Saying Lindsay Lohan has been given a second chance is ignorant, IMO. Like any person who refuses to get better (especially a female in the industry), this woman has been shunned by most people who have any respect in the industry. Those who want to use her literally want to use her. She's on a similar trajectory to Whitney Houston. People wanted her to get better and succeed but she didn't allow herself to get better.

Putting Madonna's calculated career moves in comparison to Charlie Sheen's psychotic alcoholism, Lohan's helpless drug addiction and even Britney Spears mental breakdown also seems on the ignorant side to me. Madonna, IMO, showed bad taste by getting that darn naked for that darn long but it wasn't anything that wasn't thought out as a calculated, egotistical business and career move.

Rihanna is currently acting like Madonna. She's acting like an ignorant version of Madonna in some ways YET she's more popular than ever. Also, Madonna has had to fight tooth and nail for the respect she has gotten. It wasn't handed to her. So much people calling her a tart and flash in the pan for the first decade of her career and it got worst during the Sex period. It still isn't handed to her, really. If she was black she probably wouldn't be over-scrutinized to the point she is, she would just be applauded. You're talking about Rihanna not getting respect?

IMO, there are factors beyond Janet's nipple that has held her back the past decade. Having an extremely long career in pop music is unusual - NO MATHER WHAT COLOR YOU ARE, ASK DEBBIE GIBSON AND PAULA ABDUL - especially for a woman due to ageism. Maybe Janet stopped making good music - not only has she failed to pick up steam in the United States. She's failed to pick up steam internationally for at least the last decade.

Janet was also more respected by the industry establishment during the early stages of their careers.

Also if you look at Beyonce vs. Britney in the first half of the 00s....they were remarkably similar. Great performers that relied more on dancing and often lip-synched, but Britney was SAVAGED and got zero respect while Beyonce was always praised. And it's foolish to think Britney escaped from her meltdown unscathed.....Circus was successful because of her fanbase, but she stopped the object of lust that had fueled her earlier success.

Agreed,

1. The reason Beyonce got more respect would be because in spite of all the lipping she didn't do it as frequently during her earlier days and is a FAR better vocalist than Britney. That's a FACT. The same could be said for the Janet versus Madonna debate (though those two lipped with the same frequency).

2. Britney did her messed up stuff too and yet she was still embraced by the public after it all. I don't even wanna think of what would have become of Beyonce had she done all that (or any of it for that matter).

Her career would have been over with the 'Sex' book.