Monday, February 4, 2013

Who Run the Superbowl... Beyonce'

I'd like to think that I'm a strong independent female.  Often times, the media doesn't portray women to fit this image and that woman are merely sex symbols.  Last night during the Superbowl, Beyonce' took the stage for the halftime show and got me thinking...

Beyonce' is beautiful and talented.  Often times, the lyrics to her songs are very empowering to young woman, celebrating single-hood or talking about how girls run the world.  And although I loved every second of seeing an all female band and all female dancers backing one of the most successful female artists of all time, I couldn't help but wonder... is this empowering or degrading?  Yes, I partially would love to own and rock an outfit similar to that of Beyonce' up on that stage... a girl can dream, right?  But that outfit is exactly buying into what the media believes to be beautiful - leather, lace, and lots of skin.  Was I impressed in her ability to rock it out on that stage in heels? You bet.  I actually would love to learn all the choreography from her show.  It was dynamic and energetic. 

I guess what I'm trying to get at is although yesterday's Superbowl extravaganza - or as some called it, the Beyonce' Bowl - brought back moments of nostalgia of listening to Destiny's Child on repeat in my childhood home, I couldn't help but also think of how thin and perfect Beyonce' looked. Reflecting on it today, I couldn't help but think of the parallels of Beyonce's performance to that of a beauty pageant.  Contests like Miss America or Miss USA offer scholarship opportunities for young women and serve as a tool to empower them to reach their career goals.  Yet, in order to win the crown, these young woman walk across a stage with flawless makeup in a swimsuit or a ballgown, hoping it will bring about victor.  I do support the idea of empowering young woman and am actively engaging in my community this summer with the Junior Miss participants to lead them in some team building exercises.  What I find so empowering about Junior Miss is that the young ladies I will work with will be competing in a pageant, but the foundation of the experience will be rooted in leadership.  And that's maybe why at the core, I find the performance from last night's Superbowl to be noteworthy - behind all that leather and lace are some powerful lyrics that teach young woman that it's OK to be independent. 

On the flip side, I can't help but bring to light the bigger issues that come to mind about gendering and being a strong woman.  You can't just be a successful woman, you also have to be sexy while doing it (or so the media tells us). In order for young woman to obtain the American dream, they have to have brains and beauty... Just some food for thought.