It was a perfect moment in time. To witness someone so comfortable in their own skin and so confident in who they are, and to watch this congeal into a glow that emanated through television screens around the world. Beyoncé Knowles Carter stood proudly, strongly. She stood in front of a luminescent backdrop with the word “FEMININST” displayed prominently, with only the light of Beyoncé herself shining brighter in the venue that night. During a time when many were much more enamored with the idea of feminism than any actual real life application of it, when the word was taboo, she fearlessly reclaimed the word and started a very serious conversation.
This is one of Beyoncé’s most intriguing characteristics, her ability to express herself creatively without fear of backlash or disapproval. She has always said that her parents have always taught her to be strong, and to aggressively go after whatever it is that she wants from life. Heeding their advice, she has never been afraid to use her platform to weigh in on social issues. Instead of making irresponsible and uninformed statements to the press every time a microphone is shoved in her face, she calculatingly uses her art to transmit moving messages about societal issues. A recent example of this artistic activism is her Formation music video. The video is filled with what many have called anti-police imagery, and much controversy surrounded the release of the video and the accompanying Super Bowl 50 halftime performance. In response to all of this criticism Beyoncé said “If celebrating my roots and culture during Black History Month made anyone uncomfortable, those feelings were there long before a video and long before me. I’m proud of what we created and I’m proud to be part of a conversation that is pushing things forward in a positive way” (Gottesman). The strength and character of this piece of art would have been enough alone, but she made these statements confidently in the face of criticism during a time where there has been much tension surrounding the topic of race and most would choose to avoid the subject altogether. There's that strength again. Even if you took away all of the talent and music accolades, there would still be a very confident and resilient woman in there, and this inner strength is something that everyone can look up to.
But speaking of her musical accolades, there can never be any question about what Beyoncé has done for the music industry. Starting her career as a young child in a girl group, her star has been on the rise for well over twenty years, bringing home twenty Grammy’s over those years for her work with the group and her own solo studio albums (The GRAMMYs). She opened up the industry to a new level of artistry when she released her self-titled album in 2013 with absolutely no promotion or public forewarning. She released the album at midnight while most of us were asleep, but what we awoke to was unlike anything we had seen before. This album had 14 tracks but additionally had a music video that accompanied each song, along with 3 bonus videos (Sheffield). This type of innovation and amount of dedication to her craft is yet another reason why Beyoncé is one of the most influential music icons to ever live. She has had several sold out world tours, and likewise sold out a world tour with her husband. This past weekend she released an hour-long visual album in association with HBO, with an accompanying studio album, and she again stirred up the pot, and this project is already seeing success after just a few days.
However, with great success and popularity comes great responsibility. Over the years many of Beyoncé’s critics have said that she hasn’t donated enough money or done enough charitable deeds. They have looked at all of the sold out world tours she has had and say that with the amount of money that she is making she should be doing much for charities and social injustice issues. The reality is that even outside of creating art that sparks conversations and speaks pointedly about social issues, she has long been dedicated to her various philanthropic efforts. A few years ago she established BeyGOOD, the blanket company that organizes and facilitates all of the charities that she works with, to show this commitment. On her world tour that kicks off this summer, Beyoncé will be working closely with United Way, Chime For Change, and Global Citizen. These charities will be involved with every show, but at certain stops on the tour there will be actual charity events and drives planned, in which fans will have the chance to win prizes from Beyoncé (Billboard Staff).
Despite all of confidence, inner-strength, and intense stardom, she will be the first to tell you that it is important for all of us to have someone to depend on as well. Her life would be wholly incomplete without her husband and child. This strength that she displays simultaneously with her vulnerability makes her very well rounded and balanced, and is something that everyone can relate to, She is one of the most popular pop stars of all time, but she is at the same time a daughter, a wife, a mother, and a sister. This basic humanity and relatability to her is one of her greatest qualities.
As consumers, it is easy to take someone's ability and talent for granted. Just think about how short attention spans are when it comes to things in the pop culture realm. Something that is major breaking news today is quickly forgotten and the furthest things from everyone’s minds by tomorrow morning, because the media circuit is on to something that is more intriguing than that. So the fact that people have been exposed to Beyoncé for the past twenty years and still continue to seek out her work and wait anxiously for her next project, shows just what she is capable of as an artist. People never got tired of Michael Jackson. People still aren't tired of Elvis. Beyoncé has reached this level of iconic status, a figure who is so talented and captivating that it is impossible to ever get tired of what she offers, whether it is vocally, visually, or creatively. Beyoncé is the prototype, the total package, all wrapped up into one talented, generous, intelligent, sensitive, strong, superhuman human being.
Works Cited
Billboard Staff. “Beyoncé Teams With Charities United Way, Chime for Chance and Global Citizen on Formation Tour.” Billboard. April 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
Sheffield, Rob. “Beyoncé.” Rolling Stone. December 2013: Beyoncé Album Review. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
“Beyoncé.” The GRAMMYs. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <http://www.grammy.com/artist/beyonce>.
Gottesman, Tamar. “EXCLUSIVE: Beyoncé Wants to Change the Conversation.” Elle. April 2016: Beyoncé Elle Magazine Cover Story. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
