On Sunday night, Shakira [1] and Jennifer Lopez [2] gave us one of the best halftime show performances [3] we've seen in a long time. Not only did J Lo's 11-year-old daughter Emme [4] make an appearance on stage, but the show was filled with striking, yet subtle, cultural statements. While performing a remix of "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)" and "Let's Get Loud," many young singers appeared onstage in circular cages [5]. It didn't take long before viewers connected the statement to the border crisis and current administration's family separation policy. The other instantly viral moment from the show was Shakira [6]'s tongue flicking gesture.
The 3-second moment had everyone talking, but it wasn't just an excited, camera-capturing gesture: it's zaghrouta. Zaghrouta is a traditional vocal expression [7] done to express joy in Arab cultures. Shakira's father is Lebanese, and fans praised her for including the tradition in the halftime performance. One person wrote [8], "In the melting pot that is Miami, you could not have picked a better Super Bowl act and this was a lovely touch."
