Jennifer Lopez Has This to Say to Critics Who Called Her Super Bowl Performance 'Too Sexy'

Hilary Weaver
Updated ·2 min read

From ELLE

Last week, Jennifer Lopez joined Shakira onstage for the halftime show at the Super Bowl, where they dazzled in sparkling outfits and brought some powerful Latina energy to the stage. But not everyone was enthusiastic about the performance; some critics argued that the approximately 30 minutes that Lopez and Shakira shared the stage was a display of sexual objectification.

At the Independent Spirit Awards Saturday night, where she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Hustlers, Lopez shared her thoughts about her Super Bowl critics with Variety.

Photo credit: Jeff Kravitz - Getty Images
Photo credit: Jeff Kravitz - Getty Images

"I think that’s honestly silliness," she said. "Both of us are really respectful performers who are moms and have kids and are very conscious of what we do," Lopez said. "We (put on) a show that I believe was a celebration of women and our Latino culture that I think was really well reserved. And that small faction of people who want to be negative about it, I can’t even let in."

People on Twitter, such as this father, said they thought the show was too sexual for their children to watch:

Others saw the show completely differently. One Twitter user responded to author Anne Lamott, who said she found the show "appalling," and defended the performance.

Lopez, who is the mother of 11-year-old twins Maximilian and Emme Muñiz, didn't side with the critics who said her show was inappropriate for children. Her daughter, Emme, was even in the show; she sang "Let's Get Loud" and "Waka Waka" with her mom and Shakira.

Lopez added that the message she wanted to send to girls last Sunday night was one of power and confidence: "The message of standing up for yourself, being a women – that’s what I want to pass on to little girls—everything about you—be proud of it," she said. "I'm very proud of the performance that night."

You Might Also Like