Shakira and Jennifer Lopez headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 2. They gave a highly energetic, fun, and beautiful performance embracing their Hispanic heritage. The performance received some backlash from people saying that the performance was not family friendly. They were criticized for the dancing that was said to be too provocative. One tweet said Shakira was dancing like a stripper. Others were calling for the performers to “speak English.” Some went as far as to say that it was “Spanish porn” and criticized them for having the Colombian and Puerto Rican flag. People used all kinds of adjectives to call the performance “trashy” and “disgusting.”
I personally thought the performance was great and I am glad the women took the opportunity to show that part of their culture is beautiful and fun. Many Hispanics get bogged down by stereotypes and feel as though they cannot really express themselves. If a woman wants to be conservative and have a conservative performance she has every right to do that. If a woman wants to have a sensual performance she is also entitled to that as well. Sexuality should not be as taboo as it. It can be brought out as an art form and that is exactly what the women did. They displayed multiple cultures, including their own, to celebrate one of America’s largest cultural events of the year.
The comments can be seen as hypocritical because of the culture of NFL cheerleading. The cheerleaders usually wear skimpy outfits and perform provocative and sensual dances during the halftime games. No one really has a problem with this and they do not receive backlash because “it’s just dancing.” Is it because the cheerleaders are American? Or is it because the teams are predominantly white? It seems like these would be the most reasonable assumptions when wondering why there is so much negative backlash from the performance. America is supposed to be a place for immigrants and inclusion. It is not fair to single out a group of people who do the same thing that the American cheerleaders do.
America is not made of all white, heterosexual males and neither is the world. We have to come to terms with the fact that there are other cultures and traditions out there and we need to respect people’s differences. Just because you may not agree with someone or something does not give you the right to try to voice a hateful opinion on social media—especially when it is a hypocritical one.
