Beyoncé

Two summers ago, I witnessed something that would ultimately change my view of concerts forever. I had been anticipating it for months, and it met — if not exceeded — every one of my expectations. What musical artist could put on a show this incredible, you ask? None other than my personal hero, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. 

At the concert, the entire arena erupted in noise the moment Beyoncé stepped onstage. The show involved a small army of talented dancers who backed Beyoncé throughout most of the performance. At one point, Beyoncé was lifted up and flew above the crowd to another stage closer to the center of the arena. 

Beyoncé’s show seemed a testament to her independence and unique place in the music world. The concert showcased not only her singing and dancing abilities, but also her brand as an artist. I couldn’t have known this at the time, but this concert, in its uniqueness and artistry, would foreshadow Beyoncé’s messages later in her music career.  

Lately, with the release of her self-titled album and her spectacle of a VMA performance, Beyoncé’s feminist views have been questioned. Beyoncé is an integral part of the modern feminist movement, whether she intended to be or not. Not only that, Beyoncé has taken control of her career and turned her dreams into realities, showcasing what it means to be a businesswoman in the music industry. She is undoubtedly one of the most popular performers today, which makes her platform all the more important. 

With the December release of her self-titled album, Beyoncé was able to show the world her nuanced view of female sexuality, express opinions about the objectification of women and define feminism.

In a YouTube mini art feature, “Self-Titled,” Beyoncé speaks about her own obvious sexuality in the newer music videos.

“I don’t at all have any shame about being sexual, and I’m not embarrassed about it, and I don’t feel like I have to protect that side of me because I do believe that sexuality is a power that we all have,” she said in the YouTube feature.

In a world in which women in music videos are treated as objects, it’s refreshing to see a woman who knows she’s sexual and uses it to her advantage rather than using it to appeal strictly to men. In the music video and song, “Pretty Hurts,” Beyoncé exposes the faults of pageantry. She brings to light the constant scrutiny women are under and the pressure they feel every day to conform to societal standards.

The third and most blatant example of feminist ideas in the latest Beyoncé album is in the song “Flawless,” in which feminism is defined in an audio clip from a TED talk given by activist Chimamanda Ngozi Adicihie.

Following Beyoncé’s VMA performance in August, she received some flak because she dressed scantily while still promoting a feminist message. In an article for The Independent, Milo Yiannopoulos wrote that Beyoncé “is what men demand of her, less than the sum of her body parts. Living art, but art that says nothing.”

He states later in the article, “Beyoncé doesn’t appear to believe in anything and she isn’t wrestling with anything either.”

Yiannopoulos even goes so far as to say that Beyoncé’s message of gender equality is a new endeavor that’s “simply another way for her to scream: ‘Please love me.’” However, Yiannopoulos couldn’t be further from the truth.

Yiannopoulos fails to recognize  that Beyoncé’s messages about gender equality and ownership of sexuality aren’t things she started broadcasting recently to garner more attention. Beyoncé has been preaching these messages to her fans for a long time.

The 2011 documentary Beyoncé: Year of 4 showcases Beyoncé’s abilities as a businesswoman and follows her journey through being in charge of the album 4.

In the documentary, Beyoncé states, “Being a young woman, I want to set the example that it’s possible for us to own our own businesses and own our own record labels.”

Year of 4 is a testament to Beyoncé’s constant search for gender equality within the music industry. The documentary reveals the fact that she is and has been at the creative helm of everything with her name on it.

Of course, Beyoncé isn’t the only woman in the industry trying to spread a message. Other artists, such as Lauryn Hill and Janelle Monáe, also strive to communicate messages regarding inequality and society’s faults. These female artists are important role models for listeners. With Beyoncé’s reign over the music industry, however, she is able to broadcast these messages on a much larger scale than others. 

Beyoncé may not be spreading feminist ideas in a conventional way, but that doesn’t make her messages any less important. She has shown that feminism is multidimensional and helped (at least in a small way) blaze the path to a more accepting future.