I chose to write about, “***Flawless” by Beyoncé, that released in 2013. Beyoncé is a well-known rapper, singer, songwriter, and actress. She grew up in Houston, Texas where she participated in many singing and dancing competitions. She got her big break, during the 1990s as the lead singer of the girl group Destiny’s Child. Beyoncé has been seen as the role model for every female. She preaches the power that women have and shares these positive messages through her music. In the song “***Flawless”, she talks about how women are told to act according to the traditional norms of society that belittle them. She takes a sample from a speech made by the writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in which it says that women are told to never intimidate men with their success, to aspire marriage, to compete with other women for a man’s attention, and to never be sexual in the same way men are. These female gender roles that are laid out by society is something that Beyoncé is trying to break away from. Her lyrics, “I took some time to live my life But don’t think I’m just his little wife Don’t get it twisted, get it twisted”, shows that she did not make it to where she is with the help of any men. She also shows women empowerment by saying that just because society says women should aspire marriage for stability, does not mean they should. She expresses through her lyrics that marriage is about love and support, not just about being someone’s wife. Alongside this, she also talks about how women should compete against each other for jobs and opportunities, instead of competing for a man’s attention. Furthermore, she also says that women should be sexual just like men and this is shown through her music video. The background dancers are seen to all behave in the same matter with no regard for their gender roles. Beyoncé and the many other background dancers are all dressed in rough clothing which also strays from traditional gender norm attire. One musical characteristic about this song is that the rhythm of the song is fast-paced and it has a duple meter. This helps the message of the song more catchy. To sum it up, Beyoncé disregards the gender norms set for women in “***Flawless”, and she also empowers women through her lyrics.
Hi, I found your blog interesting to read, as I also wrote about a song sung by Beyoncé, while she was in still in Destiny’s Child. Your blog had shown me that even thought Beyoncé had sung powerful songs of how women should be treated in society, while singing solo, she still many years later sung about these issues about gender roles several years later. This was fascinating to think through as I just had realized that Beyoncé had kept on singing about gender roles over a decade, in order to place a meaning in society and for listeners to realize the meaningfulness upon gender roles.