24-7 news and social networking sites are buzzing around the Carter family. Whether it’s an article on how fabulous Bey looked at an event or how strong they are as a couple, they are always hogging air-time and the limelight. Isn’t it about time some other artists gained recognition instead of this pair? Despite constant publicity, Bey and Jay-Z have managed to keep their relationship relatively low key but that doesn’t mean that they don’t like to be seen as a couple. They have featured on eachother’s albums, appeared on tours together and paired up to make an obscene amount of money.
Queen Bey’s solo career rocketed in 2004 after she successfully launched ‘Dangerously in Love’. Having starred in the trio ‘Destiny’s Child’, Beyoncé was used to attention and the paparazzi. Arguably the best singer in the group, Bey was always photographed in the middle and sung the best parts of a song. While Bey was flaunting her stuff, Michelle seemed to fade into the background. Bey and Kelly seemed to dominate the group, often leaving poor Michelle behind in humiliation.
Bey has been hailed a feminist by her fans. Her liberating ‘Single Ladies’ track gets the majority of girls bopping their booties to the beat thinking ‘I don’t need no man! I’m an independent woman! I do what I want.’ But while the young girls are feeling free and proud to be single, Bey is snuggling up to her man in her idyllic home. Rather contradicting, Bey sings about how self-reliant and unconstrained she is, then she names her tour the ‘Mrs. Carter tour’. This implies a sense of belonging and happiness but isn’t it slightly boastful?
The tour alone was set to make $116 million and the couple apparently have a price on their heads for one billion dollars. Fame and fortune aside, what has Beyoncé done to deserve the title of ‘Queen’ that she so righteously crowned herself with?
Below, Beyoncé is strutting her stuff at the Superbowl. But her pretty appearance has an ugly truth. She has been spotted performing in a one of a kind snakeskin outfit. Her bespoke costume, made from Cobra, was seized by European customs but was released in time for the Lisbon show. Is this sort of cruelty worth it to show off her quite literally, killer curves? Deemed a role model and idol to millions of young girls, isn’t it wrong of her to be inflicting suffering and pain all in the name of her vanity?
You think that Bey would have learnt her lesson. Here are the infamous anaconda, cow, crocodile, ostrich and stingray white wedges that Beyoncé had made for her. Called ‘The King-Bey’, the white wedged trainers have gold accents. Jay-Z has also had a similar shoe designed for him last year made of boa, crocodile, ostrich, python and stingray. It seems that the couple have more in common than their musical careers; they both disregard compassion and sympathy when appearance is concerned.
Beyoncé recently released a song titled ‘Flawless’ featuring Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Bey is so frequently seen as someone to look up to and take influence from. Yet, the lyrics of this song read ‘I know when you were little girls you dreamt of being in my world. Don’t forget it…Bow down b**ches’. This rather insensitively seems to be refering to her huge fan base and mocks them. It is followed by Beyoncé proudly hollering ‘I woke up like this, we flawless’. This is, in a backwards kind of way, supposed to boost a female’s ego and encourage her to recognise herself as beautiful. However, I see it as Beyoncé arrogantly stabbing at flaws. She should, more suitably sing ‘I woke up like this, eye bags, frizzy hair, natural…etc’. Perhaps she is inadvertently confusing feminism with self-importance and egotism.
President Obama rather foolishly picked Beyoncé to sing ‘At Last’ for his first dance, consequently dissing Etta James. Comedienne Roseanne Barr commented on this unforgivable decision and labelled Bey and Jay-Z’s arrogance as ‘disgusting.’ The twitter feud soon escalated, as they always seem to, and turned into a ferocious argument between Barr and Bey’s fans. Barr later tweeted ‘can u believe that beyonce’s rabid fans are attacking poor dead etta james on the day she died? sick b**ches’. Barr’s disappointment and pure rage shone through as she stood up for what she believed in. Beyoncé’s army proved to be aggressive and unnecessarily disrespectful.
Owner of 8 albums, several perfumes, a clothing line and many other Beyoncé branded items on the money-making market, is there anything that Beyoncé hasn’t tried to boost her bank balance? When is it time to stop, or is she addicted to the greed? Don’t get me wrong, she is talented and knows how to ‘own the stage’. She rather admirably puts her all into her work and appears extremely dedicated to delivering to her fans. She has her work cut out but I wouldn’t complain if she courageously took the decision to quit show-business and look after her daughter. The quote ‘too much of a good thing’ definitely applies. Admittedly, I wouldn’t be begging for her to come back.