It has been exactly two months since Beyoncé released her self-titled visual album without any publicity or warning. As a result, it has been exactly two months since I have listened to, danced to, or talked about anything other than said album. Although already deemed the ideal human specimen by most of society, Beyoncé managed to evolve her style and voice beyond dancefloor jams and melodious ballads on these new tracks. Her sequential music videos tell the story of a happily married mother who still considers herself a sexy, confident and successful feminist. Throughout the album, she also opens up about some of the real issues she has faced over the years such as the stress and pain created by beauty standards, family life, maturity, and her miscarriage.
So what can we as college students take away from such an honest and empowering album besides a few new dance moves?
Feminism = Gender Equality. There are many misconceptions surrounding the label “feminist.” Many view feminists as aggressive, militant women who hate men and seek to tear them down from any and all positions of power. Yet the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who is sampled on Beyoncé’s “***Flawless,” defines a feminist by its dictionary definition, as “a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.” So ask yourself these three questions:
- Do you believe that all people can be full functioning and contributing members of society no matter their gender
- Do you believe that a candidate should be chosen based on his or her talents, intelligence and abilities rather than his or her gender?
- Do you believe that men and women should receive equal pay and employment opportunities?
If you answered “yes” to any or all of the above questions then you are in fact a feminist. Beyoncé proves on her new album that dancing with massive sex appeal and providing for her family are both empowering acts that do not mean she is not a feminist. She believes you can be bootylicious and a bread-winner; that you can sing about heartbreak and still find strength in being single; that you have the “Superpower” to live and become strong both within yourself and through your relationships with others.
There are many different types of “love”. With Valentine’s Day just passed, it is easy to get caught up in the myth that only eternal, romantic love should be celebrated. Yet on her new album, Beyoncé sings about many different types of love that are all meaningful in their own way. Her song “ Drunk in Love” is a fun flashback to her previous hits, that talks about the kind of love one finds grinding on the dancefloor and enjoying drunken, youthful nights. Songs like “Blow”, “Partition”, and “Rocket” focus on the many different physical acts of love that range from highly romantic to just plain dirty. The bonus video for “Grown Woman” features home videos of Beyoncé and her friends over the years, showing that one can find deep, life-long love in his or her platonic relationships. The last two tracks on Beyoncé’s album are “Heaven” and “Blue” that describe the motherly love she feels for both her daughter and the child that she lost in a miscarriage. In these final songs she shows you can love those you lost and never got to meet and that joyful love can be found in something or someone that makes you happy. So if you are single, dating, or somewhere in between, do not forget to embrace the many different types of love all around you.
We are flawless. We all have obstacles we need to overcome and we all have baggage dragging at our feet. We can all feel pain and we can all feel alone, for that is what makes us human. Beyoncé is forthcoming in her new album to say that she sometimes feels “Jealous” and unsure of herself, just like everyone else. Her album’s opening track is entitled “Pretty Hurts” and it exposes the starvation, agony and pressure that the world imposes on women through its idea of the “perfect” woman. Yet we are not perfect. Not even Beyoncé is perfect. Once we acknowledge and accept our fate as imperfect humans we can go on living the way we want. For as long as we love, sing, dance, hope, laugh and strive, we will always be flawless.