Shakira's Identity

Why would Shakira—an artist who consistently proclaims to be proud of her varied identities—refuse to blend the two most fundamental languages of her identity? Carmen Fought offers us an explanation when she discusses the perceptions of Spanglish speakers by Anglo-dominant society. Code-switching (or Spanglish) is often associated with lower-class Latinx communities and is interpreted by whites (and to an extent, even some Latinxs) as a marker of a lacking education or linguistic non-conformity . One can argue, then, that Shakira is presenting an image of white latinidad that is symbolic of what Mónica Gontovnik refers to as a “tamed otherness”—an ethnic body that can be read as conforming and palatable to the eyes of Anglo-dominated culture . The narrative would seem to suggest that Shakira owes a large part of her success to her adherence to this false ideal of linguistic assimilation. Furthermore, it indicates that the terms of her …show more content…
As I have shown, Shakira does not fit the standard mold of the crossover artist. Her musical journey never followed a simple south-to-north narrative that ended with her arrival to the U.S. Nor did she simply enter the U.S.-Latinx market as a mere discovery of the Latin music industry. Her use of language also complicates the traditional crossover ideal by not adhering to the expected Spanish to English transition. Shakira, then, has created her own version of the crossover phenomenon—a globalized crossover artist. As a musical phenomenon, Shakira crossed over from being a symbol of pan-Latin(x) unity to a symbol of pan-global unity and peace—a title she has adopted and expanded through her charitable endeavors and her role as a United Nations Global Ambassador. In doing so, she has become the embodiment of the ideal global citizen—a bodily space where conflicting identities and languages blend together in a seemingly naturalistic and palatable