Janet Jackson poses topless for Vibe cover

[TankGirl]

MSNBC:

The 40-year-old singer, newly svelte after losing some 60 pounds, appears on the cover of Vibe magazine wearing a skimpy bikini bottom and a necklace made of large shells. Her right arm covers her breasts.

Will she ever stop posing for sexy photos? "Of course. When I'm 80," she tells Vibe. "That's when I'll call it quits."

Jackson credits her boyfriend, 33-year-old music producer Jermaine Dupri, for giving her self-esteem "a little boost."

"I came to realize that younger men had less of a problem with who I am than older men," she says. "With the younger guys, there was less ego. Things were less competitive. They weren't threatened by who made more and who made less."

She says that with Dupri, she feels as if she's met her match.

"When I look at Jermaine, I see myself," Jackson says. "I feel as if I'm looking in the mirror. The connection I feel with him I have never felt with anybody else."