For Jennifer Lopez, 2019 has been quite the year.
Because, beyond her ever-packed plate of activity, the star experienced a number of notable moments.
Namely turning 50, blazing the box office with hit movie ‘Hustlers,’ and being announced as the co-headliner of the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show with Shakira.
All has led to GQ naming J.Lo their Icon of the Year in their annual Men of the Year issue.
For her profile feature, the multi-hyphenate talent poses it up for a unique shoot (lensed by Daniel Jackson) and seizes the moment to talk the ‘Bowl and bulldozing ageism with her mindset.
Head below for more…
On Whether She Was Apprehensive About Taking Super Bowl Gig:
“No. I understand people not wanting to do it. Everybody has to make their own choices. They have to feel good about what they’re doing. I feel like it’s an amazing platform and one of the biggest in the world to put out whatever message you want to put out there. Whatever message of love or—I don’t want to give anything away—I think it’s taking a chance to do it. I feel that it’s a great thing to have two Latina women in Miami headlining the Super Bowl, and what we could do with those 12 to 14 minutes to make people understand our worth and value in this country.… I think it could be a really beautiful celebration.”
I just didn’t see [the point in hiding]. I’m like, “Everybody knows how old I am—what’s the big deal?” In this industry, by the time you’re 30, they’re already like, “She’s done.” I can’t tell you how many times I felt like people were like, “She’s done, she’s over.” But it’s such a beautiful time in women’s lives. Artists, women especially, get so much better as they grow and mature. You can see it! Meryl Streep’s career took off after she was 40. Tina Turner, after she was 40. Cher. It’s not that [those women] weren’t who they were before that. But as they got older, they blossomed in a way they hadn’t before, right? They came into their own power, and they started realizing, like, “I am the scarce asset, I am the prize. I have something beautiful to offer to the world that’s only mine.” And I feel the same thing!