The regular NFL cheerleaders are incredibly scantily clad, fwiw. And they dance suggestively. Every weekend!
@PetraMC - I don’t like that either ; )
As the mom of a girl who was a student athlete of a sport that both boys and girls play, I’m particularly sensitive to the differences between how boys/girls are supposed to dress to play a sport, or cheer for their team, or in this case, perform in a 1/2 time show.
Obviously adults are adults and can make their own decisions and if they feel empowered dressed like that, that’s their choice but I still don’t think it sends a great message to young girls.
At D’s HS, the girls wore skimpy outfits to cheer, the boys were in warm-up pants.
Take a look at what is worn on a volleyball court.
Sure, Adam Levine took off his shirt but he wasn’t performing in a speedo.
@Knowsstuff A few days ago I Googled Shakira because the only thing I knew was “My hips don’t lie” (not sure if that’s the song title) and she coached on The Voice (don’t watch). There was a story on her bio, dad took her to a Middle Eastern restaurant, 4 years old and she jumped on the table and danced! Music as a child, recording at 13 and last night playing drums. Enjoy reading bios, my family teases how much I Google. I should have been a researcher.
It always bugged me that men wear tank top and shorts and women bikinis in beach volleyball. Put the men in speedos, darn it! It was the same here, except for one (or two?) of the dance numbers men wear hoodies and baggy pants. It bugs me, and I don’t think it’s actually empowering women. The dancing was impressive, the symbolism clever. I don’t particular care for either of their singing, but I realize that plenty of people love it.
As far as getting paid. My friends were telling me that stars bid for and either pay or don’t get paid. The marketing is unreal. Not sure if that is true but wouldn’t be surprised
I didn’t read the whole thread, but did anyone mention Demi Lovato? Wow, she killed it!!!
Halftime was fine - not my music, but I like both of them. Like Shakira more than JLo, but maybe that’s because JLo is my age and make me hate myself! Lol
On any given day in any major city, there are people on the street scantily dressed. Sometimes they engage in sexually provocative behavior on the street. Yeah, it is their right to do so, and no, I am not surprised. That doesn’t mean I think it is either appropriate or tasteful. Signing off!
Half time performers at the super bowl do not get paid per the above. The stars don’t bid or anything else…and there is no choice about payment. They don’t get paid.
According to Spotify, J Lo’s downloads jumped 335% and Shakira’s jumped 230% after last night’s halftime performance. Audience of 100 million doesn’t require direct compensation.
In terms of clothing by gender, its not just sports. Look at TV news. Men are typically wearing suits and pretty much totally covered up. Women are often in skin to win type outfits. Shoulders and arms showing. Legs too. Dropped necklines. Differences are stark.
And I am totally fine with seeing women in all shapes and sizes (though in the media we typically only see one sized female – thin – whereas men on the media are often overweight…balding…gray hair). So I am not complaining.
Looking at the halftime show, seems to me its hard to say “we don’t want to be viewed as sex objects” and then dress and dance like that. On the other hand, the players were objects on the field too last night. They just need the prop of the football to make it entertaining. JLo and Shakira needed just themselves. LOL
Ultimately, its complicated.
I guess we’re still going on about this.
I dress very conservatively because I just don’t like having skin showing. It has nothing to do with people’s perceptions of me. It actually stems from a lot of bullying about my physical appearance as a child (I was always the tallest in my class, by far, and wore clothing that made me blend into the background.) My self-worth however does not go down with the level of clothing I wear. It makes me sick that we’re still even talking about this.
I’m a person with bodily autonomy no matter what I wear or how I dance. Period. End of story.
Global Association of International Sports Federation (GAISF) just recognized pole dancing as an official sport and their next goal is to be an Olympic sport.
When the halftime show features similarly clad men engaged in pole dancing (it’s a nonsexualized sport, right?), I will be convinced. I think I have a long wait.
Maybe pearl-clutching should be an Olympic sport too 
These two women are intelligent, strong, business savvy and seem to be living happy lives. They can present themselves however they want to - and when they perform it is sexy. It is their choice.
It’s interesting to me that so many women seem uncomfortable with other women being sexy. We really can get in our own way.
On a completely different note, I’m really surprised not to see much on Mahomes being the third black quarterback to win the Super Bowl .
The NFL has had a lot of black players for a long time, not sure why you were surprised. So does D1 football, where the NFL recruits. At least 10 starting NFL quarterbacks are black, and many of the top 25 college quarterbacks too.
If you follow the history of football, we are in the midst of what is called a “black quarterback revolution “. After a long history of being denied the chance to play this position and then being targets of negativity when they did, we are right now in an era of black quarterbacks being celebrated. I did some searching and found some great articles.
@Leigh22 Sure it is their choice to present themselves anyway they choose, but it is the choice of the NFL to decide what is appropriate halftime entertainment. Obviously, they made this choice and we are all entitled to our opinion as to whether we enjoyed it and/or thought it was the best choice.
I didn’t watch the super bowl so I just looked up the video of the halftime show and watched it. The only positive thing I can say is that they are obviously in really good shape. I thought the music sucked and they just looked like a bunch of high dollar skanks.
And there you go.
If a Super Bowl show was a host of country singers I would probably not enjoy it a lot because I don’t like country music but I would either just enjoy the enthusiasm of the performers or…not tune in. I might feel the same about other genres of music or specific performers.
I hope I would not choose to rake them over some highly ignited derogatory coals.
Mahones is getting a lot of press around here. He is the youngest MVP in a super bowl…and the youngest MPV in any NFL game. In addition, he is articulate, gracious, and clearly a team player. His post game interviews were just terrific. The NFL commentators said he is a great representative for the NFL, and I agree.
I hope he has a long and successful career, and keeps his gracious demeanor.
And I am not a football game watcher normally, but I really liked watching his precision on the field especially in those last 5 minutes!