Get your mind out of the gutter: Shakira’s tongue wiggle at halftime wasn’t naughty
Shakira’s flicking tongue may have stolen the halftime show for a second or two, but the singer wasn’t doing anything naughty. At least we don’t think so.
Post your thirsty memes and jokes in your coworker chat (people are actually Googling “Shakira tongue waggle”), but then brush up on some facts about her.
Shakira flicking her tongue out to a camera and making a shrill noise reminded some of her heritage. Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll’s father, William Mebarak Chadid, is Lebanese (mom, Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, is Colombian).
What the 43-year-old pop star was illustrating on the world stage seemed a lot like zaghrouta, a gesture in Middle Eastern culture expressing emotion during a momentous occasion. The rapid-fire tongue action is accompanied by a trill, or warbling, almost animalistic sound.
Some Colombian Twitter users pointed out that Shak was doing just what came naturally at her hometown’s annual Barranquilla Carnival, later this month.
“For those of you who don’t understand Shakira’s gesture, it’s very traditional during carnival,” posted one. “Doesn’t our Colombian culture rock! Incredible, I love her, parce [slang for bro]!”
We scoured for videos of the giant, festive street fair and lo and behold, found a participant gesturing in the exact same way.
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 1:57 PM.
