Empowerment; on display in this year's Superbowl half time show
A Commentary by Kate Noel
A Commentary by Kate Noel
If you were tuned into the Superbowl Sunday night, you may likely also witnessed Shakira and JLo sweep the floors with flowing hair extensions and tasseled skirts like there was no tomorrow. Personally, I watched in awe when Lopez climbed up a very wobbly looking pole in 5 inch heels - what incredible upper body strength! My jaw dropped when Shakira brought out a traditional Colombian dance routine with her dance squad dripping in gold head to toe - what an amazing demonstration of Colombian culture!
I tried to divide my attention evenly between reactions online, more specifically on Twitter, and the performance in front of me. The positivity was overwhelming; it practically radiated from my screens as America got to see two women - both above the age of 40 - absolutely rocking the stage, proving that talent and confidence has no age limit, no expiration date.
The next day, the gloomy Monday morning that inevitably follows Superbowl Sunday, I was met with criticism and snarky retorts about the women’s performance and how they displayed their bodies.
“It was too slutty, they were literally pole dancing.”
“I’d be so embarrassed if either of them were my mom. They were practically naked in front of the whole country.”
“How do girls feel empowered from this?”
As an incredibly outspoken person, sometimes to a fault, I found it difficult to contain my response to such statements, especially coming from my male classmates.
Why should it be up to men whether or not something can empower women?
At face value, it sounds obvious - ridiculous, even - but this sort of thinking is taught usually at such a young age that the ideas of how a woman should present herself are ingrained into minds. Other women are not excluded from feeling negatively about the halftime show, either. I also heard a lot of girls agreeing with the boys who criticized the superstars. Internalized misogyny is so rampant nowadays when the lines between empowerment and sexism get blurred. Girls are taught to be modest because revealing clothing and actions are considered “slutty” or “whorey”. Rather than fighting that notion, many chose to roll with it, feeling power just from getting accepted and blending in as opposed to the possibility of facing criticism. While fitting in is completely allowed, don’t get me wrong, my point is that women can express themselves however they want, modest or otherwise. It becomes a problem when we put other women down for expressing themselves differently than the ways we may choose to express ourselves.
Women’s bodies, especially women of color, are sexualized. This is just a fact of life. I’m not saying it’s right, but it is a condition that shapes what it means to be a female in the 21st century. Men have held power over women for so long it feels like nothing will change. But when women take back that power, that choice to express themselves and present themselves to the public however they wish, that’s when we thrive. Shakira and JLo weren’t performing for men, they were performing. Period. They didn’t choose their outfits for men, they chose their outfits. Period.
When boys tell the world that women shouldn’t feel confident after a riveting performance like this, it’s because they subconsciously believe their opinion holds more weight than others. This isn’t voluntary. Ask any boy who makes a remark like the ones above and they’ll tell you that their thought process wasn’t to silence others.