Thursday, March 28, 2024 -
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Halftime modesty

Something stood out about this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. The dancers and performers were dressed relatively modestly. That’s pretty unusual when it comes to the kind of pop music and choreography that was performed.

I thought of Nancy Spielberg’s observation in her recent interview with the IJN that perhaps sexual harassment is more pervasive in Hollywood than elsewhere due to the objectification inherent in show business. Maybe Hollywood is finally realizing that its culture isn’t empowering women — in fact, just the opposite.

Somewhere along the line a woman being liberated got conflated with her being reduced to her sexuality. Are we finally learning that women are a whole lot more?

As a Patriots fan, Feb. 4 wasn’t the best night for me. But the halftime show was a highlight, not because of Justin Timberlake’s performance, but because for the first time the dancers were doing their thing, but weren’t being objectified. A refreshing change! I hope it’s a harbinger of things to come.

•   •   •

There’s still time to take part in an awesome initiative called Color Our Collections.

From Feb. 5-9, museums worldwide are making available for download their artwork for your coloring pleasure. It’s really quite incredible — and there’s something for everyone. Love Art Nouveau? Then Glasgow School of Art is for you. Fascinated by botany? Try Lane Medical Library. If you want to stay local, Auraria Library and Denver Botanic Gardens are participating. It’s all housed at www.colorourcollections.org, hosted by the New York Academy of Medicine.

So get coloring!

Shana Goldberg may be reached at [email protected]



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IJN Assistant Publisher | [email protected]


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