My Take On Beyoncé

Just for full disclosure, before I get into my argument I want to say that I haven’t actually seen the whole visual album all the way through.

            But I still wanted to weigh in on the spectacle that is Beyoncé’s eponymous album. There is much to be said about Beyoncé and her status as a feminist. Two sides of the debate were captured by CrunkFeministCollective’s Reasons I’m Here For Beyoncé, the Feminist and Real Colored Girls’ The Problem With Beyhive Bottom Bitch Feminism. While I think both articles brought up good points, I’d like to raise two specific issues. The first economic, the second aesthetic.

            According to Celebrity Net Worth.com, Beyoncé has about $300 Million to her name. This last album, which was released without promotion, had already sold more than 600,000 copies as of Wednesday, December 18th. Which means that it shot to number 1 on Billboard after only 5 days. And as staggering as this feat is, it’s not really surprising. She is Beyoncé; at this point an almost messianic figure to her fans. She’s known for her bigger than life operatics and an even bigger live show. Her ability to dance in heels changed up the world of dance so much that performers of all genders have taken up the challenge of pirouetting in stilettos.

            However, there is something that still irks me about the whole thing. The album is on iTunes for $15.99, which I guess makes sense since it does include 17 new visuals as well as 14 new tracks. However, a star like Beyoncé certainly could afford to release the album for cheaper or better yet, release the album as a pay what you can project via an independent web domain. After all, she has $300 Mill to her name; she can afford to take the hit. I agree with CFC’s analysis that feminism does not belong to the P(laya) H(ater) D(egree) havin’ crowd. However, feminism does not belong to those with the biggest bank account either. I’m not going to sit here and say that Beyoncé is not a feminist, because after all, if Miley Cyrus is a feminist idol, than hell Beyoncé certainly is one too. But I’m also not going to hold back my critique of capitalism and Beyoncé’s very real participation in capitalism and the hierarchies it encourages. Because after all, who would Beyoncé be without her fans, many of whom did not balk at paying $16 for an iTunes album. All of this in a busted ass economy.

            This brings me to the second part of my argument, which is aesthetic. From what I’ve seen the videos for this album are all shiny surfaces, populated by beautiful, oftentimes androgynous figures. It’s all very breathtaking and impeccably done, but something rings hollow. I think this is especially true of the visual for Superpower.

            It takes place in an abandoned parking garage, where a crop top wearing Beyoncé leads a group of misfits towards an unknown destination. It appears that there is some sort of protest or rebellion going on, but the context is largely unknown. The emotional development and timing of the clip is spectacular. It begins with Beyoncé walking by herself, face covered, then joined by a group of stylish women and as the procession continues it becomes bigger and bigger. Beyoncé eventually takes off her hood to reveal an immaculate green dye job. A car is overturned, Beyoncé breathes life into a fallen rabble-rouser and is eventually joined by former band mates Kelly and Michelle, not to mention Pharell. The clip crescendos into its conclusion as the group of protesters charge a group of riot cops.

            Again, the clip looks damn good. However, it’s hard not to feel like Beyoncé is simply capitalizing on the anarchist chic fallout of protest movements such as those that comprised Arab Spring or even Occupy. Despite vague signs and graffiti about love, it’s not clear what is being protested. And everyone in the video is fashionably alternative not to mention diverse. The whole thing resembles a catwalk more than a riot. It makes one think that what Gil Scott-Heron said was true; maybe the revolution will not be televised, not because media conglomerates wouldn’t find it interesting but perhaps because the revolution is neutralized at the very moment of major media coverage. This is a classic example of what I would call aestheticization, which takes social and cultural movements and strips them of their original meaning, simply putting them on display because they look pretty (see Cultural Appropriation for another example of this phenomenon). The whole thing gets even more complicated when you think about that fact that Beyoncé has made a fortune off of the superpower that is the United States and that she gets to go back to her lux lifestyle after shooting is over.

            That said there is no denying the power of this album. Songs and visuals such as Pretty Hurts and Flawless are sentiments that I can fully get behind. This album also represents a brave and effective new hybridization of Pop, R & B, Hip Hop and Alternative sounds. The versatility of Beyoncé’s musical arsenal is expanding and I appreciate that. Hopefully it will encourage other artists to step up and make 2014 a musical year to remember.

            Again, these are just my observations and my attempt to point out a few things that I think were missing in the conversation. If you bought Beyoncé’s album and enjoyed it, good for you. If you downloaded it for free and enjoyed it good for you. If you abstained, good for you as well. At the end of the day music is here for our enjoyment. This past year has been turbulent and it's important that we find new reasons to love life, and music is chief among those reasons. In Flawless Beyoncé sings, “I know when you were little girls/You dreamt of being in my world/Don’t forget it/Don’t forget it/Respect that/Bow down, bitches.” As someone who grew up on Destiny’s Child that line really resonates with me. I think something young women of color today need to ask themselves is, If we were in Beyoncé’s world, what would that world look like? What would be the same, what would we do differently? It’s my hope that we can channel as much enthusiasm into shaping our own visions as has been put into propping up Queen Bey’s.