Justin Timberlake just had his own wardrobe malfunction.
Late this spring, the polarizing singer feared that his DWI arrest would ruin the tour. He was referring to his Forget Tomorrow World Tour.
However, Timberlake’s tour has been a best-selling success.
He desperately wanted to hide the wardrobe malfunction. But these things tend to go viral, as he is well aware.
What wardrobe malfunction did Justin Timberlake suffer?
Justin Timberlake was performing on Thursday, December 12 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Part of his performance involves wearing a tight-fitting harness. Normally, his performance of “Mirrors” involves rising up above the crowd to dramatic effect. It’s no Pink at the 2009 VMAs, but it’s a sight to behold.
This time, however, the harness was a little too snug. As it interacted with the fabric of his pants, a new image began to form.
Justin timberlake bulge pic.twitter.com/YBXiiOKAy6
— DARNSFW (@DARNSW245) December 16, 2024
As you can see on this TikTok video and elsewhere, the harness seems to cause the fabric to betray some of the contours of Justin Timberlake’s crotch.
In response, the singer tugs at the bottom of his shirt. It looks like he’s trying to cover up.
But it’s too little, too late.
The incident led to backlash against Justin Timberlake
Speaking of “too little,” some snarky comments — particularly from people who are understandably critical of Timberlake — have suggested that this is embarrassing for Timberlake in more ways than one.
To be blunt, seeing a faint fabric impression of a small bulge in fabric tells you little to nothing about someone’s genitals. As most adults are aware, size change can be dramatic. You won’t learn that from internet guys posting carefully posed thirst-traps in gray sweatpants, but you will from being in various relationships.
However, there are much more fair criticisms of Timberlake that come to mind. After all, he is the reason that “wardrobe malfunction” entered the world’s lexicon.
The Super Bowl is an annual football game that attracts inexplicable levels of viewership each year. The true highlight, most years, is the Halftime Show.
In 2004, Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson’s breast during one such performance. It is because of this that he first said the term “wardrobe malfunction,” leaving his mark on history.
America’s culture is deeply sex-negative, so there was a public outcry. Somehow, Timberlake managed to bounce back from the controversy almost immediately. Jackson, however, faced years of stigma in the aftermath.
Will this ruin the tour? (The world tour)
At present, it doesn’t appear that Justin Timberlake will have to make any changes to his tour — beyond rethinking which pants he wears, and perhaps some extra focus on fitting the harness.
Back in October, he had to postpone a few tour dates. The singer had bronchitis and laryngitis. You really can’t sing with those.
Additionally, on December 2, he had to cancel a show due to an ongoing back injury. Compared to all of that, a little wardrobe malfunction is no big deal. Unless it happens to a woman, it seems.