Beyonc? is at it again. The latest surprise release of her self-titled album BEYONCE already had the internet abuzz, but her song Flawless has the average fan and scholars, along with those of us interested in social justice in general, talking.
Flawless is the 11th track on her new album and starts off with ?Bow Down,? a sample Beyonc? released in March of 2013 as a duel-part track alongside a feature called ?I Been On. ?There are some explicit lyrics on Bow Down as Beyonc? boasts about being at the top, telling the listeners [and let’s be honest, other pop stars] to ?Bow Down Bitches.? Now some people might take offense to that term. I personally, am not one of them if it’s coming from a woman; however, what’s behind that phrase is very interesting. I will get to that in a bit.
We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls ‘You can have ambition, but not too much’.
I truly agree with Adichie. I believe women, and minorities for that matter, are taught that you can’t really be at the tip top. You can be successful, or maybe even close to the top, but you can’t reside on the highest peak of victory. Barack Obama has helped in crushing that way of thinking for minorities, but there are still many hurdles to jump. It is interesting that a female like Beyonc? feels this is a significant message. Some would say Beyonc? is definitely at the top of the entertainment industry so clearly she found a way to ignore that whole you-can’t-have-too-much-ambition thing.
Adichie also talks about social roles and expectations, saying:
Because I am a female, I am expected to aspire to marriage,
And,
We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are. If we have sons, we don’t mind knowing about our sons’ girlfriends, but our daughters’ boyfriends? God forbid.
Now, this is what I have been talking about for years! First, Beyonc? had a successful career long before she married fellow music superstar Jay Z. Clearly marriage wasn’t her first or only aspiration. I do not believe Adichie thinks marriage is a bad thing, but that women should aspire to be individuals with their own identities and goals, not merely an object waiting to be whisked away and belong to some man.
Sexuality. I really connect with what Adichie is saying when she talks about how girls cannot be sexual beings. Ever since Miley Cyrus effectively conquered the media with her oh-so-scandalous [except not really] performance of Blurred Lines at the MTV Video Music Awards months ago, and her subsequent ?naked-riding-a-ball video for ?Wrecking Bal,l? it seems as if much of society is extremely uncomfortable with women openly flaunting their bodies and their sexuality. Beyonc? has also been sexual, although her criticism has been much less common than someone like Miley. The way Beyonc? dances, the way she licks her finger in the ?Crazy in Love? video, the way she sensually discusses ?Dancing? for her hubby in the song ?Dance For You?, all embody a grown woman knowing who she is and what she likes. And what is wrong with that? Her own husband Jay Z, can have (for instance) countless women shaking their behinds in his Big Pimpin? video, but if Beyonc? or another female were to do the equivalent, they would be called vicious names and considered totally ?anti-feminist.? But how about a different approach?
All of these pop stars who want to flaunt their sexuality like Beyonc? does, could be considered feminists. I mean, sure, not every pop star is at Beyonc?’s level, but many of them surely seem to also possess confidence in their appearances and a healthy sexual appetite. After all, there are so many issues surrounding negative body image that can lead to things like anorexia or even suicide. Of course, 99.9% of women do NOT look like Beyonc?, but do we teach heavier-set or curvier girls to love themselves, by telling the Beyonc?’s of the world to cover up? That can be debated, but I don’t think telling any woman to be ashamed of her sexuality and body is a good thing. And let’s not discount the gender implications. Why are we so quick to criticize women who flaunt their bodies and are embodiments of their own sexual desire? How come whenever a woman dresses ?scantily clad? or gyrates on stage, it must be to please the male audience? Maybe she just wants to, for her own pleasure and self-gratification.
Many might not think Beyonc? and Adichie would have common beliefs or similar ideals about how to live one’s life, but further analyzing would prove different. We need to have a more open mind about what being a celebrity entails, and how entertainment culture relates to social structures. Whether you like Beyonc?, or other music stars, they are sort of breaking the mold about what it has meant to be a woman. ?Flawless? helps show the connection between music and gender concerns, and I am appreciative of that.
Edited/Published by: SB
