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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Purdue chapter.

Many people are in uproar over the Super Bowl Halftime show from this previous Sunday. Millions of people worldwide tuned in to the Chiefs vs. Eagles game for the annual Super Bowl. Rihanna had booked the Halftime show but many feel like it was a letdown of a performance. Let’s dive in.

Rihanna performed 12 songs during her show. It was quite a spectacle as she descended from the sky on a cabled platform. She started the performance with her song “Bitch Better Have My Money”. Rihanna wore a fully red outfit as she came down from the sky on her platform. She had a number of backup dancers all in white. She then played “Where Have You Been”, “Rude Boy”, and ended with “Diamonds”. She had 8 other songs in the mix. However, her song selection is not why fans were disappointed.

Right as her number started, viewers all over noticed that she was pregnant. Why does this matter, you might ask. Fans were disappointed because she was not able to go full out with jumping and stunts during her performance. They felt that her performance was lackluster, simple, and a let-down. Other viewers were complaining saying that the performance was too provocative. Twitter, Tik Tok, and other platforms have been bombarded with posts complaining about her butt slap, her scratch and sniff, or her “provocative” backup dancers. In reality, this performance was 100% less provocative than past Super Bowl Halftime performances such as the show put on by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. If you missed that show, there was a featured section of belly dancing and a pole dancing number.

Another complaint about this year’s performance was that Rihanna knew she was pregnant when she accepted the offer. People all over are angry that she accepted even though she knew her performance abilities would be limited. On the other hand, fans all over are talking about how she was a “Girl Boss” for prancing around the stage, making all of the backup dancers do the hard work and fawning over her.

Whatever you think, there is a ton of controversy over the show. So, where do you lie on the scale?

Carissa Ray is the senior editor at the Her Campus Purdue Chapter. She edits all articles under all topics for the chapter and helps with events throughout the semester. She also writes articles for the chapter and typically writes entertainment pieces. She has been a member of the chapter since January of 2023! Carissa is currently a junior studying at Purdue University. She is majoring in Psychological Sciences with minors in Spanish and Forensic Sciences. Aside from Her Campus, Carissa is also on the board of the Purdue Chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, a leadership honors society. She is the Service and Events Chair as well as the stand-in Alumni and Awards chair. For the honors society, she is in charge of creating the monthly Alumni newsletters and editing them. She is also a mentor for the College of Health and Human Sciences. In the future, she hopes to become a Forensic Psychologist and potentially work for the FBI. When she is not busy with school, Carissa is a huge book nerd and loves to read anything with mystery, romance, or fantasy. She also loves dancing and is part of the Purdue Higher Ground Dance Company. She enjoys jazz, hip hop, and theater dance styles. Finally, if she has any extra time, she is a TV buff and enjoys binging TV shows like Modern Family, The Vampire Diaries, or Supernatural.