Good for Shakira

It’s okay to be loud and wrong.

No amount of Rebel Wilson headlines or JoJo Siwa Instagram posts could derail the biggest story of last week. The Cut: “Shakira's Sons Thought the ‘Barbie’ Movie Was Emasculating.” Variety: “Shakira Says 'Barbie' Sent Wrong Message About Feminism.” And, inevitably, Salon: “The problem with Shakira's ‘Barbie’ comments.”

First, here’s what Shakira said in a profile for Allure headlined “Shakira’s She-Wolf Feminism.”

“My sons absolutely hated it. They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent. I'm raising two boys. I want 'em to feel powerful too [while] respecting women. I like pop culture when it attempts to empower women without robbing men of their possibility to be men, to also protect and provide. I believe in giving women all the tools and the trust that we can do it all without losing our essence, without losing our femininity. I think that men have a purpose in society and women have another purpose as well. We complement each other, and that complement should not be lost. Just because a woman can do it all doesn’t mean she should? Why not share the load with people who deserve to carry it, who have a duty to carry it as well?”

It’s a barn burner of a quote. The kind of quote that rarely gets offered up in a piping hot skewer the way this one does. I was immediately reminded of Jennifer Lopez’s famous interview with MovieLine aka “the extraordinary 1998 interview that almost ended J-Lo's career.” In that interview, Lopez was offered the names of her contemporaries and given the opportunity to shoot at their targets. On Cameron Diaz: “A lucky model who's been given a lot of opportunities I just wish she would have done more with.” On Gwyneth Paltrow: “Tell me what she's been in? I swear to God, I don't remember anything she was in.” On Winona Ryder: "I was never a big fan of hers.” On Madonna: "Do I think she's a great performer? Yeah. Do I think she's a great actress? No.”

Do I think Shakira’s quote is at the same level? Not even close. But I think in a media landscape that is fed primarily by scraps, the scent alone of some high-grade, well-marbled prime dissent in the ranks (I don’t think this rises to the level of shit-talking) gave many the feeling of satiation.

Now, I think context is critical. My first thought when I started to see this quote being given the Pop Crave-ification was: “Why is Shakira of all people talking about Barbie, and nine months after the film’s release no less?” Turns out, she was asked. Why? Let’s have a look. It begins with Shakira telling the interviewer about the shoot for her “Puntería x Cardi B,” the first single off of her upcoming album featuring the rap goddess. “On this planet, the men are happy to be dominated by women,” Shakira proclaims, commenting on the music video shoot. This, both bizarrely and brilliantly, is spun into a transition to the next graph. “Shakira hails from an entirely different planet. She was born to a Lebanese father and a native Colombian mother and raised in a country where beauty pageants are a big deal.”

The interviewer than shares some research from a professor of History and Latin American Studies that suggests that in a deeply conservative and Catholic country like Colombia, traditionally “beauty is the responsibility of women, leaving the rights of power to men.” 

Shakira counters that by stating, “I heard that by 2030, 60% of the world's wealth will be managed by women.” (Where’s the Salon article about that?)

Next graph: “Now, I can’t help but ask a question that’s been on my mind since we began this conversation, ‘Did you watch the movie Barbie?’” It’s not a complete non sequitur given the conversation, and it could have easily resulted in a nothing-burger of a response, but alas, Shakira thought, “You want a pull quote? I’ll give you a pull quote!”

Now, do I agree with Shakira’s assessment? No. Do I believe that Shakira’s sons, 9 and 11 years-old respectively, know what it means to feel emasculated, let alone have a comprehension of the word? No. Do I find it odd that two young boys aren’t gagging for Barbie? No. Much in the same way I wasn’t gagging for Terminator as a kid. Do I feel the Barbie movie robbed men of their possibility to be men? No. Is it crazy that someone would have this take? No. In fact, I think this is hardly an unpopular opinion. Is it crazy that they’d offer up this take to an American magazine focused on female beauty? That’s the one non-”no” I’ll give you.

While I think Shakira’s take is myopic, I applaud her for offering an alternative perspective from the norm. Like Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Barbie has become such a cultural juggernaut that it often feels like there’s no room in the conversation for dissent. I live for dissent, for the counter-argument; the perspective not hastily considered, but ruminated on ahead of dissemination. I’m reminded of Doreen St. Félix’s must-read review of Cowboy Carter.

For me, Barbie shouldn’t be a litmus test on feminism. This was litigated in a more contained way when dissent started to grow over America Ferrera’s monologue in the film, something I wrote about back in January.  “I don’t care that Shakira doesn’t like Barbie,” Chelsea Fairless stated on the latest episode of the best podcast out there, Every Outfit, adding: “I’ve been watching flagrantly sexist movies since I’ve had consciousness and you don’t hear me complaining about it. I feel like Shakira should be able to watch one movie with the word ‘patriarchy.’”

What I would love is for Shakira to really emasculate her kids by showing Milan and Sasha the 2016 Saturday Night Live short that I always like to revisit, Wells for Boys. In the sketch, written by Julio Torres and Jeremy Beiler, Fisher-Price is unveiling its latest offering appropriately targeted at sensitive boys (read: little gay boys). “With Fisher-Price playsets, some kids can be four-star chefs, some kids can win the race, but some just long to be understood,” explains Cecily Strong via voiceover. “Wells for sensitive boys to wish upon, confide in and reflect by… Don’t just give him a Barbie. I mean, it is like that… but that’s just part of it.”

This all to say, good for Shakira. Not good in the sense that she added anything meaningful to the discourse. Let’s not get glutinous. But good for her for her willingness to speak her mind without fear of how it will be perceived. Too many people these days, celebrity or otherwise, lack a backbone to help them stand for or behind something. Good for Shakira for being loud and wrong. I hope she doesn’t feel forced to offer any kind of retraction or apology. In fact, maybe she’ll double down in a future interview. Wouldn’t that be something. 

And I hope we’ll get Shakira’s sons’ reaction to Madame Web sooner rather than later. 

Would love their review.

Genuinely.