Janelle Monáe’s new risqué magazine cover has fans remembering the woman she used to be.
Ahead of releasing her new single, “Lipstick Lover,” the singer’s name and behavior have caused quite a commotion on social media. Many are stunned by the bold and revealing promotion of her new album.
Critics had plenty to say after witnessing videos of Monáe flashing patrons at a bar as well as another of her emerging from a pool in a translucent wet T-shirt. But her latest display for a cover story in Rolling Stone magazine has people talking even more.
Monáe graced the cover of the biweekly magazine wearing nothing but a gold headpiece that fell down to her shoulders. Her chest was put on full display as her areolae were covered by both of her hands.
Related: Janelle Monáe Shocks Fans After Dancing In Her Bikini on Top of a Bar
Her mood is affected by how many, or how little clothes are on her body. “I’m much happier when my titties are out and I can run around free,” she told the outlet.
While the 37-year-old’s appreciation of the female form isn’t news, several have deemed her a hypocrite. Some even brought up the singer’s 10-year-old cover with Essence magazine, highlighting her statement in that interview about why she doesn’t show her figure.
In the outlet’s May 2013 issue, Monáe said, “Showing my skin is not what makes me s-xy.”
“People don’t ask Jay-Z to take his shirt off when he rhymes,” she added before stating her efforts to, “redefine what it means to be s-xy and what it means to be a woman.”
Monáe’s current and past comments sparked debate among fans who compared what she said over a decade ago to how she shows up now underneath a post shared by The Neighborhood Talk’s Instagram page.
Some fans ran to her defense, suggesting that change is inevitable and should be granted to everyone without judgment.
“Are people not allowed to change? Do our life experiences not influence and change our opinions? Please save it on this beautiful Friday morning.”
“People can’t gain confidence or evolve?”
A few critics implied that Monáe’s sensual liberation is her way of conforming to recent trends in the industry.
“It’s very simple. S—x sells. Being naked is praised now more than it was in 2013 so of course, people are going to alter their views and appearance.”
“When the industry got you in a chokehold you either sell your soul or stand on morals.”
Despite the current outrage, Monáe baring her body is familiar territory to her true followers. For the past few years, the “PYNK” singer has fully dived into appreciating the art that is the female form.
Her affinity for showing the skin she’s in has been demonstrated by the amount of topless posts she’s shared on Instagram, dating all the way back to 2020. In the music video for her song “PYNK,” she wore pants in the shape of a woman’s reproductive parts.
In 2018, Monáe explained during an interview on “The Breakfast Club” how her familiar buttoned-up suit look became an inaccurate depiction of who she is.
“Because I was wearing a tuxedo and you hadn’t seen my skin,” Monáe began around the 25:02 mark in the interview. “People thought that I was purposefully — or not everybody — but some people who had their own agendas and are respectability politicians may have been misled into believing that I was covering up to … to be an example of how to be proper.”
She continued, “I didn’t like that. I never took that as a compliment.”
Monáe has yet to publicly address the recent criticism. However, her “The Age of Pleasure” album is set to drop on June 9.
