Dear La Toya haters... You should be ashamed!
Like many of you, I imagine, I like to relax at some point during the day by scrolling through social media. I like to watch content that interests me on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Reddit... And you know what? I can't take it anymore. Every time I watch content about La Toya Jackson, there are always people making fun of her... Not one, not two, not three, dozens, hundreds of comments.
And what do they all say? "Oh! La Toya, what a joke! This girl has no talent..." And that's all you think?
No, they also say, "Oh my god, this girl is horrible, she's disfigured." And they also absolutely love to say—because I imagine they're the ones who invented the phrase—"La Toya is the least talented of the Jackson family," and they state it as if it were... some fucking scientific truth!
There are also a lot of singing teachers in the world, because there's always one who says, "She can't sing! My God, that's off key!" There's also always some brilliant mind who will declare, "What, does she think she's white?".
And it doesn't end there, no, there are also the social justice warriors, and they say, "La Toya... the traitor, I'll never forgive her for what she did to her brother!"...
To those people who pollute social media, I have a couple of questions for you...
Imagine that every time you search for content about your favorite actor, there are always people making fun of him...
Imagine if just anyone said, "Ha! Ha! Chris Hemsworth, what a crappy actor!" Imagine if every time you searched for content about "Stranger Things," people said, "Damn, what a terrible show, do people actually watch that?" Imagine if a singer you admire was constantly mocked: "Taylor Swift, what a fraud! She thinks she's beautiful, that idiot!"... Imagine living in that world, it would annoy you a little, wouldn't it? You'd find it unfair, wouldn't you?
Don't tell me everyone has their own tastes and preferences, that's just how it is. Personally, there are plenty of singers I find awful, overrated, but I've never made fun of them online in the content dedicated to them. You just have to refrain from doing it. That's why, to the La Toya haters: I'm telling you to shut your mouths, you see, it's not complicated!
And now let's set the record straight. How many members of the Jackson family do you actually know? Can you just name them?
Besides Michael and Janet, give me one song, one album for each Jackson brother and sister. Tell me what makes Randy Jackson's album fabulous, a triumph!... Tell me what makes Rebbie Jackson's career exemplary, how she left her mark on pop music forever... Tell me what makes Jackie Jackson's music videos groundbreaking, how they changed the game... Tell me why you think Tito Jackson is one of the greatest musicians in the world... Or sing me your favorite Paris Jackson song!
You know, I love all the members of the Jackson dynasty, but I'm just tired of La Toya taking all the blame instead of everyone else. Why? You don't even know a quarter of what La Toya has accomplished in her career!
And in case you didn't know, La Toya Jackson has a real international fan base. Yes, that's normal because she has a 45-year career and has released hundreds of records. Even I, a huge fan, don't own all of them, there are so many! And I'm not talking about a track posted on YouTube, I'm talking about real physical records (CDs, vinyls, cassettes).
When you're dancing to "Reggae Night" in the summer, who do you have to thank for that?
Yes, La Toya wrote several songs for Jimmy Cliff, and she even received an official award for it. Did you know that almost all of La Toya's albums have been reissued in deluxe versions with bonus tracks? What other singer gets that treatment? Did you know that "Camp Kuchi Kaiai" is considered a gem of early '80s funk? Did you know that "Just Wanna Dance" was a club hit in the early 2000s?
It might seem unbelievable, but La Toya has had hits in many places around the world, in the Netherlands, Italy, Japan... So when you say La Toya has no talent, what exactly are you talking about? As I said, you don't even know who her brothers and sisters are, except for Michael and Janet.
So, apparently La Toya Jackson is the woman who's had the most plastic surgery in the world, and that's awful.
But when it's Cher or Dolly Parton, does that bother you? And when it's a reality TV star, does that bother you? Because for a "disfigured woman," it's inconsistent... She broke the world record for Playboy sales—you can find the pictures online—and you still tell me she's ugly. La Toya has been chosen to appear in cosmetics advertising campaigns several times, to model clothing brands, to walk in fashion shows; hundreds of photographers have loved working with her. You know, criticizing people's appearance is truly the height of pettiness. But I have to say, some journalists are just as bad. When they publish an article about La Toya, they always manage to post the worst picture of her. Guys, find a new victim! There are other celebrities! Maybe you don't like La Toya's glamorous Hollywood style, fine, but don't call her ugly, or else buy yourself a mirror and we'll talk!
So, another issue: there are Michael Jackson fans who adore La Toya and there are those who hate her, it's always the same... Yes, La Toya said some shocking things about her family and Michael 35 years ago, but update your perspective. Since then, La Toya has given hundreds of interviews, she wrote a book ("Starting Over," a bestseller), she reconciled with the family, she was photographed with Michael and his children. Every year we see new photos of her with her siblings, with her mother Katherine, with her nephews and nieces. La Toya hasn't been the black sheep of the family for a looong time! Do your research! And do some research on who Jack Gordon was, the man who tarnished the singer's public image and dragged her into scandals, in case you didn't know. La Toya almost died because of this violent man who constantly beat and threatened her.
You know, you're mocking a battered woman; you have nothing to be proud of.
No, it's not over! You say La Toya can't sing?! Compared to whom? How many artists do you know? Does Britney Spears' singing bother you? Does it bother you when your favorite rapper uses a vocoder? You know, there's no reason why La Toya's career should always be compared to Michael Jackson's! Freddie Mercury may have sung better than Michael, and yet no one criticized him for it... La Toya is a pop singer from the '80s and '90s. Compare her to Sinitta, compare her to Stacey Q, to Samantha Fox, to Haywoode. Does La Toya really not know how to sing?
And even Janet doesn't have such a powerful and incredible voice. No one criticizes Janet for not doing vocal runs like Celine Dion or Mariah Carey! In fact, La Toya Jackson sings very well; she just has a soft voice. It's not a crime!
And now let's get down to brass tacks: does it bother you that La Toya looks "white"? Really?
It's funny because when it's Lil' Kim, it doesn't bother you... When it's Cardi B, who's made up in light beige with contouring (to look more aesthetically pleasing), who has a blonde wig, who wears more diamonds than a princess, then it's fine, it's not La Toya... When the woman in question is named Beyoncé, it doesn't bother you!
And God knows Beyoncé has used every shade of light or dark café au lait foundation, and God knows she loves to dye her hair blonde... And God knows you could say she thinks she's a Barbie doll, but since it's Beyoncé, it's okay!
Actually, you know what? You lack culture, you lack an original perspective. Everything these pop singers are doing, La Toya was doing 35 years ago! This double standard has to stop. Have you even taken the time to listen to one of her albums in its entirety, or to watch a recent interview with her in its entirety?
Because, deep down, what did La Toya ever do to you? What does it matter to you if some people like her? Give us a break, change the record, move on.
And to the La Toya fans reading this, I want to say it doesn't have to be this way! The tide turns sometimes, we don't have to resign ourselves to La Toya Jackson being considered a joke, she has her place too! In pop culture, there's no such thing as good or bad taste, there's only what brings people happiness, and that's what counts. Thank you for reading.
Theo
