The Real Meaning Behind Shakira's Tongue: A Super Bowl Halftime Commentary
Ok, so, last night was the 54th Super Bowl in Miami, a game between the San Fransisco 49ers and the Kansas Missouri, I mean City, Chiefs. But I'll have to admit, football is not my thing, and I just watch the "big game" for the Halftime Show. That was no different this year, knowing that the performance would be headlined by not one, but two incredible women: Jennifer Lopez and Shakira!
Everybody thought that Jenny-from-the-block would steal the night, but it was one moment from Shakira's segment that got everybody talking.
Her tongue roll (or wagging, whatever you wanna call it).
So many Twitter users made memes out of this brief moment, that were intended to be funny (not to mention the goat mashup, which I easily fell for after my mom showed it to me). But these folks don't know a thing about the cultural context of Shakira's mouth movements.
And that's what I'll clarify.
Firstly, we all know that Shakira is Columbian, but her dad's side is actually from Lebanon. Her name is the feminine form of the Arabic name Shakir, meaning "grateful". And how grateful indeed she is to still be rocking that body at forty-three!
My parents are from Lebanon too, so I have been greatly immersed into their culture. One thing that the Lebanese do, mainly the ladies, is zalghouta. Usually this is done at weddings for the bride, as a sign of praise and celebration for them. Basically, a group of ladies would gather around the bride and give her compliments, usually about how beautiful she is. Then they would all, in unison, put a hand above their lips, and make the same tongue movement that Shakira did for the memes. Sometimes, we do it as a joke, which I would do sometimes around my family. So once I saw Shakira pull it off during the performance, it instantly reminded me of zalghouta, and made me do it, in a high pitch.
Another moment from Shakira that seemed to reflect her Lebanese heritage, was her rope belly dancing, which made me beam to see, because honestly, it's not every day you see pure Middle Eastern footwork in the mainstream. I still remember when she was in the Activia ads from years ago.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese political climate may ease in a matter of time. For now, all Lebanese can rejoice, because something from the Super Bowl made them happy, in times of recession.
So yeah, that's the explanation. I don't know if these memes can be considered 100% racist, but they do offend the culture somehow. At least it was much better than last year's, when everybody was disappointed that Adam Levine took his shirt off. If I had to sum up the Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show in a few words, I would say it was a stunning comeback of cultural pride. The girls rocked the stage, like I knew they would.
What are some ways we can make money WITHOUT GETTING A JOB? Find out as I harness some key ideas from "Click Millionaires" by Scott Fox in a future post, and reflect on how I can try them out as a blogger.
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| Jenny and Shakira make history as the first Latin-American women to headline the Halftime Show in two decades |
Everybody thought that Jenny-from-the-block would steal the night, but it was one moment from Shakira's segment that got everybody talking.
Her tongue roll (or wagging, whatever you wanna call it).
So many Twitter users made memes out of this brief moment, that were intended to be funny (not to mention the goat mashup, which I easily fell for after my mom showed it to me). But these folks don't know a thing about the cultural context of Shakira's mouth movements.
And that's what I'll clarify.
Firstly, we all know that Shakira is Columbian, but her dad's side is actually from Lebanon. Her name is the feminine form of the Arabic name Shakir, meaning "grateful". And how grateful indeed she is to still be rocking that body at forty-three!
 |
| You go, Shakira! |
My parents are from Lebanon too, so I have been greatly immersed into their culture. One thing that the Lebanese do, mainly the ladies, is zalghouta. Usually this is done at weddings for the bride, as a sign of praise and celebration for them. Basically, a group of ladies would gather around the bride and give her compliments, usually about how beautiful she is. Then they would all, in unison, put a hand above their lips, and make the same tongue movement that Shakira did for the memes. Sometimes, we do it as a joke, which I would do sometimes around my family. So once I saw Shakira pull it off during the performance, it instantly reminded me of zalghouta, and made me do it, in a high pitch.
Another moment from Shakira that seemed to reflect her Lebanese heritage, was her rope belly dancing, which made me beam to see, because honestly, it's not every day you see pure Middle Eastern footwork in the mainstream. I still remember when she was in the Activia ads from years ago.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese political climate may ease in a matter of time. For now, all Lebanese can rejoice, because something from the Super Bowl made them happy, in times of recession.
So yeah, that's the explanation. I don't know if these memes can be considered 100% racist, but they do offend the culture somehow. At least it was much better than last year's, when everybody was disappointed that Adam Levine took his shirt off. If I had to sum up the Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show in a few words, I would say it was a stunning comeback of cultural pride. The girls rocked the stage, like I knew they would.
 |
| But let's just say Shakira was THE rockstar of the night |
What are some ways we can make money WITHOUT GETTING A JOB? Find out as I harness some key ideas from "Click Millionaires" by Scott Fox in a future post, and reflect on how I can try them out as a blogger.
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