The Superbowl halftime show has become a tradition in American football that many people look forward to watching every February. This year’s Super Bowl LIV halftime show was performed by Shakira Ripoll and Jeniffer Lopez, the first Latina duo to headline the event.
The history-making moment for the Latinas caused controversy due to their high energy and, some say, sexualized performance.
According to an article by Sports Illustrated, a man plans on suing the NFL over the ‘crotch shots’ shown during the halftime show.
Dave Daubenmire, a Christian activist, said, “Viewing the halftime show in which J-Lo and Shakira gyrated in skimpy outfits for about 15 minutes could put him “in danger of hellfire.”
The Halftime show has always been critiqued for a variety of reasons, however, this year viewers seem to be more vocal with their thoughts through the use of social media platforms. Many have said that the performance was not family-friendly and should not have been aired on national television.
The wave of negativity continued as Therese Carranza, a Facebook user said, “totally inappropriate family and friends watching with lots of little kids too. We were so excited to see half time these are two beautiful talented performers, we didn’t need to see such inappropriate outfits and performances. Very disappointing.”
The Daily Wire reported, “Stripper pole-themed halftime show was a weird way to highlight ‘female empowerment’,” continuing “The hype leading up to this year’s Super Bowl was all about women empowerment, from admirable soccer stars appearing in a Secret deodorant ad to San Francisco 49ers’ Katie Sowers being the first woman to coach in the NFL’s biggest game.”
There were many messages and symbols displayed throughout the performance that could have gotten distracted by the hyper-sexualization brought on by the two women performing. Many viewers questioned if the messages would have been clearer to viewers if a male was performing instead.
However, many people have defended Shakira and J-Lo by saying they brought down the house with their outfits and performance. Both women displayed strength and confidence throughout the 13-minute long halftime show making it the best part of the super bowl for many.
According to an article by The List, “Shakira and J-Lo gave a jaw-dropping performance at the game that also included a touching tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, who passed away in a helicopter crash a week before the Super Bowl along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven other people.” continuing “That’s not the only reason the performance was so unforgettable, though…it also featured some pretty heavy symbolism that many may have missed…Part of the performance featured children crawling out of cages wearing sweaters with the American flag on them as Lopez’s daughter, Emme, sang “Born in the USA”.
The Latina duo made history and headlines while displaying a strong political statement. Many Latinos are proud that Shakira and J-Lo represented their culture proudly. However, many critics disagree saying the NFL should keep things neutral when it comes to the halftime show and politics. Shakira and J-lo gained and lost many fans following their show.
