 Halftime Incident
- Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's 2004 Super Bowl halftime moment involved Timberlake ripping a piece of Janet's costume and briefly exposing her breast.
- The reveal lasted only fractions of a second but became a massive cultural and media event.
Halftime As Manufactured Spectacle
- The incident was part of a larger MTV-styled halftime designed to lure younger viewers and sponsors like AOL.
- This commercialized push framed the show as engineered spectacle rather than a simple performance.
From Marching Bands To Pop Acts
- Before 2004, Super Bowl halftimes were themed, low-stakes spectacles like marching bands and Peanuts tributes.
- The shift to pop acts reflected networks' desire to monetize youth audiences and change cultural tone.