I’m placing my faith in MN to answer a question that has been bugging me since 1984

[Pinkarsedfly]

...and it’s a very important one, so brace yourselves.

What the fuck is Tina Turner holding on the cover of the Private Dancer album?

This has been annoying me on and off since 1984 when my big sister brought the damn thing home.

I’ve peered at it, I’ve googled it, I’ve asked DH (who can’t make it out and for some reason doesn’t seem to think it’s important, the weirdo) and I’m no nearer the truth.

I’ve considered the possibility it’s a bit of Easter egg, as it seems to be the right shape and colour, but it wasn’t released at Easter and there’s no reference to Easter on the album.

I wondered if it was a cat treat, given the presence of a cat - but la Turner appears to be eating something and, although she possesses a certain feline beauty, I don’t think that’s down to the consumption of Dreamies.

Can anyone help? Does anyone definitively know?

Thirty five years, this has been bugging me. Do a sister a favour, please...

Subjectively = seductively 😁

It’s definitely some kind of car treat, the thing that she’s holding in the Pinterest photo is the same colour.

*Cat treat

But it's not a cat treat a la Dreamies - it's meat! Animalistic meat - raaargh! All in keeping with the untamed image. I think I'm right anyway .

Why would you ask this on a Sunday morning? Now the whole of Mumsnet is going to waste the remainder of the weekend pondering this.

If you'd asked on Tuesday lunchtime, messaged the photographer, got a 'like' from Ms Turner all by teatime we'd have all been oblivious until we got chance to catch up when we're snacking later that evening.

I've got naps to take things to do today, but now I'm googling album covers, Pinterest, photographers and the like.

The cat doesn't seem to be responding to the treat (or the pinching). How good was photoshop in 1984? Would there have been a cat in the shot or would it have been added in?

Gah. I didn't want to do this presentation anyway.

Photo on Pinterest def looks like some kind of fishy treat

Surely Tina Turner would spring for a new set of tights if she got a ladder?

I mean, did she walk around like that for the rest of the day looking 'seductive'?

I like the idea of subjectively pinching my tights.

Cat threat is likely due to presence of cat. I reckon she's not snacking but is just caught removing her left hand from her mouth (lipstick swipe maybe).

The presence of The Thing in her right hand and position of left hand are unconnected.

Alternatively the cat is looking at the photographer questioningly as to why this women is eating his treat.

It just doesn’t sit well, does it?

Everything laid out for the shoot...designer frock, sexy fishnets, stilettos...In comes Tina from hair and makeup...wow you look gorgeous Tina, ding dong...now if you wouldn’t mind sitting on this chair...that’s it, lovely...work it, baby...now, just hold this bit of dried fish for Tibbles...

It's quite clearly a pork scratching 😂

‘I’m a tidy dancer, a dancer that’s tidy, I do what you want me to do..

No you need to sing, "tiny tiger" to a stripy cat, or "tiny panther" if it's a black cat

I think it's a piece of beef.

The well cooked outer bit of a joint.

I don’t think she’s eating, I think she’s being ‘sexy’ but that’s definitely something for the cat in the other hand... I are some fake vegan ‘beef’ pieces that were on offer in Sainsbury’s a while back that looked just like that actually.

I think it is a vet treat and they have photoshopped (in a very 80s way, probably by hand!) a fishnet print onto it hoping nobody would notice

I love how every single suggestion made on here has at some point crossed mind over the past 35 years.

My nonexistent money is on cat treat

The bigger question @Pinkarsedfly is why are you raising this now? You could have kept it to yourself.

I still think that she's pinching subjectively or otherwise. The light is coming from the side; the reflection is her index finger.

We'd be as well asking the cat...

Why does it look like she's about to put something in her mouth? It isn't a great photo really is it, it's like they used the wrong one!

Utterly embarrassed that I’m following this thread when I have a million things that need doing (no wonder there are so many housekeeping threads on here when we’re all so easily distracted) but the Pinterest photo which is obviously from the same shoot clearly shows her tempting the cat with whatever is in her hand, so it must be a cat treat or similar. Presumably they took lots of different shots so they didn’t have time to run in and take the cat treat off her once the cat was in position.

just posting a couple of Zoomed in pics for lurkers who CBA to Google

Again, she's a very seductive woman. Pulling off seductive fishnet pinching, mouth-pointing and lipstick-licking is not for mere mortals. But could she be simultaneously cat-feeding? I think not.

MrsFezziwig you’ve nailed by issue with the cat treat theory. Why use that photo? It doesn’t sit with the image the photo seems to be trying to promote!

In answer to those who are wondering why I’m thinking about this on a Sunday morning or indeed at all, I’ve been binge watching Schitt’s Creek, and the Tina Turner song ‘The Best’ features quite strongly. While it’s not on the album in question, being reminded of Tina Turner sent me down a psychological rabbit-hole, at the bottom of which was That Question. Or a piece of biltong, depending on your point of view.

That cat looks totally stoned. Look at its eyes! Maybe she was trying to stage an intervention?!