Positive and progressive impact?

I can't think of any previous Super Bowl where I had to Google who was booked for the halftime show. The honor went to Shakira and Jennifer Lopez this year.

I'll start off by saying kudos for having two Spanish-speaking singers headlining the show Sunday in Miami, Fla., singing bilingually nonetheless. The performance was definitely Latina and Miami-inspired. Shakira and Lopez did not hold back, they gave that performance their all.

Shakira and Lopez are the first two Latinas to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. Not only were two females headlining the show, but two females representing a minority. I was disappointed that, with this platform, these two powerful women chose to make the performance highly sexualized. In one commercial, it was questioned if there is enough space for women in space. Then the halftime show follows, where women are stereotypically portrayed – wearing very little clothes, dancing inappropriately, in addition to pole dancing.

One step forward, two steps back.

I felt uncomfortable watching the performance. Shakira with her tongue at the camera? Some of the camera angle shots on the women? I wonder how much control the singers have in what they perform and how they perform it. Does the NFL, or the TV network, have much of a say in what is approved? I question, because this halftime show was NOT family-friendly.

Public opinion about the halftime show seems to be overwhelmingly positive. People have said that, for their age, Shakira and Lopez were the real athletes in the stadium.

For their age? No one mentioned the age of Justin Timberlake in 2018, the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2014, or Paul McCartney in 2005, during those performances. Due to the fact that two Latina women were singing and dancing, age suddenly matters. It's shocking when an “older” woman continues to be successful in the music industry, but age doesn't seem to affect a man's career.

Overall, the halftime show was a party. It was loud, electric and very Latina. I was simply disappointed that Shakira and Lopez didn't use the opportunity as the first two Latinas to make more of a positive and progressive impact with their performance.

Lisa Burnett

Office Manager