when I say power, I mean her BELLY BUTTON

[GoodTaste]

I became a teen in Britaney's moment, and HER POWER held us all in thrall. And when I say power, I mean her BELLY BUTTON.


Source: Cosmopolitan (July/August, 2021)


I don't quite understand the phrase "when I say power, I mean her BELLY BUTTON." If belly button referred to the remnant of the umbilical cord, then the speaker probablymeans that Britaney's navel might be particularly attractive to her. I am not sure because it makes little sense. What does "belly button" mean here?

 

[emsr2d2]

Were they talking about Britney Spears? If so, note the correct spelling. There is no "a" in her first name. I'll echo the advice Glizdka gave in another of your posts - stop reading Cosmopolitan!

To answer your question, though, it means that a lot of people were enthralled/entranced by the sight of her belly button (the sort of healed hole that is left on all of our bodies after the umbilical cord is cut). Britney Spears commonly wore very short tops and quite low-waisted skirts/trousers, leaving her midriff and belly button exposed. It could be said that people were less attracted to her talent, such as it was, than to her half-naked body.

 

[GoodTaste]

Kowning bad English is different from learning from it. You have to know it especially when bad English is rampant (Cosmopolitan is influential, isn't it?). Most of time I read Nature, Science, NEJM, the Lancet and USAToday ect., which are prestigious English magazines or journals or newspapers and speak good English.

 

[emsr2d2]

Knowing (I think you mean "Recognising") bad English is different from learning from it. You have to [STRIKE]know[/STRIKE] recognise it, especially when bad English is rampant (Cosmopolitan is influential, isn't it?) no full stop here

Most of the time, I read Nature, Science, NEJM, the Lancet and USAToday etc., which are prestigious English magazines, [STRIKE]or[/STRIKE] journals or newspapers and [STRIKE]speak[/STRIKE] use good English.

Cosmopolitan is not what I would call influential, no. Yes, the people (almost exclusively women) might believe a lot of what they read in it but it's simply a glossy magazine, full of adverts for hair and beauty products. It doesn't contain serious, well-researched articles (in my opinion).

Misspelling Britney Spears' first name when she is, for better or worse, one of the most famous people of the last few decades isn't bad English. It's very sloppy writing/proofreading/editing.

 

[Glizdka]

Misspelling Britney Spears' first name when she is, for better or worse, one of the most famous people of the last few decades isn't bad English. It's very sloppy writing/proofreading/editing.

I don't know. It could be intentional. Some people flock to typos. I can imagine someone seeing the cover, being like "Whoa, they misspelled Britney!", taking a picture, and showing it to their friends. Cosmo is exactly the type that would utilize this kind of thing if it meant more publicity.