Beyonce Knowles is musician who’s worldwide success has not
only elevated her but has also pushed her and given her the confidence to explore
and expand on her talent other talents, she has also become an actress and business
women, with credentials like these this makes beyonce in the eyes of many a
good role model for not only young black women but a role model for women
worldwide, but that now brings up the question of whether beyonce fits that
role and is she really for feminism and women empowerment?
In a recent interview (found here - http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/beyonce-calls-herself-a-modern-day-feminist-20130403) beyonce was quoted in referring to herself
as a modern feminist singer beyonce says "I guess I am a
modern-day feminist. I do believe in equality. Why do you have to choose what
type of woman you are? Why do you have to label yourself anything? I'm just a
woman and I love being a woman… I do believe in equality and that we have a way
to go and it's something that's pushed aside and something that we have been
conditioned to accept."
but I wonder, does
how she portray herself through her choice in advertising give off a negative
or positive view on her image and ultimately contradict her statement about
being a feminist.
During Beyonces destiny’s child years I have noticed that
she wore clothes that were not very revealing at least when you look at it in
comparison to what she’s wearing now mainly in her music videos and on stage
performances and I feel this could possibly be due to the fact that while she
was in the group destiny’s child she had more confidence and felt more secure
as it wasn’t just her own her own as an artist she had her other two group
members who were like sisters to her who had her back, now it feels like since
becoming a solo artist she has felt the need to show more of herself not only
through music but in her image.
Since becoming a solo artist I feel she’s been trying to
find her own image as it is often hard for solo artists to stand alone
especially since beyonce started her career in a group and often in groups
everyone is dressed alike to symbolise unity.
innocent due to the fact that those were her late teens to
earlier adult years, since leaving her group and becoming a solo artist you can
see as she has gotten older over the years that she has begun to reveal less
and less in not only her music videos but also her on stage performances and
magazine photo shoots it’s almost as if by her revealing more to the public
she’s now displaying confidence and pride in how she feels about her appearance
which to some can be empowering to women almost like she’s telling her female
fans and followers to be comfortable in your own skin but to others, this could
be seen and taken as her working against feminists due to the fact that she has
had to show less and become a sex symbol used as a marketing tool to lure male
viewers into buying and viewing her music videos and advertisements now once
again this could also be seen as either pro or anti feminism depending on how
you view it pro because its showing her power over men as a women and how
easily it is to get a man’s attention by using her body as a tool but is also
anti feministic because why is it that even as very successful woman that’s
known worldwide for being a great musician still has to stoop to these sort or
marketing tactics to get the attention of her male viewers when you look at it
from that point of view you realise that with all she’s accomplished there is
still no equality as she’s being viewed as an object by men.
In that very same interview beyonce was quoted in saying
that she’s somebody who believes in female equality yet she is now calling her
tour the Mrs. carter show which leads you to believe she’s using her husband
jay-z’s name to gain attention worldwide for her show which does not give off a
good look to her simply because she’s made her own name and her own legacy and
one that is big enough to sell out her own tour without the name of her man so
in a way by naming her tour after her husband its really empowering him more than
it is her which isn’t what a feminist would do as it isn’t empowering as it
could possibly make women who seen this ad feel less independent and that they
need the help of a man to gain success in the world.
However as stated before this leads us to believe that
beyonce could also jus be using this as a marketing tactic for women to buy her
album as It contradicts her most recent ad where she is portrayed as a queen and
is labelling her show the Mrs. carter showing which is then also giving her
husband the title as king in this ad which contradicts her previous ad
calling herself king b.
These two magazine ads which beyonce posed for are perfect examples of how at
times she can contrast herself and be for feminism one second and then pose in
magazines similar to gq that cater to men and put her body and her looks on
display for me to lust over and stare at like a object that they desire which I
guess in a way is not so much empowering towards women but it does give her
power over men as She now has made herself many men’s desires as men of all
races and backgrounds have now all fallen victim of beyonces image and beauty
and she now holds power over these men in a sense as they are somewhat hypnotized by her beauty.
Gq magazine Headline reads “gentlemen put your pants back on”
clearly shows this is a magazine aimed for men an when you look at that
headline and notice its beside a half naked picture of beyonce it does give off
the impression that she is being advertised to the male reader as being eye
candy beyonce is a musician yet it is mentioned nowhere on the cover of this
magazine, it focuses solely on her appearance and not about her work or all she
has achieved which can lead some to believe that beyonce is in fact not a
feminist because she was involved in an advertisement for men to read that
would rather focus on what a women looks like rather than what a women has
accomplished for herself.
In
the book - Fresh lipstick redressing fashion and feminsim By Author linda m. scott on Page 1 of
the book in the introduction (Chapter 1: tossing down the
glove - lines 2-4)
It starts of saying “Feminist writers have consistently argued that
women’s attempt to cultivate her appearance makes her a dupe of fashion, the
plaything of men, and thus a collaborator in her own oppression”.
This quote to me can
be linked back to the modelling beyonce had done in the previously mentioned GQ
magazine as it is a magazine for men in which she is shown wearing revealing
outfits which is worn to please her male
readers thus allowing men to objectify her as a result.
Here’s Another quote from the book Page 226
(lines 4-6) “Because a women’s future lies in “becoming prey,” Beauvoir argues,
she learns to see herself as a object viewed from the outside; she begins to
dress in a way as to attract a lover, which involves imagining how one might
appear to the desired male. “ once again this will goes back to beyonces GQ
magazine photo where she is seen wearing clothing that is somewhat revealing
which not only works as bait for the male readers/viewers but it also does
metaphorically place her in a position of the prey as she is now become the
desire on those men who buy the magazine to stare and objectify her.
Unlike the gq magazine the Women’s music billboard magazine cover
gives beyonce a more respectful image that women can look at and feel proud of.
This magazine cover does not portray beyonce in a light for
all men to stare and drool over it highlights all that she has accomplished and
what she stands for singer, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist this
small bit of info not only builds up beyonce and her image but it also introduces
you into who beyonce the person is a bit more for those who may not know her
past the pretty face, it shows you that she’s more than just a attractive woman
with a great voice this magazine ad is clearly aimed towards women and so it really
does a great job in building a positive image for women to look up to.
Due to recent images beyonce has taken many seem to believe
that she has used skin bleaching to lightening her skin tone now though this
has yet to be proven true it is very clear from the two above images that her image
has indeed changed if you look at these two albums above you’ll see that in
comparison to her earlier album cover (dangerously in love which is one the
left) that on her album cover titled 4 her skin has been lighten so much so
that now she’s moving more away from looking African American and is looking
more Caucasian due to the lightened skin tone and the blonde hair this leads me
to believe that she isn’t so much for empowering women because many black women
see beyonce as a great black female figure so when you see that she’s now
somewhat moving away from that image and is looking more lighter in photos and
with the addition of the blonde hair it can come off as her not showing pride
in her ethnicity which is not empowering to many young black girls you look up
to her, it also isn’t empowering towering women as it doesn’t give off the message
to women to feel comfortable in your own skin.
In Chapter 8 of Fresh lipstick redressing fashion and feminsim : feminism and
frued in the fifties – page 225 lines 15- 20
Simone de Beauvoir says “the female condition is the extreme
fear of sexual intercourse. Beauvoir alleges that terror of intercourse
regularly manifests itself in self-destructive behaviour among teenage girls.
Paradoxically she claims that certain knowledge of rape in her future also
causes the adolescent girl to begin taking a perverse pride in her body, to
view it as both a “weapon” and a “treasure”.” I believe that this quote has
some truth behind it as not just beyonce but women may use their body as a
weapon towards feeling empowered as a women’s body is the number one desire in
the eyes of many men which to me is a possibility as to why beyonce and many
other female entertainers dress in rather sexual and revealing ways, but the
word treasure in this quote also links back to beyonces earlier quote in which
she says this is what I was born to do as since having a baby she now values
her body highly somewhat similar to a treasure.
Continuing the quote from the book Fresh lipstick redressing
fashion and feminsim Chapter 8: feminism
and Freud in the fifties – page 225 (lines 20 -23)
“and therefore to cultivate its appearance: she tries
different make-ups, ways of doing her hair; instead of hiding her breast, she
massages them to make them grow, she studies her smile in the mirror. Again,
Beauvoir characterizes attention to appearance s the direct outgrowth of fear
and inadequacy” this quote links back to the claim of beyonces possible
lightening of her skin tone and has lead me to believe that beyonces possible
change in appearance other the years is not only a sign of her growth as a
person but also with that change in appearance she becomes more confident as in
a way her changing her appearance, adding on make-up changing her hair etc is
almost like becoming a new person which brings about confidence in her because
she can become someone new and different from who she is through a change in
appearance.
