Don’t get me wrong- Beyoncé is amazing. She can sing, dance, act, mother 3 beautiful children, and provide an excellent role model for women all over the world. While I believe Beyoncé is an icon as far as calling men out for treating women badly, I do not know if her personal life reflects her music and overall persona. When Lemonade was released, it became quite obvious that her husband, Jay-Z, cheated on her. While relationships are a very personal matter, hers became even more public, with quite a bit of criticism. If Beyoncé so heavily preaches female independence, standing up for what is right, and not letting men walk all over women, why would she stay with a man who belittles her? Many criticized her with concern that she only stayed with him because he is one of the wealthiest rappers in the world. However, the public will never truly know why. Maybe she stayed with him because of their children together, but honestly it isn’t anyone’s business.
I would even argue that with Beyoncé staying with her husband, it empowered her even more as a feminist icon. Cheating inside a relationship is a very complicated situation, and many people are shamed or embarrassed if they choose to stay with their partner. It took a lot of strength for her to stay with him, especially with the amount of backlash she received from the public. I think her staying with him reinforced her as a feminist icon, as women should ALWAYS have a choice in every aspect of life.
As referenced in lectures, it is interesting how although seen as a feminist, her stances on womanhood are always correlated with men. While men are major forces in the tampered rights of women, it is really important to just focus on women, and women as a whole, not what men do to women or blaming them for women’s problems (even if they cause many of them).
Overall, I think Beyoncé sends a very important message that strong women can be whatever they think is strong. Different people can handle different things, and going with what works for you is crucial.