Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Received 1,312 Official Government Complaints
It seems the Super Bowl halftime show can never please most of the people all of the time. Now there’s a divide on whether spicing up the show is a good idea for the eyes of kids watching at home. Such was the case of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s halftime show at the Super Bowl on Feb 2.
There were two tribal opinions in America when it came to their performance: It was either “muy caliente,” or an abomination to families watching at home.
The latter group went so far as to complain to the FCC about it, something not revealed until weeks after the event. Now it’s created a new debate about what should be acceptable in a show like this. Was it really too much T&A, or simply empowering to Latino women performers?
How many Super Bowl halftime complaints did the FCC receive?
A whopping 1,312 people called the FCC office to complain about Lopez and Shakira’s provocative performance. One could immediately argue there’s been much worse when it comes to showing too much skin and suggestive dance moves.
When adding in countless other national broadcasts featuring such things, it might make some wonder whether the complaints were necessary.
From the perspective of those who complained, they say they felt like their kids were watching a “porno show” or even a subtle encouragement of sex trafficking. As shocking as that assessment is, there isn’t any denying there was a lot of pole dancing, twerking, and crotch shots.
Many think there was nothing to complain about because everyone is so used to these dance styles nowadays. Perhaps it’s easy to forget that style of performing wasn’t even allowed on TV 20 or 30 years ago.
At the same time, many think the halftime shows of Super Bowl past were far too sanitized and lacked any punch. When placed in the right context, Lopez and Shakira’s performance demonstrated the high-energy exuberance of Latin culture.
There are two sides of the argument
Let’s analyze the above halftime show in a careful way so it’s not just a one-sided opinion. First, it’s worth reminding Shakira and Lopez were celebrating their Latino heritage during their respective sets.
This meant a lot of hip-swaying and other typical dancing based on tradition. The Latin energy was piping hot, something giving the show one of the biggest shots in the arm than any in its history.
From the side of those defending Lpezo and Shakira, the energy aspect and respect of their culture was hard to deny. Plus, many found their routine to be empowering to women.
Those opposed were offended by the pole dancing. Lopez clearly brought the pole dancing in because of her experience filming the movie Hustlers, which might have been a mistake.
1,312 out of millions is very small
Perhaps there were millions who felt the same as those who called the FCC. All told, however, 1,312 out of 102 million viewers is hardly a blip on the map. Not that the FCC typically receives this many calls at one time.
Don’t go looking for any FCC fines for what was shown since they always look out for much worse during live broadcasts. What this does show is there’s still somewhat of a divide in America on what people deem acceptable in the mainstream, family entertainment.
When going back to watch the halftime show again, some might wonder if there would have been far fewer calls had Lopez’s pole been taken out of the equation. For seemingly the majority, though, the pole and more provocative dancing is now the norm and permanently assimilated into the worldwide culture.
