Why Jennifer Lopez's Documentary Halftime is an Ode to Ambitious Women Everywhere

Ambition is something often reserved for men—they can stand firm in their convictions, be unapologetic with their needs and even be brazen when wronged.

Men can do anything they set their minds to, and somehow women aren't always afforded this same respect.

I was lucky enough to be raised by two feminists who always pushed me to be the best I could be regardless of what I was doing.

I went from wanting to be an astronaut to a doctor to the president of the United States—there wasn't anything I couldn't achieve—and yet I ended up becoming a writer (I struggle adding tip, so STEM wasn't the field for me).

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I remember the first time a teacher made me feel like my dreams and hopes were impossible. It was my sixth-grade language arts teacher, and she made it abundantly clear that my writing skills wouldn't amount to anything (clear irony in that, I'd say).

Then, there was the first time I was called outspoken, in a less than stellar manner, by a male teacher in high school. Somehow, my voice and my opinion were too much.

Unfortunately, it's in the micro-aggressions like these that you first begin to develop that voice in your head that says, "be still, don't rock the boat."

I felt that my intelligence and who I was deep down somehow wasn't enough. We call that imposter syndrome today.

I suffered from a sometimes debilitating case of shyness when I was young (if you met me now, you'd think I'm lying). I had somehow convinced myself that I was better off not speaking up and keeping in line, that by playing by the rules, people would somehow make room for me.

Boy, was I wrong.

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When it first debuted, Jennifer Lopez's Netflix documentary Halftime received a lot of press over people's chosen interpretation of a comment she made referencing her 2020 Pepsi Halftime Show.

This piqued my interest as I wanted to see for myself what it was all about. Within the first few minutes of the film, I couldn't help but feel one singularly overwhelming feeling: JLo now felt more human to me.

Yes, the documentary follows her journey to her historic performance with Shakira, but it also puts on full display her brazen ambition and her vulnerabilities—something that moved me to tears.

Lopez peeled back the layers of her public persona, one which has always been known for its work ethic, and gave people everywhere a look at her truly fighting for what she knows and believes in her heart she deserves.

Needless to say, the shy little girl in me who was afraid to speak out against the powers that be felt vindicated.

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It's a mighty powerful thing to see someone who looks like you, speaks like you and shares your cultural background killing it.

To see someone who is at the top of her game, in every sense of the phrase, experience the same crushing blows that all women feel day in and day out when it comes to handling their careers and life made me admire her that much more.

There's a clip in the documentary where her beau, Ben Affleck, talks about how taken aback he was about all the pressures and sometimes hurtful commentary Lopez has to deal with on the daily.

He asks her, "Doesn't this bother you?" Her response? "I'm Latina. I'm a woman. I...I expected this. You just don't expect it. You expect to be treated fairly," Affleck quotes.

My heart sank and soared simultaneously, I felt seen and heard by one of the most recognizable faces in the world.

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Despite it all, she has never faltered from her path. Lopez fights for what she reverently believes in and won't stop fighting until she gets her due.

Regardless of what you may think of her, it is incredibly inspiring and empowering for not only Latina women but all women.

Even when she was down to the wire, and the NFL wanted to change a key aspect of her halftime show, she stuck to her guns and gave the world a performance that sent chills done the spines of women everywhere.

Lopez fought for every single second of the show she and Shakira put on, and to see how others were taking one sound bite and flipping it into something it truly wasn't lit me up like a Christmas tree.

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Lopez's power isn't in whether she is the best singer, dancer, actress or performer.

Her true superpower lies in her conviction, her heart and her bold determination to never settle for something less than she deserves.

After watching Halftime, I was once again reassured by the universe, the celestial beings and Lopez herself that my parent's belief that I could do just about anything I set my mind to was and has always been within reach.