Shakira's Tongue
Submission 8,927
Part of a series on Super Bowl LIV. [View Related Entries]
Shakira's Tongue
Part of a series on Super Bowl LIV. [View Related Entries]
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About
Shakira's Tongue refers to a viral moment from the Super Bowl LIV halftime show during which singer Shakira ululated, sticking her tongue out and rapidly moving it. Following the show, the moment gained popularity on social media, being used both as a reaction and as source material for humorous edits.
Origin
On February 2nd, 2020, during Shakira's Super Bowl LIV halftime performance, the singer ululated, sticking her tongue outside of her mouth and rapidly moving it. Within minutes, Twitter[1] user @cjzero posted the clip of Shakira ululating to the platform, with the video acquiring over 15.7 million views and the tweet garnering over 5,700 retweets and 28,000 likes in one day. Another video posted by Twitter[2] user @Sarcastic_Asset received over 397,000 views.
Shakira! pic.twitter.com/axmZP4z1xP
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) February 3, 2020
Spread
Starting on the same day, users on Twitter, Instagram and other platforms used the video as a reaction, with humorous edits also being posted. For example, a February 2nd tweet[3] by user @CHIN0SUKE received over 16,200 retweets and 49,900 likes in one day (shown below, top). A same-day tweet[4] by user @RMunroe_17 gained over 12,100 retweets and 33,600 likes in the same period (shown below, bottom).
“aye boy what that mouth do???”
me: pic.twitter.com/9tfJsSpmTH— ch-ch-chino (@CHIN0SUKE) February 3, 2020
Her: “DON’T PLAY STUPID WITH ME!”
Me:
pic.twitter.com/RiimSmYjx2— Richie (@RMunroe_17) February 3, 2020
On February 3rd, a number of online outlets posted a collections of Shakira's Tongue memes, including Fast Company,[5] CNN[6] and LADBible.[7]
Cultural Meaning
On February 2nd, Washington Post[8] posted an article speculating about the cultural significance behind Shakira's ululation at the performance.
To those familiar with Middle Eastern culture, the sound was akin to a traditional Arabic expression of joy and celebration called a zaghrouta. It was also interpreted as a reference to the world-famous Carnaval de Barranquilla, which is held in Shakira’s hometown in Colombia.
Various Examples
My cat eating a can of soft food pic.twitter.com/4UYWKjtVGO
— Bizarre Memes (@memes_bizarre) February 3, 2020
Turkeys when they see themselves in the mirror pic.twitter.com/rLTZvNBVrk
— Trevor Norris (@trevor_norris0) February 3, 2020
Search Interest
External References
[2] Twitter – @Sarcastic_Asset
[3] Twitter – @CHIN0SUKE
[4] Twitter – @RMunroe_17
[5] Fast Company – Shakira’s Super Bowl halftime performance sparks memes and a much-needed history lesson
[6] CNN – Shakira's tongue was the meme of Super Bowl night
[7] LADBible – Fans Freaked Out By What Shakira Did With Her Tongue During Super Bowl Half Time Show
[8] The Washington Post – ‘It’s not a turkey call’: The cultural significance behind Shakira’s meme-worthy ‘tongue thing’ at the Super Bowl
Related Entries 2 total
Recent Videos 6 total
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Top Comments
JungleEvil
Feb 04, 2020 at 01:21PM EST
Hyperion235
Feb 04, 2020 at 10:29PM EST