Reimagining US Colombianidades: Transnational subjectivities, cultural expressions, and political contestations

Let’s Get Loud: Intersectionally Studying the Super Bowl’s Halftime Show

“…For our purposes, while we do not need to trace the history of the concept, it is essential to understand intersectionality's contribution to the complexity of feminist analysis. As Rincón et al (2020) showed, Lopez, "As a Puerto Rican from the Bronx… and [its] historically established Latina/o/x community" (p. 302), has unquestioned Latinidad status. Shakira, however, who was born in Colombia and is of Lebanese descent, takes a different position.…”

“…However, some of these elements need a specific cultural capital to be interpreted as such. For example, Shakira's display of zaghrouta is easily interpreted as an attempt at sexiness (Rincón et al, 2020). In addition to the cultural capital necessary to be able to read the cultural aspects in the Halftime Show, many also felt the artists did not represent the Latina/o/x community as both Lopez and Shakira are light-skinned.…”

“…Rather, we will return to what we understand as the root of the study of popular culture: Understanding everyday culture and its political meanings. Rincón et al (2020) stated, "Together, Lopez and Shakira underscore the inherently relational, dynamic character of Latinidad" (p. 302), thus drawing attention to the intersectional understanding of both artists' identities as female, Latina, middle aged, sexual beings. Shakira, Rincón et al (2020) argued, is not to be understood in the same way as Lopez, and neither should their (il)legible political stances during the Halftime Show as they are subject of the debate.…”

“…Rincón et al (2020) stated, "Together, Lopez and Shakira underscore the inherently relational, dynamic character of Latinidad" (p. 302), thus drawing attention to the intersectional understanding of both artists' identities as female, Latina, middle aged, sexual beings. Shakira, Rincón et al (2020) argued, is not to be understood in the same way as Lopez, and neither should their (il)legible political stances during the Halftime Show as they are subject of the debate. Rincón et al (2020), hence, explicitly argued for an intersectional approach to the performance, or what Collins and Bilge (2016) called intersectionality, as an analytical tool, a way to grapple with complexity.…”

“…Shakira, Rincón et al (2020) argued, is not to be understood in the same way as Lopez, and neither should their (il)legible political stances during the Halftime Show as they are subject of the debate. Rincón et al (2020), hence, explicitly argued for an intersectional approach to the performance, or what Collins and Bilge (2016) called intersectionality, as an analytical tool, a way to grapple with complexity.…”