The armchair quarterbacks this morning aren’t talking much about that football game last night. It was a good game, and I liked the outcome. But what really hit me? That Halftime Show that showcased strength, confidence and really ticked off a lot of prudes. And riled up a few people that do not understand that Puerto Rico is a part of the United States.
The game took place in Miami. I have never been to Miami, but I am well aware that there is a strong presence of Latino influences. Cuba, Puerto Rico are not too far away, and there are many of their flavors and traditions to be found there. It is a major reason why Jennifer Lopez and Shakira were picked to be the halftime entertainment. Great choice, if you ask me. I thought that show was great last night, joyous and entertaining. Sure, it was a little overtly sexual, but that is the world we live in, it’s out there, they just showed it to us on live national TV.
The first thing people jumped on was the language- which by the way was mostly in English. They spoke and sang in English the majority of the time. But oh, we speak American here! Why was that all Spanish? Um, it wasn’t and American is not a language. The United States does not have an official language. I do not understand why people are so paranoid about people speaking a different language. I am around Spanish speaking people all day long. Most of them know English, and speak it with me. I have not picked up as much Spanish as I should after 10 years of working with them, but I understand quite a bit. They aren’t talking about us. If that is what you are worried about. Get over yourself and let them communicate with each other. Don’t approach people at Walmart and remind them they are in America, they know where they are, they just communicate with each other easier in their first language. You have your own life to worry about, and you should be learning English better anyway as well. The usage of “your and you’re” and “there, their and they’re” I see all over Facebook tells me you ain’t so hot at it either.
A lot of people complaining about the crotch shots of the halftime entertainment. If that is all you got out of that, you missed so much! Were you horrified when Michael Jackson was grabbing his crotch back when he performed? Prince’s music is all sex, did that upset you when he was the halftime act? You ever watch Mick Jagger strut around, or Steven Tyler with his tongue? And Adam Levine didn’t even bring a shirt with him last year to the show. We didn’t see Shakira’s or J Lo’s nipples at all yesterday. Back when JT ripped off Janet Jackson’s nipple area that was way worse than watching Miss Lopez on that pole, which showed me a strong woman.
It maybe wasn’t the “greatest of all” halftime shows, but I enjoyed it immensely. I thought it was joyous, and very worthy of the Miami area. It showcased two very strong women, who are both very talented, and not afraid of their sexuality. Why can’t women be strong, confident and sexy all at one time? Is it so intimidating? And if it is, why? I am an independent woman, I have had to be. I take care of myself, and that has made me strong. I have had to be that too, because that is what life has given to me. What I am working on is the sexy part, because that is what I want. I want to be a complete package, and at 50 that is where I am headed, God willing. Jennifer Lopez is 50, Shakira is 43. They show me that women can be strong, and grow in that strength as we age. We do not have to sit back and accept old age, or second place behind a man. I am pretty sure J Lo is worth more than her boyfriend, who was joyfully dancing and supporting his woman last night.
There are going to people that see negative in every thing they watch. People are going to judge you. For every person that loved that show last night, there are 3 complaining about some aspect of it. That’s ok. We aren’t supposed to agree about every little thing. But what I want to see is more people celebrating the differences, not hating them. And I want to see more strong, smart and sexy women represented around the world. When I grew up, the encouragement of women to “be more” was just starting to happen, a lot of us were still being encouraged to get married and have babies, and some were told to reach for the stars. J Lo is my age. Shakira is just slightly younger than my little sister. They got the stars they reached for, I am still reaching, and my sister has caught a few of them. Strong, and getting stronger. Sexy, and getting sexier. And I am proud to be independent. The rest is all available to all of us, if we just reach for it.
Coco's Veiw of the World 