I had the (dis)pleasure of reading a few of the 1,500 (yes… the number was over 1,000) complaints filed with the FCC over the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Thank you to SBNation for compiling these gems, and also not editing them for grammar. The common themes were as follows:
- The clothing was too scandalous
- The dance moves were also too scandalous
- ¡Ay, Dios mío! (Everything related to the performers being Latino when the Super Bowl was played in Miami, a hub for Hispanic culture)
- Not family friendly
- What am I going to tell my children?
First of all, I’d like to tell people to douse themselves in cold water and wake up. It’s 2020. Fashion has evolved over time to become more provocative. Visit any museum and you can see that. Watch any runway show. If you’re a parent and you’re concerned, parent your child. Teach them what is appropriate to wear and set an example. Get a grip, honestly. Do you want to wrap your child in a figurative bubble? It’s not realistic. If you want to protect your children, spend time with them. Pick them up from school. Eat dinner as a family. Help them with their homework. Read them books. Help them to interpret world events. Disclaimer: I am not a parent, but I luckily had parents who allowed me to consume pop culture and were there to help guide me through the journey of life and show me right from wrong without any major missteps. Blame the NFL and Pepsi, sure. But also do your job.
Second of all, music and performance art are forms of entertainment and self-expression. Also, music is subversive by history and nature. Since the beginning of civilization up until the modern day, music and song have helped to shift the fabric of society. Don’t believe me, in his book “Music: A Subversive History,” author and jazz critic Ted Gioia writes “The real history of music is not respectable.” Themes that so many of us complain about – sex, violence, oppression, magic and the like – actually help drive innovation in music from instruments to rhythms to harmonies to lyrics and beyond. Similar ideas can be tied to dance. Movements evolve from expression and feeling about the way someone thinks and feels based on what’s going on around them. Dance is also a response to the music.
Third of all, focus on the positives rather the negatives. So many of us struggle to exude confidence. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira are dripping with it. They are ageless, strong with healthy-looking fit bodies, (not stick thin) and they embrace who they are and how they look. What can you tell your children? Embrace who you are. These women do not look like they’ve been exploited, do they? If you want to fight the sexual exploitation of women, donate your money or time to UNICEF or organizations who are making that their mission.
[Photo: Getty Images]
New York State of Sports 