Beyonce's Lyrics and Music Video's 'INDEPENDENT WOMEN' (By Harveen Bahia)

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, a Grammy award-winning superstar, is one of the first coloured people to break into an all white girls club of feminism. She has fiercely stepped into that feminist role, by working and dominating a sexist industry. However Beyoncé has always found resistance from feminists, even though her work is tailored towards inspiring girls and women through her music and lyrics, as she states in this song “All the women who are independent throw your hands up at me”. This all began with her hit song “Independent woman” with her former girl band Destiny's Child, they celebrate the independence of women and not relying on a man to control you with material gratification. Being able to afford ones own luxury as they say “I buy my own diamonds and I buy my own rings”. The song harangues men for not paying there way in a relationship “Always 50/50 in relationships.” Instead they motivate women to go find employment, and therefore finical liberation, with such power and influence over young girls and women this inspires them to go out, to achieve something worthwhile. The song was based for the blockbuster hit  “Charlie’s Angels”, the opening scene shows three women sitting at the head of the table, which is symbolic as it’s the seat where men normally sit at, they are taking on masculine roles, first by using martials arts to bring down the blue ninja, and then by driving men’s favorite toys the motorbikes, the video also shows clips from the movie of Lucy Liu, Drew Barrymore and Carmen Diaz being tough independent women kicking ass. This in my opinion is a national anthem for women to achieve success and liberation. Some feminists such as Samhita, aruges, "Even at her most seemingly feminist moments, Beyoncé falls back upon traditional ideas of femininity, of love and of romance. Beyoncé as an artist is great and she is pushing us in new directions creatively, but she is not quite a feminist role model." Despite being a good influence for our generation, spreading words of empowerment as opposed to other musicians who sing about female degradation, she is still constantly attacked by feminists for doing things anti-feminist for example they way she dresses or dances, but they are her own choices, which is what feminists should be about.

Lily Bolourian. (2013) ‘Lena Dunham: Why’s she a Feminist Icon Instead of Beyonce?’ Policymic

(Available at :http://www.policymic.com/articles/29106/lena-dunham-why-s-she-a-feminist-icon-instead-of-beyonce (Accessed 23 March)

http://www.lyrics007.com/Destiny's%20Child%20Lyrics/Independent%20Women%20Lyrics.html (Accessed: 23 March 2013)