From singing as a child in Houston, to becoming one of the most successful pop and R&B stars in the world, Beyoncé’s evolution is nothing short of incredible. As Beyoncé matured over the years, her music matured with her. Looking closely at her albums (especially “Beyoncé”), one clear message cuts through each and every song — feminism. While it’s no secret that Beyoncé considers herself a feminist (who could forget her 2014 VMA’s performance?), her music brings across a new feminist ideal that isn’t often expressed — the celebration of a woman’s sexuality. Beyoncé’s new age of feminism encourages typical feminist ideals while teaching women to feel free to express their sexuality without shame or guilt. Here are six songs that incorporate the feminist ideas that everyone should begin embracing:
1. ***Flawless
“***Flawless” is the eleventh track on Beyoncé’s studio album, “Beyoncé.” While the entire song is about feeling good in your own skin, one important statement is made toward the middle of the track. In a verse that was taken from a TED Talk done on feminism by novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Adichie calls out society’s teachings. She states, “We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are.”
Well, why can’t we be?
2. Video Phone
The twelfth track on Beyoncé’s studio album entitled, “I am… Sasha Fierce,” features Beyoncé’s alter ego. Beyoncé takes control of her own sexuality by singing lyrics such as, “So press record, I’ll let you film me. On your video phone. Tape me on your video phone. Watch me on your video phone. If you want me, you can watch me on your video phone.”
3. Blow
The fourth track on the album, “Beyoncé,” speaks to the fact that sexual pleasure should be a two-way street. The lyrics, rather than being focused on the man’s pleasure, instead infer to sexual acts that tend to focus on the woman’s pleasure. One example is when Beyoncé sings the lyric, “Can you eat my skittles, it’s the sweetest in the middle. Pink is the flavor, solve the riddle.”
4. Naughty Girl
In the second track on Beyoncé’s album, “Dangerously in Love,” Beyoncé sings about wanting to take a guy home (notably, not the other way around) and proves she isn’t afraid to express her desires or take control of the encounter. She sings, “I’m feeling sexy. I wanna hear you say my name, boy. If you reach me, you can feel my burning flame. Feeling kinda nasty. I just might take you home with me.”
5. Drunk in Love
The third track off of “Beyoncé” happened to be one of the biggest hits. The song was created with her husband, Jay Z. The entire track has countless examples that speak to the fact that she is not ashamed of feeling sexy with her partner as she is proud to express the love she has for him in an intimate and personal way.
6. Partition
The sixth track on “Beyoncé,” encourages equality of the sexes in all aspects of life, including private life. This means women should not feel belittled nor ashamed to pleasure their man. At the end of the song, there is a short verse sung in French by a young woman. In English it translates to, “Do you like sex? Sex, I mean the physical activity, coitus, do you like it? You’re not interested in sex? Men think that feminists hate sex, but it’s a very stimulating and natural activity that women love.” This is a key point Beyoncé is trying to make in many of her songs.
Women should not shy away from nor be ashamed of their sexuality. Embrace it, collegiettes!