Analyzing Beyoncé's Song 'Flawless'

FLAWLESS
I picked this song ‘Flawless’ By Beyoncé. In this song it has many different feministic views. There is a part in song which is by Chimamanda Adichie (“We Should all be Feminists”) which she is explaining what feminism is in our society. Also at the beginning she has a part form her song ‘Bow Down’ which can raise a few eyebrows on how Beyoncé feels about other women. Then she has another part in the song explain the different roles that she has learned from her family and how as women the way that we are we are all ‘flawless’ in our own way. Not necessarily saying that us as women there is nothing wrong with us. This is a perfect song for a young woman to hear, something that we can learn from in a way that most young adults relate
to such as putting it into a song and by an artist that is very popular in the music world. At the beginning of this song Beyoncé says ‘Bow down Bitches’.
Which the word ‘bitch’ is such a simplistic sexist term. This term is used by all kinds of women. I know as a young adult me and my friends will use this term as just simply speaking to a friend not in a rude or derogatory way but as simply calling each other girl. The thing with this word is that the way and context that another women or a man uses it can be taking in a totally different way. Beyoncé later explains that when she wrote this song she had woke up in an angry aggressive mood. She says that she meant it in a way that if a person really hates you and doesn’t believe in you and you look at the person as in ‘bow down bitch’. Now I’m not sure as to why she felt that she should add that part into the song because the rest of the song is in such an aspiring feminist
song.

‘We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls: "You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful Otherwise, you will threaten the man" Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage I am expected to make my life choices Always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important Now, marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage And we don't teach boys the same? We raise girls to see each other as competitors Not for jobs or for accomplishments, which I think can be a good thing But for the attention of men. We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are Feminist: a person who believes in the social Political, and economic equality of the sexes’

This essay that Chimamanda came out with is so simplified and not so much of a theory and nothing that you would read out of a class history book but something that my generation would understand clearer. In this she speaks on how marriage affects women so much more they it affects men. That as Women we aren’t supposed to strive to have as much as a man as in a way that it will seem that we are trying to emasculate them and take his “role” of being a husband away from him. But why is it that a womans success is a threat to a man? She isn’t saying that because of a women being successful that we should give up our ambition and just settle for just being a wife because marriage also brings joy and love and mutual support. A women is “supposed” to give up her carrer and what she loves to not “over power” a man and all a man is “supposed” to give up is going to a strip club for example. Some women believe that if a man is in any way intimidated by the fact that she is a ambitious women then that man is weak and they would have no intereset in any way. But it all goes back to how we are raised and that a man is supposed to be the main bread winner of the family.
She recognizes why does our society and the way that we are raised, that as young girls we are taught to aspire to marriage and young boys aren’t being taught to aspire to be married one day. Which is the root of the problem, in order for there to be ever be change and equality it has to start when we are children and what we learn as we are growing up. Later in the song she explains the different roles that she has learned from her family which is a shift in the perceived gender roles.
‘My momma taught me good home training’ – which is interesting because its showing how her mother was the disciplinarian. Then it goes to say ‘My daddy taught me how to love my haters’ – that her dad taught her the affectionate side. ‘My man made me feel so goddamn fine!’- That her relationship makes feel good and is relevant to her. The thing about the line with her is that she states that she doesn’t have to be his ‘little wife’. If anyone is a fan of Beyoncé she is the type of women that I would say I could idolize. She is ambitious and is a business woman and yet she is still married and is making as much as her husband is and he is just fine with
that.

http://pop.genius.com/Beyonce-flawless-lyrics