Does Beyonce Think She Made A Statement About Feminism?

When it is reported all over the web that singer Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has written an essay on gender equality, hundreds—no, millions—of people sit up and take notice. Of course they would. It's Beyoncé. And, to me, this is a problem.

Make no mistake. As a divorced woman, university instructor, mother, and lover, I am very interested in the issue of gender equality—and yes, boys and girls, it is an issue. I have experienced things related to this issue many times throughout my life, and through my years of schooling and studying I have seen even more than what I had previously been aware of. While the idea of reading an essay by someone who is considered by most to be an influential woman is usually appealing to me, it has instead become something that has fired up my normal tendencies to get it right.

Beyoncé has long been looked upon as a role model, and in many ways, this is rightly so. She is a woman who has excelled at a career that has largely been dominated by men; she takes pride in her sexuality and also in her roles as a wife and mother. Considering both her gender and race, she would be labeled as a minority, but there is nothing minor about her successful career and influence over thousands of women.

News media is reporting that the highly acclaimed female singer “has us bowing down all over again” in regards to the gender equality essay that she has recently penned for The Shriver Report, a longer piece of work led by California’s former first lady, Maria Shriver (huffingtonpost.com). Fans are raving at the magnificent statement she seemed to have just made, as she revealed a real problem in women’s rights issues, and made a call for equality.

First of all, as a professional writer and teacher, let me point out that what Beyoncé has written is not an essay. An essay is actually a substantial piece of writing, with considered opinions or exposition, articulated at length by the writer. What Beyoncé has written is a three-paragraph opinion, quoting statistics without citation and causing an argument over her credibility, while throwing even more doubt over the very serious concern of gender inequality. It is more like a Wikipedia reading with a singer’s name attached to it.

The arguments I have read over the Internet and even heard in the office are ripping apart Beyoncé’s legitimacy because of her very vague numbers and general statements. I have heard arguments that gender equality largely does not exist—that, most especially in the workforce, (to which Beyoncé referenced specifically) it is exaggerated. I have heard the word “feminists” referred to with abject scorn and the argument that women want to stay at home—so that the pay discrepancy is mostly their fault.

The Argument Over Pay Equality

I find that the pay equality debate is a very complicated one, with many factors that must be considered on both sides—education, opportunity, familial responsibilities and probably dozens of other elements. The prejudice against women in some aspects of the workforce is very real (contrary to what self-righteous ex-boyfriends used to say) but it is impossible to give an exact number across the whole spectrum, as Beyoncé has done. But she did do it, and the words have been published as irrefutable proof, all supposed to be acceptable because she is a well-known celebrity.

I don't think that Beyoncé realized just how little she was actually saying. No doubt she is happy to lend her name and support to the cause, something I'm certain she very much believes in. Unfortunately, not only is it frustrating to have the very real gender equality dispute almost minimalized into three paragraphs of abstract words and numbers, it is even more upsettng to have so many throw the entire argument out of the window because of such vague information. As a woman who has experienced the real prejudice sometimes directed at females in professional and consumer situations, I am livid that the idea of gender equality is being labeled by criticizers as nothing more than something ridiculous and vengeful, thrown out by scorned women and raging vaginas.

In my own life, I once listened in disbelief as my fiancé was able to acquire the much-needed cooling elements for my home that I had been told just one hour before were impossible to get. When I recognized and related the discrepancy of treatment and rights between the sexes in a local church, I was told I was bitter and misunderstanding, and readily labeled a "bitch” when I disagreed.

This is not the world I want my daughters to grow up in. A world where strong women are characterized as rabid dogs, and outspoken ones considered “whiny.” None of these labels are indicative of my true character, nor do they represent most of the female population. To take this argument further, girls are very much influenced by women in pop culture, and often emulate them in hair styles, dress, and even words. Beyoncé being praised as a knowledgeable feminist and leader among women is something to keep in mind as young girls look up to her as the absolute authority on all things “cool.” While Beyoncé is no doubt a woman of power and a proponent of complete equality, her “essay” on such a subject falsifies the real issue and sends out a confused message to anyone not truly aware of the existent problem.

Statements definitely need to be made for gender equality, but this recent writing of Beyoncé’s just isn’t going to cut it. Current society is not fully ready for the strong women and men that we are raising our children to be. Beyoncé also has a daughter and she needs to recognize the powerful changes that have to be made for both her and my girls in this culture for them to be able to live to their fullest potential in the least controversial way possible. Beyoncé has the power to spread the word and initiate change far more than I do—she has a microphone that the world wants to listen to in her hands. I urge her to use this to her advantage and make the more definitive argument for gender inequality. Then the real discussion can begin.

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