Beyoncé has always been a vocal proponent for black woman
empowerment but her new project Lemonade
takes this cause up another notch.
Beyoncé references the Malcolm X quote saying that: “The most disrespected person in
America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black
woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.” Additionally, Beyoncé
makes use of heavy references to the #BlackLivesMatter movement by referencing
the mothers of those gunned down at the hands of police.
Beyoncé has placed the spotlight on black womanhood with a
distinctly southern twist. As we saw in our own reading of This Ain’t Chicago, the south has returned as a dominant focal
point in African American culture. This album makes use of imagery that blends
the past and current experiences of black womanhood. This album appears as if
it is “inspired by the #blackgirlmagic hashtag” for it is “an
expression of pride in the achievements of black women.” The imagery of the
south is also important because it serves to show that the “call of home is
undeniable.”
This
album revisits themes that Beyoncé has touched on before but never with
such boldness. She is attempting to express the modern black womanhood with
fullness and honesty about difficult topics like lust, betrayal, and pain.
Beyoncé is such a powerful advocate for black womanhood, and womanhood in
general, because she is “bringing
visibility to women who are cast aside, underestimated or ignored by the
dominant culture.” This story is one of universal womanhood in America, a “story
of women who share so much anguish and joy across generations.”
The
most clever part of the album in my opinion would be in the title, Lemonade. Beyoncé is making
reference to the old saying “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” This
saying essentially means that one should make the best out of any situation with
what they are given. According to Beyoncé, “Black girls know a thing or two about making lemonade after life
hands you a lemon.” The legacy of black womanhood is one of generational
struggle. Black women are the pillars holding up each other and the black
community and they make the best out of what life gives them every day. Lemons
turn into Lemonade.
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/24/beyonce-lemonade-album-video-black-girl-magic-womanhood-america
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/24/beyonce-lemonade-album-video-black-girl-magic-womanhood-america
This is interesting, I like how you incorporated the Malcom X quote, it is very relevant and true. In fact, being a woman, let alone an African American woman must be difficult. That is why it is so fundamentally important that we acknowledge that African American woman can be misrepresented and over-sexualized. We have discussed this topic in class, specifically when reading texts from Professor Robinson. Ida B. Wells is another African American woman who experienced extreme resistance from society because of her skin color, and because of her sexual orientation. If there is one thing I have learned from being at Rhodes, it's that acceptance of each other can allow for a better learning experience for everyone. Needless to say, this specific read illuminated much of what we discussed in class for the past semester.
ReplyDeleteWhile I think Robert makes important points about Beyonce's "Lemonade," he misses a few things. Beyonce is from Houston and because of this knows what it means to be a Southern black woman and through the album "Lemonade" confronts head on the hip-hop world as such. She also humanizes black southern women which hasn't happened much throughout history making them vulnerable and giving them complex emotions. In her self-titled album "Beyonce," she uses sex as a means to describe her marriage in songs like "Drunk in Love" and "Partition," but in her album "Lemonade" she has songs "hold up" and "sorry" [she's not sorry] to portray the complex emotions in marriage and "lemons" that come with it. In this way, she is more than just putting women in a complex, vulnerable position, but she is putting them in a state of a complex marriage which both historically and in modern times, Southern black women are not often seen in that role.
ReplyDelete