Beyonce is a powerful feminist and she’s known for setting standards.
When Beyonce stunned the music industry with the unanticipated release of her self titled album, Beyonce, she was praised by her use of unusual methods. While that was an industry changing aspect of the album, there’s more to be said about her work.
The album covers a wide range of topics; love, strength, death, beauty and power.
She addressed one of the most important issues of our time, the idea that the media puts too much pressure on young girls and their body.
In her opening song, ‘Pretty Hurts,’ Beyonce sings on the notion that “perfection is a disease of a nation.” Playing a struggling beauty pageant-goer in the music video, she demonstrates anorexia, the desire to be thin and perfectly postured, fixated purely on appearances. Her lyrics are powerful as she sings, “we shine the light on whatever’s worse.” Beyonce depicts how the pressure from the media to be thin and perfect can leave “a shattered mirror and the shards of a beautiful girl.”
The lyrics have seas of meanings, underlying symbolism and resonating capacity. But the most important part comes in an interruption during the music video. When pageant queen Beyonce is asked what her aspiration in life is, she struggles before saying “to be happy.” The inability to answer immediately demonstrates how society has misshapen citizen’s viewpoints in such a twisted way, that many have lost sight of what is actually important- happiness.
Beyonce’s feminist viewpoints, obvious in her song ‘Flawless,’ as well, have the power to upset the media. Millions can fight back, like I. Millions can complain that the pressure the media has placed on young women is incorrigible, but ultimately nothing will change. If Beyonce could change the music industry’s idea of album releases, she can rock the media’s perspective on women’s bodies.
I salute Beyonce. And I salute the meaning of many of her songs.
Let it be known that if the goddess of the music industry can defy the media’s standards of a woman, anyone, including I, can too.
Mistry Solved 