By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
April 15, 2003
If Jennifer Lopez has anything to do with it, torn sweatshirts, leg warmers and a big ol’ hairdo will be back in style, thanks to the “Flashdance” theme running rampant in the music video for her latest single, “I’m Glad”–a song she wrote for the man of her dreams, Ben Affleck.
“Creating an homage to ‘Flashdance’ seemed just right,” said Lopez, according to the UK Sun. “It’s a story about following your dreams.”
Though the song doesn’t have the same frenetic pace as the 1983 movie’s soundtrack hit “Maniac,” J. Lo–or perhaps fashion photographer David LaChapelle, who directed the video–opted to do a scene-by-scene re-creation of the film’s most memorable moments, including the welder by day, quasi-stripper by night’s water-drenched dance audition (you know the one we’re talking about) and the manic dancing-in-place hip swivels that probably helped ease many boys through puberty.
How good is Lopez’s re-enactment? So good that until you get a look at her strong dancer’s legs and much ballyhooed posterior, you’d swear Lopez actually was Jennifer Beals–or rather Marine Jahan, who served as the former Chicagoan’s dance double in all the film’s scenes, except for the ones where Beals’ character breakdances. A spindly young male dancer was used for those scenes.
Lopez, who has her own clothing line, has plenty of shirts to pick through should she want to take her scissors to them. But might we suggest she leave the Kabuki look at home? Ghost-white makeup looks scary enough on her. Just imagine what it would look like on her fans.
