Beyoncé, a Feminist

As I was doing research for this post, I noticed that I knew almost no famous or even indie female directors besides Ava Duvernay and Lena Dunham.  Even scrolling through lists of top female filmmakers only elicited a name or two that I could recall.

From Metacritic.com

 Therefore I decided I'd rather discuss the portrayal of Feminism in the media and tackle it from a different lens; music.  First, we must analyze the feminist movement and how it has been bastardized since its inception.  Bell Hooks describes feminism in her essay “Feminism: a Movement to End Sexist Oppression” as “a struggle to eradicate the ideology of domination that permeates Western culture on various levels as well as a commitment to reorganizing society so that the self-development of people can take precedence over imperialism, economic expansion, and material desires” (Hooks, p. 25).  With this definition of feminism, Hooks is attempting to broaden the scope of who should be affected by the movement and thus opening the movement to more types of people. Historically, Hooks asserts, feminism has alienated many groups of people.  This includes men, as some feminists see them as the enemy, and nonwhite women, because the only people who benefit from being equal to the men of their race or class are white women.  As such, feminism has been contorted and misconstrued over time, by the media, by its critics, by the naïve leaders of the movement and by all those feminism has turned its back on.  It is quite unfortunate that this shift has occurred; feminism has an immense potential for positive change in almost everyone’s lives.

Even today, celebrities are misguided as to what feminism truly represents and they let the term fall by the wayside.  Their ignorance pushes more people from the movement and ultimately hurts the little girls that look towards these women for guidance.  However, there are some champions for feminism within popular media and the most influential of these is Beyoncé.  Her songs consistently maintain a feminist viewpoint and she makes direct references to it.  “Feminist” was in big bright letters behind her during her VMA performance and an audio clip of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaking about feminism is featured on her song “Flawless.”  This song in particular is an excellent example of her unique approach to feminism.  To analyze this song through a feminist lens, Adichie’s speech must be juxtaposed with Beyoncé’s lyrics and image.  Primarily, Beyoncé sells her brand using sex appeal, this is an undeniable fact, but that should not disparage her message.  Critics may argue that her sexually charged lyrics, performances and videos only hurt the feminist movement as it gives in to the patriarchy and male gaze, but I believe it only serves to strengthen her view of feminism.  During her VMA performance, she pole-danced in a substantially revealing outfit.  However, she immediately followed it with the clip of Adichie saying “We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are.” 

Beyonce is a Feminist, despite what others say

With that clip, Beyoncé successfully baited and trapped her detractors with the Madonna/Whore paradox.  Feminists who say she is supporting the patriarchy by dressing or acting like a “slut” are hypocrites who contribute to the patriarchy’s suffocation of female sexuality.  Beyoncé advocates for women to take charge of their lives, which includes sexuality.  She’s not dancing on stage for anyone but herself.  The hook from “Flawless” executes this idea perfectly, “We flawless, ladies tell ‘em, I woke up like this.”  Its an amazing feminist jab, women shouldn’t be putting all that make up on for the benefit of their man, they should do it for themselves so that feeling of self-confidence can permeate their being to the point that it becomes a part of who they are.  Eventually, they’ll just wake up feeling flawless everyday.  

However, Beyoncé can’t always go it alone and admits that her partner is necessary for her to do well.  Adichie agrees that “marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support” but she finds that marriage is usually one-sided and that women cannot intimidate the husband with their own aspirations.  Beyoncé uses her marriage with Jay-Z as an example of a relationship that can become greater than the sum of its parts.  Her song “Drunk In Love” is more than just about having drunken, wild sex. 

Their marriage is far from perfect, but
Hova is never intimidated by a strong woman

It’s about having a loving monogamous relationship that makes both participants feel supported and good about themselves.  “Flawless” also touches upon this idea with lyrics like “my man made me feel so goddamn fine” and “this diamond, flawless” referring to her wedding ring.  Yet, she doesn’t want anyone to think Jay-Z is her only avenue to greatness, “…don’t think I’m just his little wife, don’t get it twisted…”  Beyoncé is her own autonomous being, but she still reaps the benefits of being in a loving relationship with someone else.  Her vision of feminism may not be as radical as Hooks, I don’t think she’ll ever start advocating total reorganization of our society’s hierarchy, but she wants to try to include everyone in feminism.  All women should feel flawless, have a sense of personal ambition and self-determination and they should all have loving respectful partners to support them in their endeavors, and that requires getting men involved with feminism.

Citation:
Beyonce MTV Vanguard Award Performance
bell hooks, “Feminism: a Movement to End Sexist Oppression”