In Juliet Williams' article on Beyoncé's 'Lemonade', the increasingly profound and provocative nature of her feminist and race-oriented work is described and explained within its context of an America in the midst of waves of ethnic particularism and ongoing oppression.
Williams' begins with an overview of Beyoncé's deconstruction of the traditional structures of feminist movement, re-imagining them with women of colour at the "front and centre of the narrative". In doing this, Beyoncé is able to combine two spheres of identity that would usually be considered as quite distinct political movements against oppression - being an African-American, and being a woman. As a figurehead of both communities, Beyoncé is gifted with the perfect stage from which she has been able to launch a barbed assault on the very establishment itself - an assault that is consistently validated by her conveniently intersectional group of fans which journalist Piers Morgan asserts is a result of Beyoncé's status as a "global brand". This is because, not only is she able to relocate counterculture political movements such as 'Black Lives Matter' within the global consciousness of pop culture, she is able to do so in a way that negates much critique as this only strengthens her cause by portraying her as an attacked figure, generating much backlash from her like-minded fans. Furthermore, embodying and providing a voice for what is regarded in this context as society's perpetual victim, Beyoncé sets the scene for an archetypal hero narrative wherein she overcomes her oppressor and in doing so, becomes an idol for her respective communities. While the overall tone, as outlined in Williams' article is decidedly pessimistic at the state of race and gender relations, there is nonetheless elements of self-empowerment here, invoking sentiments of the American Dream. As Williams' notes, lyrics like "I dream it, I work hard, I grind it 'til I own it" in 'Freedom' prescribe activism which, in this context of race and feminism, invariably translates to forms of militancy, as demonstrated in Beyoncé's 2016 Superbowl half-time performance.
In this performance, Beyoncé and her army of dancers paid tribute to the Black Panthers, a militant civil rights group whose action against police brutality through separatist ideology often instigated brutality and domestic terrorism in its own right, potentially foreshadowing her use of Malcolm X within Lemonade itself. For those like Piers Morgan, Beyoncé's most outspoken critic since Lemonade, this has proved problematic and indicative of hypocrisy. Morgan describes a conversation he held with Beyoncé in 2011 where she places being "an entertainer and musician" at the forefront of her aspirations. Indeed, she takes delight in subverting the role of race, asserting that "it's not about colour and race, and I'm happy that's changing". Clearly then, something has changed. Specifically, Morgan levels a charge of hypocrisy towards Beyoncé as, in attempting to deconstruct systems of law, society and culture that hold racial-based prejudices - Beyoncé herself advocates black separatism and a focus on militant, race-exclusive action that is seen to undermine her aforementioned goals. Furthermore, hypocrisy might be a conclusion drawn from Beyoncé's pledge for an intersectional feminism. In dismissing the relationship between white female culture and a feminist movement in favour of her own racial identity, Beyoncé again demonstrates a form of separatism that must be reconciled in light of a context of historical and contemporary oppression. A more liberal critic might even take issue with the absence of Native American women, or the transgender community within Beyoncé's narrative.
Morgan also believes that beneath this activism lies a subtext of self-promotion in order to "shift records and further fill her already massively enriched purse". By definition, there can be no evidence for this but nonetheless, it is worth considering Beyoncé's debated 'oreo' status amid her focus on the "plantation homes [...] antebellum costumes" that, according to Williams' article, cement her inclusion within traditional black culture, irrespective of her actual life and career. This debatable paradox can be taken down to the smallest scale. Take the track 'Don't hurt yourself' wherein Beyoncé enlists the talent of Jack White - a White blues rocker who himself, harbors undying admiration for the Black community within a specifically musical context, as manifested by his appropriation of black culture. This might be read as an insult to the hordes of unsigned black blues musicians that might have made comparably suitable additions to the track yet who are not recognized culturally on account of their colour. However, this might instead be considered as solid proof of what Williams' describes as "current conceptualisations of intersectional 'fourth wave' feminist discourse" - affirming the superfluous nature of skin colour. Another of Lemonade's notable critics is fellow African-American pop singer Azealia Banks who tweeted; "You keep crying over a man and perpetuating that sad black female sufferance and it's Not good for what we're trying to accomplish here". Although the subtext is subject to debate and requires qualification - Banks seems to find a flaw in a feminism that is in, many ways, manifested through sadness over an unfaithful male.
To conclude, Williams' introduces the startling topicality of issues raised in Lemonade through the specific lens of Beyoncé's own identity and ideas of intersectionality and militancy. Discussions raised here demand further questions into Beyoncé's vision of a post-racial America - centered around her depiction of the Black Panthers, adherence to separatism, her past relationship race, and constructions of her own identity. While Lemonade has been subject to relatively little debate and critique, there is no doubt that Beyoncé has coalesced many voices of anger and confusion into a single coherent march for activism.
Bibliography
Primary Source - Williams, Juliet. Beyoncé's 'Lemonade': A complex and intersectional exploration of racial and gendered identity. 2016. Retrieved from <http://www.baas.ac.uk/usso/beyonces-lemonade-a-complex-and-intersectional-exploration-of-racial-and-gendered-identity/> last accessed 18/03/2017.
Secondary Sources
Morgan, Piers. "Jay-Z's not the only one who needs to be nervous about Beyoncé, the born-again-black woman with a political mission", Daily Mail Online, 2016. Retrieved from <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3557867/PIERS-MORGAN-Jay-Z-s-not-one-needs-nervous-Beyonce-born-black-woman-political-mission.html> last accessed 18/03/2017.
Azaelia Banks on Lemonade, Independent Online, 2016. Retrieved from <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/azealia-banks-beyonce-lemonade-antithesis-of-feminism-a7003776.html> last accessed 18/03/2017.
Bale, Miriam. Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' is a revolutionary work of Black Feminism, Hollywood Reporter, 2016. Retrieved from <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/critics-notebook-beyonces-lemonade-is-887240> last accessed 18/03/2017.
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