Super duo, stripper pole or not
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira two strong women flaunting what they’ve got
If all you saw were stripper poles and booty shaking, then you really missed the point of J.Lo and Shakira’s Super Bowl extravaganza.
Sure, it was sexy. But it was so much more. It was a multicultural, get-me-onthe-dance-floor performance celebrating women, mothers, middle-agers, Latinos, Puerto Rico, Arabic culture, Africa, dancing and kids.
For nonfootball fans, it was the best part of the big game. It was so much fun to watch these two middleaged superstars still at the top of their game. They brought down the house with their body-defying dance moves and energetic performances that made you wish you could join them on stage. Who knew Shakira played drums?
Jennifer Lopez turned 50 last year and she marked her milestone birthday by going on tour. Her show came to Mansfield over the summer and left concertgoers vowing to hit the gym the next morning, much like Sunday night’s Super Bowl concert.
Oh, but the halftime show wasn’t family friendly! What are we teaching our girls? Those skimpy outfits! The stripper poles! J-Lo and Shakira have corrupted our youth!
Spare me the whining. These were two strong women proudly flexing their sexuality, confidence and talents. I’m much more concerned that our young girls are bombarded with cute Disney movies depicting princesses who need to be saved by a man.
And as others have pointed out, where was all the bellyaching when Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine whipped off his shirt at last year’s Super Bowl halftime show? Double standard anyone?
J.Lo spent months practicing those physically grueling pole dancing moves for her role as a veteran stripper in the movie, “Hustlers,” a performance that got the Bronx-bred actress and singer well-deserved Oscar buzz. (She was ultimately snubbed).
During the show, J.Lo, whose parents are from Puerto Rico, wore a twosided Puerto Rican and American flag coat while singing “Born in the USA” and “Let’s Get Loud” with her 11-year-old daughter Emme. The girl came out of a silver cage, perhaps symbolic of the U.S. border crisis.
Shakira, who turned 43 on Sunday, celebrated her Colombian and Lebanese heritage with a tongue trill aimed at the camera, which is apparently an Arabic expression of joy called a zaghrouta.
Another crowd — and kid — favorite was Shakira singing and dancing to “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” the catchy anthem for the 2010 World Cup.
All the booty shaking and hip swiveling is par for the course for anyone who loves to Zumba dance. For all the holier-than-thou masses who say they were offended, try taking a Zumba class. I promise you it will be one of the best parts of your day.