A Black Girl's Song - Arts & Culture

This article goes into the analysis of Beyoncé’s 2016 Lemonade album. It focuses on black feminist theory in regards to Beyoncé and the topic of black self-love in women. The article mentions, “to understand black feminist genealogy, it is important to note that black feminists fight battles on multiple fronts” (p. 100). What this is referring to is the history of black women, “not only must black feminism contend with intraracial and interracial sexism, but it must also take on white feminists whose seemingly progressive agenda has historically erased black women’s voices from the broader feminist movement” (p. 100). Throughout history, white women have always been the stereotypical feminist, it is what everyone pictured when they thought of a feminist, a white woman not a black woman. It mentions Beyonce’s Lemonade, “for many black feminists, Lemonade was a shot heard around the world… is a communal piece that reflects bits of much the intellectual and artistic labor of black women” (p. 103). This being said, a lot of the comments in this article regarding Beyoncé focused on her album Lemonade and how the messages in the songs in this album helped to show appreciation for black women, now and throughout history.

After reading this article it helped me understand the black feminist perspective a little better. Being a white woman I can’t say that I’ll ever be able to understand and relate to black women and their history, but I’m still able to understand the difference from history to now and how even one famous black woman can help share their pride and mission all over. I never really listened to the messages behind Beyoncé’s Lemonade Album. My group did a project on that album for this class and after watching the music videos and lyrics, and then reading this article I can see how Beyoncé helps to empower other black women around the world, and how this album helps to represent her message of black empowerment and feminism. In history, white people have always gotten the attention and the advantages, no one really let the people of color share their opinions, especially those who were women. Even now black women have to speak up loudly to be heard and I think Lemonade is a great way of sharing those messages of empowerment and beauty for these black women who aren’t heard. I attached the link to the end of this post if you would like to read the article. -Kelly

Gaines, Zeffie1, zeffiegaines@gmail.co. “A Black Girl’s Song: Misogynoir, Love, and Beyoncé’s Lemonade.” Taboo: The Journal of Culture & Education, vol. 16, no. 2, Fall 2017, pp. 97–114. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=eue&AN=128644058&site=eds-live&scope=site.

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