Beyoncé: An Untraditional Feminist As an ever growing topic of debate in modern society, understanding feminism is critical to modern social and political stances. Beyoncé Knowles, a celebrity pop star has been a figure surrounded by debate for those seeking to define modern feminism. By examining her feminism, a great deal can be learned about different stance on modern feminism. As bell hooks defines it in her book, Feminism is for Everybody, “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” (viii). Through this definition, hooks is clear that feminism can be embraced by anyone, male or female, black or white, rich or poor so long as they oppose sexism and its ramifications since opposing sexism does not mean …show more content…
While Beyoncé must be untraditional in her display of feminism as a result of her unique position of celebrity and atypical job, this does not necessarily eliminate her from promoting equality for women despite being in a non-academic or business setting. In order to understand where Beyoncé fits into this explanation, there are a variety of possible angles to take. In particular, Beyoncé’s feminism can be examined through the primary lens of her music video “Who Run the World (Girls)” complemented by various secondary articles which take different stances on Beyoncé’s feminism. While Beyoncé is perhaps untraditional in her display of feminism, her confident embrace of her celebrity position, traditional marriage, and feminine identity allow her to create her own brand of modern feminism. By embracing her celebrity status and using it to promote women and confidence rather than simply using it to achieve her own gains, Beyoncé expresses her feminism in a clear but untraditional way. In the lyrics of her “Who Run the World (Girls)” music video, Beyoncé …show more content…
Her confidence is well illustrated in the music video “Who Runs the World (Girls)” by her fierce, focused expression while dancing in skimpy, feminine clothing. This idea of power coupled with femininity is noticeable throughout the music video by comparing images of Beyoncé and powerful animals such as lions and hyenas as well as by combining feminine clothing of garters and lingerie with powerful clothing of combat boots. These elements work together to illustrate Beyoncé’s acceptance of her own femininity but also show how she allows that to empower her, not weaken her. Her actions in the music video are complemented by her actions in real life such as posing in the GQ magazine in only her underwear. On the other hand, some such as Hadley Freeman feel that Beyoncé is too powerful to need to stoop to posing in such magazines; in Freeman’s words, “It’s another if you are professedly one of the most powerful women in the entertainment business who has no need of such tactics.” While it’s true that Beyoncé does not need such tactics, it does not necessarily follow that these tactics are in fact a bad thing and purely a publicity stunt. Rather, these tactics are her way of embracing her feminine identity in order to promote feminism in her own way. While perhaps not as professional
In modern day society, popular culture has gained equal status to world issues and politics. Music, movies, and literature have started cultural revolutions and challenged the straight-forward thinking many individuals have accepted in the past. But while popular culture can advance new ideas and create movements, it also has the ability to challenge advancements society has made. Imani Perry’s essay, The Venus Hip Hop and the Pink Ghetto, focuses on hip hop and its negative impact on women and body image.
On the night of December 13, 2013 Beyoncé, released her fifth self-titled album on ITunes. The album caught many people by surprise because Beyoncé did not set a date for the album, nor did she use any promotion; she did release a video on her Instagram asking her followers if they “were ready”. The buzz spread through social media like a wild fire. With no promotion or no warning, Beyoncé album took the world by storm and made it for her audience and critics to take in the album and it contents. Many people loved the album for not only its catchy songs, but also the growth and “looser” conservative Beyoncé. On the other hand many people did not feel that her album was growth, but a way to catch up to the overly sexual generation. Beyoncé has always been aware of her sexual side, pop side, and feminist side; this has been documented through her four previous albums. Yet, a lot of people have questioned if Beyoncé a feminist because of the content of her newest album. In order to answer that a person must ask him or her self; what is a feminist, why some people believe she is feminist, why others do not believe she feminist, and whether or not Beyoncé think she is a feminist.
During the second week of class, we were instructed to read a reading written by Bell Hooks titled “Come closer to Feminism.” This reading is what I consider to be a very important addition to this unit. Unit one is all about Making waves, Confronting Oppression. According to Frye, it is a fundamental claim of feminism that women are oppressed (Frye, 1983). Before taking upon this reading, my understanding of the feminist movement was not nearly as clear as it is now. After reading this short handbook, I too agree that feminism is for everybody.
In the U.S., feminism is understood as the rights of women (usually affluent white women) to share the spoils of capitalism, and imperial power. By refusing to fully confront the exclusions of non-whites, foreigners, and other marginalized groups from this vision, liberal feminists miss a crucial opportunity to create a more inclusive and more powerful movement. Feminist movements within the U.S. and internationally have long since accepted that, for them, feminism entails the communal confrontation of not only patriarchy, but capitalism, imperialism, white supremacy, and other forms of oppressions that combine together and reinforce their struggle. It means the fighting for the replacement of a system in which their rights are negated in the quest for corporate and political profit. It includes fighting so that all people anywhere on the gender, sexual, and body spectrum are allowed to enjoy basic rights like food, housing, healthcare, and control of their labor.
In a news about the 32 years old pop star Beyonce “Gender Equality is a Myth” (CNN Wire 13 Jan. 2014). She wrote an essay about this on Maria’s website, The Shriver Report. She wrote that we need to...
She has increased its reach and changed the definition of a feminist, which has increased its supporters. There are people who believe that Beyoncé has brought more scrutiny onto to the movement and certain aspects of her career contradict her identifying herself as a feminist. They also believe that new supporters of feminism are not there for the feminist cause but as “worshippers” of Beyoncé as she is called “Queen B” by her fans. ‘Worshipping celebrities compares to the way radical religious fanatics worship their deities: blindly, with no acceptance of possible alternatives,” (Bey). Other people believe fans of Beyoncé are unlikely to accept aspects of feminism that Beyoncé
Throughout time, there have been certain influential individuals that have dominated their age and have forever marked that era with their name. Among them are Cleopatra, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth, and Nefertiti, with many others. One thing these leaders have in common is their gender: they are all females. In this day and age, it’s a rarity to come across strong, powerful women who have been allowed the opportunity to be powerful. It begs the question, if these women were alive today, would they have the same chance to change the world as they did? However, it’s not only the powerful who feel the sting of sexism, because the misogyny in today’s society affects each and every woman, of every color, age, and shape. The most important lesson to learn for the cultural and societal growth of people is to understand the causes and affects behind anti-feminism. Sexism takes many forms, yet it can be broken down into three main parts: the portrayal of women in media, the oppression of women in society, and the boundaries of women through laws.
“She represents strength, independence, and pride.” (Nuskool) Beyonce uses her reputation as a platform to promote what she stands for. She believes in the black lives matter march, feminism, and equality for all. Shes regaured as the biggest pop icon of all time, so clearly she is influential and fans look up to her.
Within society’s dominant white supremacist, capitalist, hetero-patriarchal lens, behaving badly can be used as a model for creating change. By directly challenging norms, one is also empowered by centering themselves in whatever action or space is taken. Divadom is drawn around the ability to control, whether it be the narrative presented or the audience, and as a person, the diva uses the body as a platform to perform. “Gender Performance: From the Freak Show to Modern Drag” by Olivia Germann and Chapter seven “Divas Pop and Pomo” of The Diva’s Mouth: Body, Voice, and Prima Donna Politics, both delve into the power of performance for the collective and individual, while simultaneously addressing the constraints imposed by the audience, whether
In just a few decades The Women’s Liberation Movement has changed typical gender roles that once were never challenged or questioned. As women, those of us who identified as feminist have rebelled against the status quo and redefined what it means to be a strong and powerful woman. But at...
It has been played in many other countries and is listed in many major hit charts in those countries. It became one of her best-selling singles. Beyoncé has been singing about women’s independence since she was in the hit group “Destiny’s Child”. Many of her songs support women’s lifestyle and keep cheering up girls with her powerful and expressive vocals (Armstrong). In addition to her songs and lyrics, her beautiful appearance fascinates many female audiences and influences from teenagers to grown-ups as if she was a role model. A negative side of the video is that the video gives the impression that men are always to be blamed and women are always “victims” of the relationships, which is not
However, the stigma of openly sexual women was not eliminated therefore marking down women's sexual freedom because of the stigma they carry in society.In conclusion, chapter by chapter hooks highlights how feminist theory repeatedly excluded non-white and working class women by ignoring white supremacy as a racial problem and by disregarding the highly psychological impact of class in their political and social status all while, in the case of black women, facing three classes of oppression in a racist, sexist and capitalist state. Throughout the book the author defines feminism, the meaning of sisterhood, what feminism is to men in addition to brushing upon power, work, violence and education. Although I found some elements of this book problematic hooks' critiques of feminist theory and the movement are well-presented, piercingly direct and remain relevant.
Feminism is not only a theory but it is also a cultural movement for change and equality. Feminism has been defined as ‘the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of equality of sexes’.1 Feminism offers representation to all kinds of women, highlights the inequality within society regarding women and challenges these inequalities. Feminism has changed along side the changing position of women in today’s modern society and emerging from these changes are new theories such as post feminism and antifeminism. In this essay I will discuss how both antifeminism and post feminism has challenged the founding concepts of feminism in today’s modern society. I will highlight my points through contemporary media examples such as the work of Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga.
As more people are claiming their rights and being accepted by society, the media is forced to reach the obedience in a modern way. Women are fighting for they equal right and starting to play leading role in movie and TV shows. For example, not so long ago, I watched “She’s the Man” a movie played in 2006 by Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum. Byrne’s character, Viola been playing soccer in place of his brother who didn’t want anything to do with soccer or any other sports for that matter. Bynes is really good at soccer and loves sport. She didn’t let herself brake by the tough guys in her team who think she was a man. She subsequently shows the absurdity of gender biases by being the best at what she loves. This type of movie prove there is nothing abnormal to our behavior and it do not make us less of a person when do not conform to norm of
Adichie was born in Nigeria and is most known for giving a TEDxTalk in 2013 about modern feminism. After the overwhelming success of the talk, such as having millions of views on YouTube and being featured in the song “Flawless” by Beyoncé, she decided to publish the speech into an expanded essay named “We Should All Be Feminists.” In this essay, Adichie talks about her life and encounters of sexism from a young age, especially her introduction to the word “feminist” occurring at fourteen. She is having a normal day, playing and arguing with her friend Okoloma, until he “harmlessly” quips, “`You know, you’re a feminist’” (8), which in Nigeria, is not a compliment. She also spends a third of the essay addressing the fact all negativity towards gender inequality has the same root: unwavering tradition. She questions, “What if, in raising our children, we (the parents) focus on ability instead of gender… interest instead of gender” (36)? Simply, if negativity towards the opposite sex is eradicated in a new generation, there will be no more inequality to worry about. She also parallels Wollstonecraft in commenting on the fascinating diversity of males and females. She claims that if men are undeniably strong physically, women should be held in the same