There is another way: feminism can be modern and even sexy. Beyoncé proves this in her very own way. Through her work, she popularizes the fight for women's rights and gives it a new dimension. However, you have to look closely to recognize the signs of feminism in her work.
At the age of 34, Beyoncé has reached the top: She is the pop singer with the most Grammy Awards, her album "Beyoncé" was the fastest-selling album on iTunes after its release. Her "Formation World Tour" starts this April, with which she will also make a guest appearance at the Letzigrund in Zurich on July 14. And while she has reached the pop Olympus, she is also becoming politically active almost unnoticed.
"Beyoncé has managed to bring feminist positions into the mainstream and popularize feminism," says Kordula Knaus, a musicologist at the University of Bayreuth. Feminism runs through all of Beyoncé's work, although she also plays with sexual appeal. "She embodies a strongly sexualized femininity.
The interesting thing is that this is not perceived as a contradiction to feminism," says Knaus. "Beyoncé pursues a combative feminism and is a sex symbol at the same time."
This is clearly visible in her performances. She confidently stages herself in skimpy costumes. She works with various stylistic elements. "Beyoncé deliberately opted for a band consisting only of women." The backing bands of pop artists are usually mixed, but Beyoncé is accompanied by a female band.
She tours with an all-female band
She herself was also part of a girl group: she started her career with Destiny's Child at the end of the nineties. Even back then, the focus was on girl power - in addition to "Independent Woman Pt. 1", "Bootylicious" was another song that expressed this. "I don't think you're ready for this jelly" is one of the most famous phrases in Destiny's Child's discography. It refers to the woman's curves. "Bootylicious" also became a term for an attractive, curvy woman and was even included in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Beyoncé also expresses her position in writing. In 2014, Beyoncé published an essay in the "Shriver Report" entitled "Gender Equality is a Myth". "Equality will only be achieved when men and women receive the same pay and respect," she wrote there, appealing to the role model function that adults have towards children. "We must teach our boys the rules of equality and respect, so that equality between men and women is a natural part of life. And we need to teach our girls that they can achieve anything."
Beyoncé: Fear of being a feminist
"I call myself a feminist, although I've always been afraid of the term because people read so much into it. But it's actually quite simple: it's a person who believes in equal rights for men and women," explains Beyoncé in the short film "Yours and Mine" published on YouTube. She professes her belief in feminism in the song "Flawless". In the middle of the song, you can hear excerpts from a talk given by Nigerian women's rights activist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at a TedX event. "Feminist: a person who believes in the political, economic and social equality of the sexes" are the words that precede Beyoncé's song.
Adichie's entire talk can be seen on YouTube.
