I’ll start this post by saying that the Missouri pro sports teams are on fire! The KC Chiefs win is the point of last night’s Super Bowl, but given my perspective, I have to pause a moment and ask, why does entertainment continuously make sexualizing the woman’s body as important or even more important than her voice? Am I the only one who was put off by all that fringed booty-shaking and body exposure of the women, while the men were covered, literally from head to toe?
A quick Google search this morning shows I’m not the only one: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2020/02/02/jennifer-lopez-shakira-super-bowl-show-praised-this-my-america/4642026002/
Many see the show as empowering. But they are missing the dichotomy of how the women were presented vs. the men on stage. They are ignoring (or ignorant) of the effect of the historic power dynamic objectifying women has given us, in particular the Gender Pay Gap , and continued sexual assault.
Watching the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show, one would think we were in the 20th Century, before the world supposedly became “woke” about objectifying women… has the #metoo movement really had so little of an effect? What will Jennifer Lopez’s 11-year-old daughter aspire to? How can we expect our young men to look beyond the female body when such important events and superstars emphasize sexuality so explicitly that it dominates the vocal talent?
The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NY has a great exhibit right now about the the power of clothing: Power Mode – it’s very well done, but the Super Bowl 2020 halftime makes me realize that the curators could have included a section about the use of clothing for power in the entertainment industry for a more comprehensive story. The exhibit alludes to the topic of my post, and this photo I took of a label at the exhibit puts my reaction to the halftime show and the reaction of the supporters of the show.
Complex.
Fashion Matters II 