First there's the issue of twerking. If you think Miley Cyrus invented twerking I need you to stab yourself in the eye with a Styrofoam finger and think about your life choices. Twerking has been around for centuries. It is rooted in traditional West African dances, specifically the Cote D'Ivoire dance mapouka. If you're the kind of idiot who says that twerking is "ghetto," you're a racist. Don't talk to me. If you say that Beyoncé's dance moves or clothing choices negate her feminism, you're a massive asshole and you can hang out in the loser corner with Bill O'Reilly.
The second argument (the one which is actually legitimate) is the criticism of Jay's lyrics in Drunk in Love:
Catch a charge I might, beat the box like Mike,
I'm Ike, Turner, turn up, baby no don't play.
Now eat the cake, Annie Mae, I said "Eat the cake, Annie Mae," I'm nice.
Yep, that line is a reference to Ike Turner beating his wife, Tina Turner. And Jay is supposed to be saying it in a sexy way, meaning that violence is a part of their kink, and that's cool, but maybe next time don't mention a famous domestic violence act when you're creating a #1 hit, thanks. The only thing I have to say about the "Annie Mae" line is that Beyonce is getting a disproportionate amount of hate about the line when it is Jay who says it. Yes, it's her song, but he's the one who spit it in that studio and no one is criticizing him. That's what misogyny looks like.`
Because I hang out on internet spaces primarily used by young women, some a few years younger than myself (it's Tumblr, okay? I fucking love Tumblr) I see how young women react to feminism, and I can honestly say this: Beyoncé is making feminism cool. Not in the obviously-false way that Sarah Palin tried to use the word feminist, or in the shitty racist way that Lily Allen calls herself feminist, but in an actual feminist manner.
Shailene Woodley, star of the film "The Fault in Our Stars," which is based on the John Green teenage romance novel about cancer kids and Anne Frank house sex, recently said this to Time Magazine when asked if considers herself a feminist:
"No, because I love men, and I think the idea of ‘raise women to power, take the men away from the power’ is never going to work out because you need balance. With myself, I’m very in touch with my masculine side. And I’m 50 percent feminine and 50 percent masculine, same as I think a lot of us are. Also I think that if men went down and women rose to power, that wouldn’t work either. We have to have a fine balance. My biggest thing is really sisterhood more than feminism. I don’t know how we as women expect men to respect us because we don’t even seem to respect each other. There’s so much jealousy, so much comparison and envy. And 'This girl did this to me and that girl did that to me.' And it’s just so silly and heartbreaking in a way."
Great internalized misogyny there, Shailene. This is why we didn't invite you to beach and boba day.
Now, do I sound like someone who gives a shit what Shailene Woodley thinks? Kinda. Not really, since I believe the opinions of B list actors* are about as worthwhile to society as my cat's opinions about what she's having for dinner (bitch this is from Trader Joe's, don't look at me like that). What I do care about is the thoughts of young women, and I am pleased to report that they have been dragging Shailene all morning. For those of you who don't know, dragging is when you mock and insult someone. Shailene is being dragged.
This really is why I love the internet. Say stupid shit and you get called out on it.
Beyoncé is a role model for young women because she's a fantastic performer and she sings about young women achieving success.
But here's the thing I have to say: she is a performer. She is not Hillary Clinton. She is not Malala Yousafzai. She is not Wangari Maathai. She does not hold any political office. She is not an activist. She sings and she dances and she's fucking amazing at it. And yes, she has been in many PSAs, but that is not her main goal. Her main goal is to sell ticket seats and please her fans.
The criticisms of Beyoncé that say she shouldn't be recognized as a feminist because she's not a lawyer or a politician or an activist strike me as downright silly. Why can't we have both kinds of role models? Why can't young women look up to all kinds of young women? When you tell girls they can't have Beyoncé as a role model because she hasn't ended human trafficking you're not being very feminist, and you're not being very smart. Support the women who support young women, not the ones afraid of saying they are a feminist.
Bye!
*Seriously, don't date actors. Just don't do it to yourself.
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