Living in a world that is technologically advanced, fast-paced, and ever changing comes with endless exposure to diverse content. Americans, especially young children and adults, are constantly engaging in media. This can be done via social media, television, radio, etc. Each piece of content that we stumble across brings with it, its own meanings and messages that the creator(s) intends for their audiences to see. Sometimes this is given to us at face value, but often times, content is strategically created to spark a conversation, influence a movement, or call for change in a more subtle manner. In this blog post, I will be critically analyzing Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s Super Bowl halftime performance and the many things it communicated.
On February 2 of 2020, the biggest American televised event took place. Whether people were watching for the football, the half-time performance, company advertisements, or just to eat some tasty snacks, there were nearly 100 million recorded viewers for this year. While many things sparked conversation, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s headline performance was arguably the biggest. As reported on https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/diversity-inclusion/481164-these-are-all-the-cultural-references-you-missed, it was the first time that two Latinas co-headlined a Super bowl performance. Throughout the performance, the two women acknowledged and payed respect to their hometowns and heritage through traditional dance, song, and celebration. Some critics even identified subtle political statements, which I picked up on as well.
Some feature moments of the performance were when Shakira first greeted the crowd, saying, “Hola Miami!” It was significant that these were her words of choice, because it set the tone for the rest of her performance. It was especially important in terms of location, because Miami is home to a large number of immigrants and is a city with one of the largest Latin populations in the United States. Shakira was speaking directly to her people.
Next, Shakira also incorporated traditional dance, specifically the Champeta. This dance originates from her hometown, Barranquilla, Columbia. She also utilized belly dancing and Arab instruments in her performance. Most notably, though, Shakira had a “meme worthy” moment that had the internet talking- “the tongue thing”. She looked directly in a camera and made a motion and sound with her tongue. While the “ululation” was unfamiliar and misunderstood for some, it known as zaghrouta, a commonly used expression of joy or strong emotion by women in the Middle East and North Africa. This was my favorite part of the performance, because it was extremely smart. Shakira used this moment, knowingly doing something that she knew would initiate conversation, and it did. It was an educational moment for many, and it paved the way for further knowledge on different cultures.
Moving on, Jennifer Lopez was directly speaking to her people, saying to the crowd: “Latinos, get loud!” She also paid respects to her hometown, the Bronx and held up a Puerto Rican flag. One of the boldest performance choices was the incorporation of a child choir, led by her 11-year-old daughter. The children sang the song “Let’s Get Loud” while sitting in cages. Many connected this to the children being held at the border.
All in all, the culture around us is constantly exposing us to important messages. Some are surface level and easily seen, while others take a bit of thought and reflection. Shakira and Lopez’s performance did a nice job at depicting these things. While some of their messages were obvious, they left some of the performance to be up for interpretation, which made for a very powerful, long lasting effect on the audience.
Rhetorical Theory & Criticism 