She responds with her own: “I heard that by 2030, 60% of the world’s wealth will be managed by women.” If true, a seismic shift is underway—and Shakira is here for it.

Now, I can’t help but ask a question that’s been on my mind since we began this conversation, “Did you watch the movie Barbie?”

“I watched it, yeah.” Long pause.

“And?”

“My sons absolutely hated it. They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent. I’m raising two boys. I want ’em to feel powerful too [while] respecting women. I like pop culture when it attempts to empower women without robbing men of their possibility to be men, to also protect and provide. I believe in giving women all the tools and the trust that we can do it all without losing our essence, without losing our femininity. I think that men have a purpose in society and women have another purpose as well. We complement each other, and that complement should not be lost.”

“Just because a woman can do it all doesn’t mean she should?”

“Why not share the load with people who deserve to carry it, who have a duty to carry it as well?”

This is part of the Shakira Paradox. Women deserve all the power, all the agency, and all the sexiness they wish to embody or express. And yet it doesn’t betray her brand of feminism to expect men to man up.

On a more practical level, if Shakira didn’t buy into the power dynamic of her culture, she certainly wouldn’t be beholden to its beauty ideals. “Of course, I’d put on my mascara and straighten my hair occasionally. It felt sexy, and I used that raw sensuality many times on stage as a way of expressing myself. But I think I rely on other aptitudes rather than just beauty.”

Fair, but this is Allure. I need her to break down her beauty routine. “I don’t do a lot of shit,” she says. And then, perhaps, reading the disappointment/panic on my face, she continues, “I hydrate with marula oil and hyaluronic acid. And when I have an appearance, I do the craziest thing. I massage my face and neck very vigorously because I believe that circulation, the irrigation of blood to the skin and muscles, can rejuvenate, so I look more plumped.”

“And your hair?” I ask.

“I’ve tried every single hair product on the market. There are not many out there that can deal with damage, moisture, frizziness, shine, and all of that so…”