With the release of Beyonce's new album featuring samples of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED talk on Feminism, Beyonce was hailed as an empowered feminist of the music industry. But is this actually true? Can you be a feminist but still wear hot pants on stage? Has motherhood influenced this change?
I believe that you can be a feminist and still wear sexually provocative clothes, but it must be about empowering herself as a sexual being and not becoming a sexy object. This is a very difficult line to tread which I think Beyonce tight rope walks very well most the time. It is the media which blur this distinction often reducing her to her outfit and body by describing her as sexy and focusing their coverage on her appearance not her talent. But just because this is the state of things does not mean that Beyonce should cover up, I think encouraging women to cover up to stop sexual objectification is just as damaging. We need to change this social order not bend to survive in it.
The Telegraph suggested that it was Beyonce's new role as a mother that has bought out this new found feminism in her. Indeed if I had a daughter I would be terrified about the damaging effects of this society and what it could develop into in 20 years. I think this is an interesting idea that now sexual objectification becomes personal because it is not just herself she needs to protect. I think this makes people think about what sort of society they would want their daughters to grow up into. How would they want their daughters treated?
However whether Beyonce is a feminist is still undecided to me. This is Flawless:
I'm bout that H, town coming coming down
I'm coming down, drippin' candy on the ground
H, H, Town, Town, I'm coming down
Coming, coming down, dripping candy on the ground
[Verse 1: Beyonce]
I know when you were little girls
You dreamt of being in my world
Don't forget it, don't forget it
Respect that, bow down bitches (Crown!)
I took some time to live my life
But don't think I'm just his little wife
Don't get it twisted, get it twisted
This my shit, bow down bitches
Bow down bitches, bow bow down bitches (Crown)
Bow down bitches, bow bow down bitches (Crown)
H Town bishes
H, H Town vicious
I'm so crown crown, bow down bitches
I'm out that H, town, coming coming down
I'm coming down, drippin' candy on the ground
H, H town town
I'm coming down
Coming, coming down
Drippin' candy on the ground
[Verse 2: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie]
We teach girls to shrink themselves
To make themselves smaller
We say to girls
"You can have ambition
But not too much
You should aim to be successful
But not too successful
Otherwise you will threaten the man"
Because I am female
I am expected to aspire to marriage
I am expected to make my life choices
Always keeping in mind that
Marriage is the most important
Now marriage can be a source of
Joy and love and mutual support
But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage
And we don't teach boys the same?
We raise girls to each other as competitors
Not for jobs or for accomplishments
Which I think can be a good thing
But for the attention of men
We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings
In the way that boys are
Feminist: the person who believes in the social
Political, and economic equality of the sexes
[Verse 3: Beyonce]
You wake up, flawless
Post up, flawless
Ride round in it, flawless
Flossin on that, flawless
This diamond, flawless
My diamond, flawless
This rock, flawless
My rock, flawless
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell 'em
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell 'em
Say I, look so good tonight
God damn, God damn
Say I, look so good tonight
God damn, God damn, God damn
Momma taught me good home training
My Daddy taught me how to love my haters
My sister taught me I should speak my mind
My man made me feel so God damn fine
[Verse 4: Beyonce]
You wake up, flawless
Post up, flawless
Ride round in it, flawless
Flossin on that, flawless
This diamond, flawless
My diamond, flawless
This rock, flawless
My rock, flawless
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell 'em
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell 'em
Say I, look so good tonight
God damn, God damn
Say I, look so good tonight
God damn, God damn, God damn
I'm Flawless
From these lyrics I'm a bit dubious, 'bow down bitches' grates quite a bit. Are we supposed to be bowing down to her or to the patriarchy? I'm not quite sure, regardless surely an 'empowering feminist lyric' should be more about 'standing up bitches.' Bitch is a word that I find quite problematic too, there is the argument that by using it she is taking control and redefining it but I argue that it is a derogatory term that is too widespread already, I believe it is beyond redefining. If Beyonce is using it to refer to women, then surely it makes it alright for men to use it against us still? This idea that you are always flawless and perfect is good for body positivity but as this is the main argument for female empowerment it offends as she is furthering the idea that a woman's appearance is paramount. Overall I am not convinced that Beyonce should be celebrated as a feminist because as much as I love her, she still furthers the social order of female objectification.
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