Is Beyonce lemonade the most powerful black feminist piece of work?

[GetInFormationLadies]

I'm barely over the death of prince but this album as made me shed a lake ful of tears in the last day.

It's such a powerful, strong love filled album that will help all black women get through even their darkest days.

She has left behind her sugar pop to try something very risky but to follow her heart.

I can not recommend it enough.

I don't think suckingegg knows what holes she has dug herself into.

I think Beyonce is simply taking her marriage seriously. Unlike her adulterous husband. THIS here, is a very black issue. To our own detriment, we pride ourselves on not giving up on our husbands when they do a little silly thing like cheating. When he cheats, we pray for the power to forgive, instead of bolting. Throwing in the towel, even though the Bible allows a woman to divorce on the grounds of adultery, is often seen as a weakness in many black cultures. Obviously not all black women will forgive him, but from my own experience as a black woman, Beyonce is doing what many expected her to do. Especially of the older generation, young uns are mostly screaming for her to leave his cheating backside!

I'm not sure I'd forgive my husband if he cheated, but I've certainly been told by family that if it ever happened, I must be strong and not make rash decisions because we are married.

Quencher I definitely agree with the movie thing!!!! Are we so snide irl?

Not interested in a fight.

Was agreeing with you MrsCeee. But I must be a GF? OK...

She can do whatever the fuck she wants, she can forgive her husband, market herself as more black or more white, talk about 'Becky'.

I can guarantee you the conversation would be very different if she was Madonna.

Personally I don't much care about her personal life, and I think that her political views have probably changed a lot since she got older and had a child.

And I think her album sounds great.

It was your choice of words suckingeggs

Strong, feisty and angry. Almost like goady fucker bingo.

FFS.

Think what you like. I don't care to beg you to understand what I mean.

Felicia, well said.

Excuse me? you'll see from my first post to you i wasnt sure if you were joking or serious. I wasnt accusing you of anything, i was asking for clarification. My second post to you was explaining why you could be interpretted as goading because those words are, as I said, GF bingo words if someone was trying to get a rise out of a group of feminists.

And if you dont care to explain what you do actually mean then accept that people will misunderstand and you'll have this issue again and again. It really would be easier to just clarify.

Apologies, Suckingeggs

Yes, I agree with you too Felicia. It would be amazing to have a conversation where Beyonce is not immediately chastised for what a 'disservice' she is doing for black women, and the focus can be on the positives she does bring etc. Perhaps the more 'successful' you are then the more you'll encounter this.

JayDot what you said about prayer and forgiveness is very interesting. I hear these conversations too often and it can become disheartening.

Fling interesting video. He does get a few things wrong though. Anyway, this is not the thread for it.

I hate this idea that unless you are perfect, you're a hypocrite. Unless you've always been aware and active, you can't be part of a movement.

Beyonce is, and has always been, black. If she had come out with Formation or Lemonade as her first music, she'd be unheard of right now. People diluting themselves to be successful is hardly news. Don't we all do it every day when we go to work? Why pull Beyonce up on it when we al have to do it to some extent? It just seems like another way to shut black women up.

Same with feminism. Now you can't be a feminist if you're husband cheats? Now I've really heard it all. We all make compromises. We are all confused. Show me this perfect feminist who is the only one good enough to call herself one. I have been a feminist since I was 16. I bleach my hair, wax, have been in a million shit relationships where I defended my piece of shit boyfriend to others. But I call men out on their bullshit, I defend other women, I examine the choices I make. Does the fact that I am sometimes weak mean I am not allowed to call myself a feminist?

Good for Beyonce for using her fame to say some important things. 10 years ago, no one was saying this stuff in mainstream music. The biggest pop star in the world is talking about police brutality against black people: how can people not celebrate that?

You didn't explain anything. You were simply rude. See your earlier posts and little conclusions with the other poster. Nice.

Perhaps that's how you conduct yourself but I can't engage with someone so full of anger tbh. I've talked about feminism and being black more times than you've had hot dinners. Lived through all sorts of prejudice, etc, etc.

You enjoy yourself now.

I was rude? Quote please.

Seoul it's not about being perfect. It is hypocritical to write songs about how strong, independent, don't need a man you are whilst sticking with your husband who's fucking around behind your back.

In the same way it's hypocritical of anyone who identifies as a feminist to sing a song glamourising domestic violence.

Its quite easy not to celebrate everything that she says as most of the time it's bullshit.

Now you can't be a feminist if you're husband cheats? Now I've really heard it all.

It's not that exactly, that grates for me. It is the being cheated on, making a pile of money singing/complaining about it, then staying with him anyway. It just doesn't feel 'real'.

Daffolil I see what you mean but for me, she is independent. She doesn't need Jay-Z, at least not financially. She's made her money so in that way she's in a good position and probably feels it. Maybe emotionally, she's not there yet. Maybe her songs are about her ideals or how she wishes she good be. God knows I've told enough people how strong I am while going back to total idiot men time and time again. People are not that one dimensional.

The Anna Mae stuff was bullshit, true. Not denying that.

Overall, I think she's making a lot
of good points and it's nice to see that someone is speaking up
about important stuff in the mainstream, even if she does make mistakes.

PrimalLass I'm sorry but I have to call B.S on this....
It just doesn't seem 'real' to You...? Ergo it isn't 'real'..?
Huh..?

Would it seem more 'real' to you if Beyonce or another self-appointed 'feminist' was cheated on, made a pile of money singing/complaining about it, but instead divorced the husband? Does this mean that they Could now call themselves a 'feminist' without being a hypocrite....? I'm sorry if that makes no sense, but I'm struggling to understand what would seem 'real' for you.

If this is Beyonce or any other woman's truth, her narrative, then why can she not 'own it' as just that and still believe herself to be a feminist? I struggle to understand why the two should be mutually exclusive..

I may be misunderstanding your entire point completely though... but seriously, what would feel 'real' for you and what bearing does it have on whether she is or is not a feminist...? Genuinely curious

@primal did you watch the entire thing? She explained her reasoning. Her torturer became her saviour, or summink ... can't recall the exact words lol. Happily we, the public, aren't married to Jay z, so it's her headache people are taking panadol for.

People capitalise on their experiences for cash everyday. Beyonce is no different to the Kardashian's in that respect, except the fact she formulates her story differently I guess. They both embellish the truth because it has to be packaged and presented for entertainment, but it can still be based on actual events.

That's very true, and I'm bootlegging your phrase about Panadol, JayDot

Equally, I despair for anyone crying out about what a terrible example Beyonce is setting for their own children.... if this causes you to lose sleep then you honestly have bigger problems than what Beyonce is doing with herself. Fix it, Jesus

MrsCeee It's not mine, or Beyonce's, or the feminist movement's, so go for it

I'm not even a proper Beyonce fan! But I often get into arguments over a) she's not a feminist and b) she isn't black.

However, I don't argue that she aint that great a singer; that's too subjective and I can't say I enjoy her singing as much as I enjoy her 'entertainment factor'. She's always been pretty harmless.

I just listened to album all the way through an I do really like it. I was thinking, (and I'm sorry I'm not more articulate!) but it is refreshing for someone who is quite so palatable to every race/age/gender...possibly not gender all the time...and the age does have a limit. But, she is someone a whole lot of people like from all different backgrounds and although she isn't saying anything new, it's because she's so mainstream that her saying it is important.

It's just my opinion and I wish she had sung this stuff when I was a teen, even if I did enjoy Destinys Child!

It's funny that this thread has mentioned dating outside of your race- I don't know if the view might be shifting, at least in some circles. One of my brothers married a white woman but when my other brother married a black woman he was so superior about it- he feels like he's stronger being able to 'handle' a black woman. So basically, the same prejudice/stereotype but in a different way. Neither of them are happy that I'm dating a white man so some things never change!

I love this album. & that its aimed at black women and issues we go through which are mostly either unknown, unaccepted, or ignored. Its powerful. She doesn't have to make

RudeElf well said.

DSIL is white and she loves the album too and can empathise re. what and why Beyonce is saying what she does.

Piers Morgan is a Grade A jackass

Beyocne and jay z are a brand. I believe he has been unfaithful several times, there was a woman called something white, forgot her name came out and said she was having an affair with jay z, few days later was found dead.
There have been several rumors of a girl in jamaica and a girl in france as well as rihanna and rita.
I don't know about rihanna but i do believe he messed with rita.
Then theres the whole lift incident and beyonce just watching.

Even though she has her own money they are better together than apart plus their child. I feel sorry for her because i do think she is probably sad inside and can only express it through her music.

I think she is a feminist inside but because of her situation she cannot break away and be who she truly wants to be so makes the music for others.

Thats what i got from it anyway.