A battle of the genders is about to take place over recent comments from pop star Shakira regarding her relationship with Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique and how it affects her career. The performer told Billboard that he didn't permit her to appear with men in her music videos.
"He's very territorial, and since he no longer lets me do videos with men, well, I have to do them with women," Shakira said. "It's more than implied in our relationship that I can't do videos like I used to. It's out of the question -- which I like, by the way. I like that he protects his turf and he values me, in a way that the only person that he would ever let graze my thigh would be Rihanna."
She's referencing her recent steamy video for "Can't Remember to Forget You," which features the pair of female stars getting hot and hands-on. The pause (indicated by the em-dash) makes us think Shakira isn't herself sure if the ban on theatrics with other men is OK. We've come up with several arguments representing both men and women.
1) Relationships Are Sacred: What's wrong with Pique being a little jealous? That's his woman! Beyoncé and Jay Z don't seem to need other objects to lust after in their recent videos. But then again, why is he okay with Shakira snuggling up to Rihanna? Seems a little hypocritical/hedonistic to all girl-on-girl faux relationships.
2) Money Runs The House: This is a somewhat sketchy argument, but we'll allow it: The individual who pays the rent makes the rules. Neither Pique nor Shakira are gold-digging...he makes around $11.7 million a year playing soccer, but she made $46 million during 2013. The pair have a child together, so you know finances matter. And if her act makes her $46 million, Pique should probably let her dance with whoever she wants.
3) Relationships Are Built on Trust: We imagine it can be worrisome to date one of the "world's sexiest women." But your best bet is to just put on a smug smile and nod at other guys ogling your beau. Potential NFL first-round draft picks Blake Bortles and AJ McCarron get almost as many questions about their model girlfriends than their quarterbacking. They don't get phased because guys who got it don't worry about losing it.
