Beyonce's Lyrics and Music Video's 'CATER TO YOU' Harveen Bahia)

Destiny Child's song ‘Cater To You’ is a major set back in the feminist movement, by submissively serving her man and bending over backwards just to satisfy his needs. This song reinforces the hegemonic gendered powers. Beyonce is a women who openly preaches independence, yet ‘her life would be purposeless’ without her man. this is a prime example of how co-dependent she is, her stand for being a dominant powerful lady could be called into question. She is proving Parsons warm bath theory, that men go to work,  and when they return home the wife washes his troubles away by pampering him. Parson's theory is best summed up in the lyrics; "let me help you take off your shoes, untie your shoe strings, take off your cufflinks, do you wanna eat boo? Let me feed you, let me run your bathwater, whatever ever you desire, I’ll aspire". According to Beyonce her only purpose is to serve and to look good; ‘I’ll keep my figure right, I’ll keep my hair fixed, keep rocking the hottest outfits’, this is a huge contradiction of what Beyoncé preaches in many of her other songs and interviews. Out goes the confident and worthy Beyonce. Instead she’s replaced by a woman who thirsts for male attention in order to boost her confidence, sexiness and self worth. She’s wiling to go to the moon and back if he asked her to, without actually using her mind. This song paints the stereotypical role of women in the 1940’s & 50’s which glorifies women as house slaves, whose only importance in life is to be a good stay at home wife, whilst the husband has the  important occupational role to play. The music video displays women’s sensuality as they whimsically touch their bodies, whilst flicking their hair and looking into the camera, engaging with the viewer wearing minimal clothing while erotically dancing on the car bonnet instantly grabs anyone’s attention, including the male models in the video who lay back and watch in pleasure. Personally I believe it looks a little seedy as they play the role of ‘slave’, but the purpose of this video is to ooze seduction and to visually seduce their man “to do anything for my man”.

Tracie Egan Morrissey. (2008) ‘Is the meaning Behind Beyonce’s music misunderstood?’ 21^ST September. Available at http://jezebel.com/5096345/is-the-meaning-behind-beyonces-music-misunderstood  (Accessed: Aprill 11 2013)

Available at:  http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/destinyschild/cater2u.html
(Accessed: April 11 2013)

David Clapham (2005) ‘The meaning of housing a pathways approach’ (pg7-37)

Policy Press. (Accessed: 11 April 2013)