Feminism is a word that comes back very frequently in the conversation these days, everyone has an opinion about the big word and everyone wants to either be a feminist or take some distance from it. Beyonce is one woman who considers herself in the first category: ‘But I guess I am a modern-day feminist’ she once declared to Vogue UK, and since, almost everyone has agreed on the fact that the queen Bey is an empowering role model for girls, a model who believes in equality while using her sexuality to prove it.
But this image didn’t work too well for Annie Lennox, a few days ago, the ex-Eurythmics frontwoman had a few harsh (but right) words about the Beyonce model:
‘I would call that “feminist lite”. L-I-T-E. I’m sorry. It’s tokenistic to me. I mean, I think she’s a phenomenal artist. I just love her performances – but I’d like to sit down [with her]. I think I’d like to sit down with quite a few artists and talk to them. I’d like to listen to them; I’d like to hear what they truly think. I see a lot of it as them taking the word hostage and using it to promote themselves, but I don’t think they necessarily represent wholeheartedly the depths of feminism – no, I don’t’, she declared to the Daily Mail…
It’s quite interesting that Annie Lennox expresses herself so freely about the famous pop star, and I couldn’t agree more with her, everything that Beyonce does is self-promotion and ‘taking the word hostage’? Oh yeah! It is exactly reflecting what she does. She is using feminism to justify her sexy stage antics, but all this is much more eye-candy for men than true feminism. And regarding these sexy outfits that Beyonce and other pop stars wear on stage? Annie has once again a strong opinion:
‘I have issues with it’, she declared, ‘Of course I do. I think it’s a cheap shot. I think what they do with it is cheap and … yeah. What can I tell you? Sex always sells. And there’s nothing wrong with sex selling, but it depends on your audience. If they’re seven-year-old kids, I have issues with it.’
Yeah, Beyonce tends to mix feminism with soft porn and girl power with raunchy performance, as if the only female power was related to sex?
But because people could not understand what Annie said? Didn’t like what she said? I am not sure, but she had to ‘clarify’ her declaration 2 days ago while visiting Entertainment Tonight:
‘I take issue with the sexualization of young girls. It is something that is so prevalent nowadays and I think I am not a prudish person, but I am disturbed by what I see.’
I am with you Annie, I see the Beyonce’s effect every day, and it’s disturbing. So please, let’s not make these young girls believe that their booty shorts have anything to do with feminism.
