Beyonce's Song Analysis

Beyonce’s song ***Flawless is part of our current feminist movement. It promotes female empowerment while breaking down stereotypes and norms. Nevertheless, one can still identify several parts of the song that might not fully commit to the ideas of feminism. However, I believe that it also depends on the individual interpretation of the song and the fact that not everything an artist writes should be taken literally. Personally, what I find is troubling in this song actually appears in the very beginning. More specifically she states, “I know when you were little girls/ You dreamt of being in my world,/ Don’t forget it, don’t forget it,/ Respect that, bow down bitches”. By stating that they dream of being in her world and should bow
In Friedman’s “Problem That Has No Name” compared to Baumgardner and Richards “Third Wave Manifesta”, we come to realize that second wave feminism allowed for differences among women instead of uniting them as it was seen in the third wave. In the same way, Beyonce with these lyrics is allowing differences instead of uniting women. Moreover, her extensive use of the word “bitches” is problematic. I believe that it perpetuates the use of the word. In this case it does not redefine the word in order to take away its negative connotation. Even though the start of the song is not creating the sense of feminism, it quickly changes direction to surprise us. “I took some time to live my life,/ But don’t think I’m just his little wife/ Don’t get it twisted, get it twisted/ This my shit, bow down bitches”, refers to breaking down stereotypes, discussing the “Problem” as seen in Friedman’s book; the dissatisfaction of women with their role as just housewives. Beyonce says that she is not just a wife but more than that. She is successful in her own right and expects a certain respect for her own achievements without caring if she has a man attached to her. The second part of the song includes an excerpt of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s, a Nigerian author