Beyonce and Feminism PDF

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An essay on whether or not Beyonce is a feminist based on her visual album "Lemonade." The paper takes into account the views of 3 feminist writers....

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Beyoncé and Modern Feminism: Is She a Help or a Hinderance? Last year Beyoncé Knowles released the visual album Lemonade. Similar to her previous work, the controversial subject matter and provocative imagery depicted in the piece proceeded to elicit explosive responses ranging from fans to academics. In keeping with her prior songs and performances, Lemonade also aroused a spirited discussion within the feminist community. Some leading feminist figureheads have reviled her motivations, questioned her intentions, and overtly denounced her message as anti-feminist. However, many fans and other contemporary feminists find Beyoncé to be a pivotal asset to the cause, arguing Lemonade actually illustrates a story of female empowerment. Beyoncé's messages of personal success, triumph over adversity, and self-love, are among the central pillars of what it means to be a feminist today. Shortly after Lemonade was released, esteemed women’s activist bell hooks responded to the piece in a blog entry entitled “Moving Beyond Pain. hooks determined the project to be “capitalist money making at its best,” and deemed it a “commodity,” made to “entice any and all consumers” (hooks). hooks also ruled the whole of Lemonade to be an anti-feminist piece, claiming it perpetuated patriarchy through the glamorization of violence and the imagery of black women as victims in their relationships (hooks). Beyoncé's work also entered the radar of another renowned feminist writer and speaker, Ngozi Adichie, after Beyoncé directly quoted Adichie’s TED talk, “We Should All Be Feminists” in one of her songs (Kiene). When asked about her affiliation with the pop singer in an interview with a Dutch publication, Ngozi Adichie expressed contempt for the way in which Beyoncé related much of her lyrics and

performances to men and relationships. She said Beyoncé's feminism was different than her own because she “gives quite a lot of space to the necessity of men” (Kiene). bell hooks and Ngozi Adichie, two of the most revered women in the feminist cause, have both publicly criticized aspects of Beyoncé's work in regards to capitalism, violence, and her depiction of men and relationships. Though the two scholars make powerful arguments, their oversimplification of Beyoncé's works failed to illuminate the many feminist messages she successfully represented. hooks’ blog post about Beyoncé inspired an enthusiastic roundtable discussion by numerous feminist writers and scholars entitled “A Black Feminist Roundtable on bell hooks, Beyoncé, and ‘Moving Beyond Pain.’” Many of the issues hooks and Adichie found with Beyoncé's work were debated in detail by the contributors. Several responders addressed hooks’ accusations regarding Beyoncé's capitalist intentions. Writer Michael Arceneaux argued that “just because something is designed to make money doesn’t inherently mean it is corrupt or compromised” (Adelman). He went on to allude to hooks’ hypocrisy in the statement, reminding us that she is a person who “sells books and gives speeches at premier universities” (Adelman). Ngozi Adichie also seemed to share hook’s sentiment in the le Volkskrant piece, remarking about the multitude of interviews she had been asked to do since Beyoncé's song release. However, Adichie’s new book Americanah rose to the top of the bestseller list following the release of the song in which her words were excerpted (Kiene). It is problematic for hooks and Adichie remark on Beyoncé's financial success when they too have been financially compensated for their feminist messages. In the case of Adichie, she owes a good portion of her success to Beyoncé herself. Just because Beyoncé's delivery of her

feminist views is not in the form of scholarly writing or speeches at prestigious institutions, it is not automatically less relevant to feminism.. A woman earning a living and having financial security is an aspect of modern feminism that should not be overlooked. Beyoncé's business savvy and financial independence have inspired women around the world to reach for the stars. bell hooks also criticized the imagery of Beyoncés song “Hold Up” in relation to her anti-feminist critique of the artist. In this scene, Beyoncé walks down an urban street, attacking public and private properties with a baseball bat (Beyoncé). hooks condemned Beyoncé for this choice, and argued such displays of violence reinforce domination and impede liberty (hooks). However, several participants challenged hooks’ brazen oversimplification of this scene in the feminist roundtable response to her blog. Sesali Bowen argued that the violence in this scene was merely a way for Beyoncé to illustrate the “complexities of her emotions” and how it is possible feel “so hurt and angry that violence manifests itself as a thought” (Adelman). Looking closely at the background in this scene, it becomes clear that no one was running in a panic away from a deranged assailant. Beyoncé's smiling baseball bat tirade was simply a visual aid to assist the viewer in understanding her emotional state. She made this choice to humanize herself and bring her feelings of betrayal, rage, and inadequacy into her story. She left the viewer with a message recognizing the hardships of their own lives, and a giving them the freedom to express and overcome them. A third problematic aspect of Beyoncé's work, as suggested by both Ngozi Adichie and bell hooks, is the way in which Beyoncé depicts love and relationships. Adichie stated issue with the theme of personal relationships in Beyoncé's work (Kiene).

She went on to say it is troublesome for women to be “so conditioned to relate everything to men” and recommend we should only “spend about 20 per cent [sic] of our time on men” (Kiene). hooks brought up a similar qualm in her blog post regarding the final portion of Lemonade. After it was clear Beyoncé felt betrayed, perhaps by infidelity in her marriage, Lemonade ends with a seemingly reconciled Beyoncé her husband enjoying time with their daughter (Beyoncé). Hooks deemed these images untrustworthy, and claimed the emotional pain men inflict on women will continue so long as patriarchy prevails (hooks). She went on to accuse Beyoncé of actually perpetuating male domination by romanticizing the emotional violence that exists in her relationship instead of demanding her husband alter his behavior (hooks). Numerous participants of the feminist roundtable also commented on this aspect of the narrative. Quita Tinsley argued that “Black women “should be allowed to tell their stories of pain, hurt, and betrayal without it all being reduced to a story of victimhood” (Adelman). She went to point out that taking control of one’s emotions in this world is the way people reclaim their agency and have autonomous lives (Adelman). Even though Adichie recommended the preposterous notion for women, including Beyoncé, to spend only 20 percent of their lives on men, it’s simply not realistic. Beyoncé is a wife and a mother and the choices she’s made are valid. The end of Lemonade tells a story of a woman who chose not to be the victim of her circumstances. She clearly shows being together with her family was a very calculated choice. By doing so she epitomizes courage, confidence, and self-love. Many of the lyrics, visual representations, and performances put forth by Beyoncé have been at the center of debate within pop culture and academia. Prominent

feminists bell hooks and Ngozi Adichie have taken great issue regarding Beyoncé's feminist stance, particularly regarding her latest visual album, Lemonade. They insisted her work feeds capitalism, her images glamorize violence and domination, and her personal choices proliferate patriarchy. Beyoncé's success as a performer, celebrity and businesswoman is inspiring to many women. Her canny business practices and unyielding capacity for hard work sets a positive example for all women. Beyoncé's powerful exhibition of feelings of hurt, betrayal, and rage spoke to women everywhere. We have all felt this way at one time or another. Loving someone after a betrayal isn’t something to shame, and doesn’t make any woman less of a feminist. Beyoncé demonstrated that women have freedom of choice and tremendous power when it comes to their personal lives. Beyoncé and Lemonade should be regarded highly as assets to modern feminism because of her commitment to personal success, perseverance in the face of hardship, and presentation of a positive self-image.

WORKS CITED Adelman, Laurie. “A Black Feminist Roundtable on bell hooks, Beyoncé, and ‘Moving Beyond Pain.’” Feministing 11 May 2016, feministing.com/2016/05/11/a-feministroundtable-on-bell-hooks-Beyoncé-and-moving-beyond-pain/. Accessed 27 March 2017. Beyoncé. Lemonade, Parkwood Entertainment, 2016, www.Beyoncé.com/album/lemonade-visual-album/. hooks, bell. "Moving Beyond Pain." bellhooksinstitute. 9 May 2016,

bellhooksinstitute.com/blog/2016/5/9/moving-beyond-pain. Accessed 3 April 2017. Kiene, Aimée, “Ngozi Adichie: Beyoncé's feminism isn’t my feminism.” de Volkskrant, 7 October 2016, volkskrant.nl/boeken/ngozi-adichie-Beyoncé-s-feminism-isn-t-myfeminism~a4390684/. Accessed 3 April 2017....