A year in review: Top moments for women in pop culture

Yeah, I know, it seems like a lifetime ago.

But Shakira and JLo’s Super Bowl Half-Time performance happened in 2020. I was surprised too! 

First thing you must know. I love Shakira. 

She was my first favorite artist, my first concert when I was 7.

My mom actually got me her first CD at a Supermarket and I was obsessed with the depth of her lyrics.

To me, Shakira has always been so fresh and positive. Her music has changed a lot, but I still love her.

And truly, as a musical theater actress at heart, I really liked her Super Bowl presentation. She was fun and a great performer. 

The same for JLo. She showed incredible athletic and artistic skills. 

But I’m not gonna lie, I was a little bothered by her portion of the show.

First of all, yes. JLo looks amazing.

I renewed my gym membership the day after seeing that woman pole dancing like a queen.

So, if you’re going to say that I’m only jealous… well, that may be partially true .

That being said, the Super Bowl’s halftime is supposed to be a family-friendly show.

The demographics of the actual football game are men over 30, but the halftime show’s goal is to bring in a broader audience so they have everyone watching the show and it becomes a great opportunity for advertisers.

And we know that right? It’s the primetime spot for advertising during the year.

In the arts, context is everything. Every presentation and “artistic expression” really need to look at the context.

You don’t have the same content on Disney Channel as what you have on HBO.

So I’m a little uncomfortable with having a highly sexualized show in what’s supposed to be a “family friendly” performance.

And then, there’s the aspect that this was arguably one of female empowerment’s biggest moments of 2020. 

The reason for it? 

I’ve discussed it before, but we have an issue with our concept of power.

The wildest thing for me was reading WOMEN on Twitter, who usually seem to be against treating other women as objects, celebrate this show and be so, so excited for this “empowering moment”.

So overall, the whole show was a little bit too much for me. 

And it was consistent with so many other moments of 2020 that were super celebrated on Twitter. 

For example, one that didn’t make it on my list, but the WAP song… again, women celebrating how empowering it was!

Basically, the more skin you show, and the more explicit you are about your sex life, the more power you have?

So… in conclusion: making yourself an object doesn’t give you more power.

If you have younger sisters, friends, or cousins in your life, send them this podcast.

Because what happens when a girl or a young woman, who’s still trying to understand her identity, sees that everyone is praising two incredible artists because they were pole dancing?

There’s a super interesting report on the effects of the sexualitization of girls that I’m going to leave in the description down below so you can read more about it.

Let’s say that the sexualization of women seen as empowerment was big in 2020, and it’s psychologically proven to have negative long-term effects.

Some effects include reduced cognitive ability, increased mental health issues and eating disorders, diminished sexual health, and more!

Sure, someone may argue that Shakira and JLo were just showing their talent as performers, the same way a doctor would should her talent during surgery.

The thing is, that when we show that women are only talented when they’re able to pole dance and pull off tiny stripper-like outfits at 50, we may start believing that only those qualities are what define talent. 

And I’m going to talk more about this in a minute.

So, yeah… not the best moment for women this year in my opinion.

Okay, moving on.