Raunchy or Remarkable? Beyonce Brings Out the Judges.


By now you’ve probably heard all the conservative ruckus being made over Beyonce’s recent performances, and most specifically her explicit new video for Partition.  It’s too raunchy for her younger viewers, they say.  You don’t have to do this, they plead.  You’re a hindrance to female empowerment movements, they insinuate.  By “they”, I am mainly referring to Bill O’Reilly and his loyal following, to whom I say... mind your own beeswax and stop judging.  If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.  It’s simple.


I’ll be first to admit, I’ve never been a huge Beyonce fan.  In fact I’ve been neutral at best.  There are many Beyonce songs that were not particularly my favorite and I really did not find her to be all that entertaining for most of her early career.  However, in the past year, I truly have to admit, she’s killing it.  Its obvious that she’s working her f*cking ass off (or on.. squats anyone?) and has grown leaps and bounds both musically and in her choreography.  She may turn me into a true Beyonce fan before long after all.  And you know what?  I don’t think I’d ever be one had she kept it PG.  You think we need another Taylor Swift in the world?  Bi*ch please.  She’s pushing the envelope.  She’s progressive.  She’s doing what an iconic entertainer does!  

So, is it too raunchy for her younger viewers? Probably.  Though I doubt if you took a poll of true Beyonce fans that most of them would be under age 16, at which point I would certainly consider them mature enough to watch such material responsibly.  On the flip side, I’d consider it right on par with the type of thing most of her adult fans want to see.  And trust me, it’s not anything they haven’t seen before.  I watched the video expecting to see something truly appalling, but found it much less shocking than anticipated.  Go to any club in America on any night of the week, and you’ll see something very similar.  It’s an American norm, the way of the world, and it is not always a bad thing.  Think about swimsuits of the past and how shocking they were at the time.  Norms will constantly change.  You can embrace it and be happy, or fight it and spend your life disgruntled.  I guess Bill O’Reilly chose the latter.  


Does she have to do it?  No! But I bet she wants to!  She’s doing it because she has $350 million in the bank, and she can afford to push limits and not spend her life making the “safe” decision.  It’s not about you.  It’s about her.  She’s an artist and she is allowed to reinvent herself as many times as she pleases.  


Does her provocative image hinder female empowerment and equality?  In my opinion, it does not.  For me, I actually think it does quite the opposite.  She’s a wife and a mother, yet is still sickeningly hot.  Actually hotter than she even was before she was a mother. She’s quite an inspiration to all potential mothers out there, letting us know that having a child may not be relationship suicide after all.  Yes, she sings about having relations... with her husband that she’s obviously in love with!  I’m sorry, but this all seems quite healthy to me.  I guess some would prefer she keep it behind closed doors, but you’re asking her to inspire, so here she is!  I see nothing wrong with acknowledging the beauty of a woman, especially when she has worked so hard to stay fit through motherhood.  



I recognize that there are alternate views and am apologizing in advance if I offend anyone, but I feel like this issue keeps coming up again and again.  When will we stop judging each other and embrace changing times?  You go Beyonce.  Give ‘em something to talk about. 

Dateless in Dallas 


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8 comments

  1. I love your new blog design! And I couldn't agree more with this post. I think it's awesome how empowered Beyonce seems lately. She's totally rockin it right now and becuase...she can! The haters will always be there, might as well give them something to talk about :)

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    1. Thank you! I agree though. I've actually found myself to be really empowered by haters, so hopefully she is feeling the same way!

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  2. I just recently wrote about this on my blog! I'm a huge beyonce fan, BUT:

    -iT it does make a little "ehhhh" about listening to partition in my car with my nieces and nephews/son. They pick up on everything...especially lyrics! Can you imagine repeating them in elementary school? Yikes.
    -Pandora's Beyonce radio is now something I have to edit with my family.

    I don't think I have any hating on her bolder sexuality, and i love her beauty and sweet family, but it DOES make me a little more hesitant to welcome her recent endeavors into my home with open arms.

    OR I'm turning into a Grandma :)

    Www.fluentinblonde.com

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    1. Oh I hear ya, I would never let me kids listen to it. We listen to Pandora in school, but I always have to be alert and ready to skip ahead if I think it's a little too risque. Although judging by how they can sing the words to ever song aloud, I'm quite certain it's not their first exposure lol

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  3. I agree! Beyonce is KILLING it lately. Love her!

    jenn
    skinnyopinion.com

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  4. I am definitely a big believer in "if you don't like it don't watch/participate" etc. I'm not a huge Beyonce fan but I'm also not going to sit around and judge her and talk about her. Ain't nobody got time for that .... and if they do, they need a life, for real!

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  5. (That being said, I still totally listen to it all when I'm by myself!)

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  6. First of all- this post is extremely well written. I commend you for taking a stand on something that some people get so up in arms about.

    However, speaking from my "pastor" point of view (which I don't really let show in my blogging life most of the time), I can't applaud anything I'd be too embarrassed to be watching if Jesus were in the room. Lol. With that said, I'm also not one of those people on my soapbox about Beyoncé. Quite honestly, I have bigger fish to fry. People are still hungry. People are still abused. People are still in emotional anguish.

    But let's not get it twisted...cause after I get married I'm going to be all "Partition" with D! lol.

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