Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Shakira's Tongue Action During The Super Bowl Halftime Show Was Widely Memed, But Arab Twitter Says There's More To It

Shakira's Tongue Action During The Super Bowl Halftime Show Was Widely Memed, But Arab Twitter Says There's More To It
@fernan_doe/Twitter, @marcogarcia1701/Twitter

Jennifer Lopez and Shakira teamed up to deliver a rousing adrenaline-infused performance during the Super Bowl LIV halftime show.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, both Latina superstars experienced a surge in digital downloads based on Nielsen Music sales reports, with a 1,013% sales increase from their songs performed at their halftime show combined.


The performance included a lot of hip-shaking and, um, major tongue action.

No, not between the powerhouse superstars, you silly kids.

It was all about Shakira's tongue wagging.



In addition to the Kansas City Chiefs' star quarterback Patrick Mahomes leading the team for an epic fourth-quarter comeback to win the Super Bowl LIV title, Shakira's tongue wag became one of the most talked about moments on social media.

Some saw humor in her tongue wagging and created viral memes.








Some people did not know what to think.



School was in session after Shakira fans shut down the mockery.



They pointed out that Shakira – whose name is Arabic for "grateful" – demonstrated a Zaghrouta, which is an Arabic celebration tradition.

Zaghrouta is also known as Ululation in English, although in many cultures, Ululation is more mournful and common at funerals.





According to Arab America, crowds attending Middle Eastern weddings produce the sound of Zaghrouta to express joy and celebration.

Zaghrouta is described as:

"a form of a long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound representing trills of joy. It is produced by emitting a high pitched loud voice accompanied by a rapid back and forth movement of the tongue."
"Ululation is usually used by women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and is commonly performed in weddings, parties, celebrations and sometimes in funerals to honor someone and to express strong emotions."


Shakira was born in Barranquilla, Columbia, on February 2, 1977 and is part Lebanese.

Her paternal grandparents emigrated from Lebanon to New York City, where her father was born. He then immigrated to Columbia when he was 5.



Twitter users continued weighing in on the cultural significance of Shakira's performance.




The cultural lesson was much appreciated.


Whether Shakira intentionally demonstrated a Zaghrouta or not continued to be challenged.


Others turned a blind eye to facts.


Whatever your takeaway was after watching the halftime show, both ladies undoubtedly rocked the house on Sunday night.


More from Trending

Savannah Guthrie
@savannahguthrie/Instagram

Savannah Guthrie Posts Heartbreaking Video Upping Reward Money For Her Missing Mother To $1 Million

NBC Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie announced her family is offering $1 million for information about her mother Nancy's location in a new video shared on Instagram.

The reward will be in addition to the $100,000 offered by the FBI for information about Nancy Guthrie and the $102,500 for information leading to an arrest in the case from 88-Crime, the Pima County and Tucson affiliate of the national Crime Stoppers organization.

Keep ReadingShow less
Abdellatif and Sandra Hafraoui
@LePapillonBleu2/X

New Jersey MAGA Couple Slams Trump For 'Ruining Our Lives' After Husband Gets Detained By ICE

Abdellatif and Sandra Hafraoui are a New Jersey couple that backed President Donald Trump, and they estimate they've paid $50,000 in legal fees since ICE agents detained Abdellatif despite initially believing the Trump administration's immigration crackdown would only "focus on criminals."

In fact, Sandra is furious at the man she voted for three times and believes he is "ruining" their lives.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump receiving gold medal from Team USA men's hockey team
@RonFilipkowski/X

The Men's Hockey Team Just Let Donald Trump Wear One Of Their Gold Medals—And The Jokes Came Pouring In

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after the U.S. men's hockey team arrived in Washington fresh off their victory at the Winter Olympics and handed him a gold medal to try on.

Trump has been flattered with gifts and cozied up to by energy lobbyists in recent months—he even received a "peace prize" from FIFA once upon a time—so his reaction here is really something.

Keep ReadingShow less
Flavor Flav; Donald Trump
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images; Win McNamee/Getty Images

Flavor Flav Shades Trump With Epic Invitation To US Women's Hockey Team For A 'Real Celebration'

Flavor Flav is a co-founder of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted legendary rap group Public Enemy. He later gained reality TV fame as the star of the VH1 dating show Flavor of Love.

But in recent years, Flavor Flav has been best known in pop culture as an enthusiastic hype man for Team USA at the Olympics, especially the often overlooked teams. For the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, he sponsored the entire women's water polo team.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jon Stewart discussing Kash Patel
@TheDailyShow/X

Jon Stewart Says What We're All Thinking About Kash Patel After USA Hockey Locker Room Video Goes Viral

After FBI Director Kash Patel made headlines for chugging a beer and wearing a gold medal in the locker room of the USA Men's Olympics Hockey team following their gold medal win at the Winter Olympics, Daily Show host Jon Stewart mocked him profusely, saying what we're all thinking about the display.

In footage circulated online by William Turton of ProPublica, Patel appears to down a bottle of beer, throw his arms up, and slam his fist on a table in celebration. Moments later, Matthew Tkachuk of Team USA is seen placing his medal around Patel’s neck, after which Patel joins the victorious hockey players in singing "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" by Toby Keith.

Keep ReadingShow less