A Reflection on the Culture We’re Applauding
My family isn’t much into football, so halftime shows have never been central to our household traditions. Many families I know simply turn off the television during that segment or use it as a moment to talk, pray, or get some more snacks.
Yet, it’s almost impossible to avoid the aftermath. Every year reactions flood social media. Some praise the performance while others criticize it. Many simply shrug it off and say, “It’s just entertainment.” Is it really?
The recent Super Bowl halftime show is only the latest example of a troubling pattern within the broader entertainment industry. It forces us to ask if this is what unity, culture, and progress are supposed to look like.
A Culture Formed by What We Celebrate
The truth is, entertainment is not neutral. The music we stream, the shows we binge, and the artists we admire help form our collective imagination. Over time, they also help define what we normalize, excuse, and even celebrate.
Sadly, what continues to rise to the top is not beauty, virtue, or creativity. It is shock value, overt sexuality, and the reduction of the human person (especially women) into spectacle.
We are told repeatedly that this is empowerment, freedom, and cultural expression. In reality, empowerment that depends on sexual exposure is not empowerment at all. Rather, it is simply exploitation.
When did being provocative become more admired than being upright? When did dignity become something to outgrow? The decline has been steady. Things that once pushed quietly at the margins is now boldly center stage. It’s become unapologetic, amplified, and marketed to the masses. So many of us are so used to it that we’ve accepted it as the norm.
A Survivor’s Perspective: This Is Not Harmless
As a survivor of sexual abuse, I cannot watch these cultural moments unfold without noticing the deeper contradiction. We say we want fewer victims and an end to exploitation. Women loudly proclaim that they want to be respected. Disturbingly, one of the largest annual events linked to spikes in human sex trafficking in the United States is the Super Bowl itself. How ironic that at the very same event, we applaud performances that glorify sex detached from love, commitment, or meaning. The human body is presented as a commodity and desire is detached from responsibility.
We cannot pretend these two realities are unrelated. A catchy beat does not neutralize degrading lyrics and dancing. The language being sung doesn’t magically erase explicit content. In short, what is considered art and expression does not become harmless simply because it is labeled “culture.”
We have to wake up and recognize the patterns here. When a culture consistently consumes entertainment built on sexual objectification, we should not be surprised when objectification seeps into relationships, expectations, and behavior.
It’s Bigger Than One Show
This is not about targeting one artist, nor is anyone claiming any person is beyond hope. Redemption is always possible. The real issue is a far broader one.
We live in a culture that increasingly mocks anyone who suggests there should be limits. Anyone who questions whether all “expression” is worthy of applause is dismissed as old fashioned or intolerant.
Sexual explicitness should never be confused with empowerment. Shock is not the same as substance, and visibility does not equal virtue. If we truly care about rebuilding the traditional family, strengthening marriages, and protecting children, then we must face the fact that what we consume shapes our desires, our expectations, and ultimately our behavior.
Entertainment influences imagination. Imagination influences our behavior. That Behavior has real-world consequences.
Midweek Motivation: Start at Home
Most of us don’t control national stages, but we do control what enters our homes. Here are some small but meaningful ways to take that responsibility seriously:
• Look up lyrics before adding songs to your playlist. Don’t assume a catchy tune means it’s harmless.
• Pay attention to what your children are listening to and watching. Awareness is part of protection.
• Turn off movies, shows, or music that degrade the human person even if “everyone else” is watching.
• Teach discernment, not just restriction. Help your children understand why certain messages conflict with human dignity.
• Talk openly about dignity, sexuality, and the influence of media. If you’re not the one forming your children, someone else will.
• Examine your own media habits. Children learn more from what we tolerate than from what we lecture about.
• Don’t just remove what degrades. Replace it with what is good, true, and beautiful.
• Support artists, filmmakers, and creators who elevate the human person rather than diminish them.
• Be willing to choose differently even when it feels countercultural. Courage begins at home.
• Before pressing play, ask a simple question: If Jesus walked into the room, would I feel ashamed?
• Don’t be afraid to go against the grain and get rid of the streaming services. Consider whether a TV, unlimited Internet access, unfiltered cell phone use, etc. is really worth it especially for a child.
Remember that cultural renewal begins in ordinary living rooms. It grows in the quiet, consistent decisions families make every day.
We Can Do Better
Do we want fewer victims? Then we must stop glorifying what reduces people to objects.
Do we want women respected? Then we cannot applaud performances that treat their bodies as marketing tools.
Do we want unity? Then let it be rooted in shared dignity as sons and daughters of God, made in His image and likeness, and not in shared desensitization.
We can do better, not only for our own sakes, but for the sake of our children. Changes need to be made for the sake of those already harmed by a culture that confuses exploitation with empowerment. We must do better.
