I really resonated with the Bell Hooks reading this week. Intersectional feminism is such an important movement and is always overlooked. Intersectionality is a term that I didn’t learn about until college and I can’t believe it’s not taught at a younger age. Feminism that isn’t intersectional is oppressive and is simply not feminism at all. While Beyonce is a great artist and female icon, she does lack a well-rounded perspective when it comes to the meaning of feminism. 

In our class lecture, we watched a clip from a Ted Talk where Chimamanda explains that Beyonce’s definition of feminism is not the same as hers. In her interview with ELLE, Beyonce defines a feminist as “someone who believes in equal rights for men and women.” and doesn’t understand “ why it should exclude the opposite sex.“ This way of thinking is dangerous because it still gives the power to the men. Bell Hooks says: “Her vision of feminism does not call for an end to patriarchal domination. It’s all about insisting on equal rights for men and women.” Beyonce’s lack of understanding continues to instill this idea that women’s rights are bound to men. I also found her explanation rather troubling, because she approaches feminism in an extremely binary way. She strictly says men and women. Whereas intersectional feminism stresses the importance of supporting trans women, non-binary individuals, and everyone in between. 

In the ELLE interview, when asked why she chose to use the word feminist in her concert, Beyonce replied by saying: “I’m just exhausted by labels and tired of being boxed in.” However, calling yourself a feminist is, in fact, a label. This made me think that Beyonce’s lack of understanding runs deeper than I even thought. To call your self a feminist is important and it’s not something that should be thrown around as synonymous to “girl power.” It is not the same thing. 

However, despite this criticism, I do think Lemonade is a really powerful art piece. She puts black female bodies at the center and displays a diverse set of women. She highlights police brutality and other aspects of when life is like for black people in this world. Bell Hooks shared a very interesting point of view on the visual album.

“From slavery to the present day, black female bodies, clothed and unclothed, have been bought and sold. What makes this commodification different in Lemonade is intent; its purpose is to seduce, celebrate, and delight—to challenge the ongoing present day devaluation and dehumanization of the black female body.”

I thought this was really important. This album is a celebration of black beauty and black women in general. She allows these women to be their strong and beautiful selves while combating difficult problems with our society. 

Lastly, I think Bell Hooks really hits the mark in her closing. She explains how The message of Lemonade can be troubling for the progression of black women, despite its efforts to do the opposite. She explains that regardless of what women do unless men do work in themselves the emotional violence against black women will never end. Our patriarchal society needs to see a shift in the men for change to really happen. And with Jay Z lovingly holding Beyonce in the end, this doesn’t seem like the message Beyonce is trying to convey.