Beyonce's Persona (By Tremaine Byron)

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.

When we got our first look at beyonce it was as an innocent teen in her group destiny’s child, alongside her where three other female members/childhood friends which from early on showed beyonce was for unity among women.

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 her 02 ad she portrays herself as a queen and the men in the ad are her subjects following her every move which is empowering for any young women to see but then this same ad once again makes you move more towards the idea that beyonce isn’t a feminist once you realise that it’s also a promotion for her upcoming world tour the Mrs. carter show (Mrs. carter being the name of her husband fellow musician/rapper jay-z) in the eyes of many women this can be seen as  anti - feministic her naming her tour after her husband as its empowering him more than her, it feels like she is giving him the credit and when read it can be viewed as his show and beyonces just a feature in it, the choice in her calling her tour after her husband has received a few negative responses beyonce has then responded to this criticism in saying "I feel like Mrs Carter is who I am, but more bold and more fearless than I've ever been. It comes from knowing my purpose and really meeting myself once I saw my child. I was like, 'OK, this is what you were born to do'. The purpose of my body became completely different." Now though I understand that she takes pride in her name carter as it reminds her who she is now she is more than a musician she’s a mother which is something that should be respected amongst other women but in saying that “this is the purpose of my body” “this is what I was born to do” it does not give a positive message to women as it leads you to believe that a womens role is to be a mother in her saying this is what you were born to do we understand where she’s coming from in that as a women the best thing you can possibly achieve is to bring life into this world but in her saying that it sends the message of this is what I was made to be which in a way diminishes her accomplishments thus far.

 

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.

beyonces choice in advertising can at times contradict what she says and how she portrays herself in this imagine here that was shot for her album entitled 4 beyonce is seen writing on a mirror king b aka king beyonce, now that statement there is very pro feministic as it is showing equality often when you think of women and royalty what usually comes to mind is princess or queens but instead here beyonce has labelled herself king b as a way to show herself being equal to that of a man when you see this image its very empowering to a woman as it makes you think, why can’t a woman be a king? Why must a woman stay in a fixed role of being a queen which is often viewed as being 2^nd in command after the king.

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.

(to my left shows images which show beyonces change in  appearance over the years)

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.