By now, pretty much everyone has heard "Lemonade," the sixth album Beyoncé has released. It tells a story of a woman who was suspicious of her husband cheating, had that suspicion confirmed and her journey from anger to forgiveness. It has inspiring, powerful lyrics that the listener can identify with. In my opinion, the main theme in this album (especially the visual album) is: respect. Beyoncé, at first, was docile and silent when she had her suspicions. Eventually, she became angry, then apathetic after she learned the truth. She was disrespected and valued herself enough to leave. In her song "Don't Hurt Yourself", she said, "And keep your money, I've got my own, Keep a bigger smile on my face, being alone." Beyoncé was not dependent on her husband in this part of her life because she was angry. The anger, an emotion we all experience, was caused when she realized how much she was worth. She did not need him for anything. Regardless of her marital status, she would be okay. Her life would continue to move forward. It was not her fault that he was being unfaithful. She had done nothing wrong or anything to deserve this treatment.
More lyrics from this song are, "When you hurt me, you hurt yourself; try not to hurt yourself. When you play me, you play yourself; don't play yourself. When you lie to me, you lie to yourself; you only lying to yourself. When you love me, you love yourself." As his wife, her role in his life was to benefit him. It should have been mutual, but unfortunately, it was not. In this song, Beyoncé shed light on how much of an asset she was. She was not just a pretty face, she was someone who was valuable and important. By losing her, he was damaging himself. He was "losing out on a good one." He was "playing himself", as DJ Khaled would say. He was not looking at her and recognizing the woman he married was not just an average person. She was "lit". After listening to this album, I decided to tell myself everyday, "Don't let anybody 'sleep on you.'" Don't dumb down your own intelligence, or lower your standards to be loved by anyone, especially not a man. If someone does not love you and all the flaws that come with you, then don't change yourself to please that person. If someone truly loves you, they will help you to better yourself. If they see that you are lacking in an area, instead of constantly putting you down in that area, they should be giving constructive criticism and directing you, with the help of prayer, on a better path.
Another song that caught my attention in this album was "Pray You Catch Me." Some distinct lyrics that spoke to me were, "Pray to catch you whispering, I pray you catch me listening...I pray you catch me." In the visual album, she jumped off a building at the end of this song. It looked like she was committing suicide. This symbolized how much it affected her when she thought he was cheating on her. She was searching for clues, signs, anything to learn what he was thinking and what was going on with him, since he was not communicating with her. Compared to the lyrics in "Don't Hurt Yourself," Beyoncé's view of her situation was very dark. Sorrow is obviously a factor in this song.
In light of emotional abuse in a romantic or platonic relationship, there is a lesson to learn from this album. This article applies to not only women, but men. It doesn't matter if it is friendship or a romantic relationship. The journey that Beyoncé took, instead of blaming herself, was one that was positive. Yes, she did get depressed. Being sad is okay, however, staying in that dark place for too long is not. Intuition, denial, anger, apathy, emptiness, accountability, reformation, forgiveness, resurrection, hope, and redemption are the emotional chapters this album contains. Inspiration to be this honest and open is what I took from it. I do not lie about how I am feeling. If I don't feel I am being treated the way I deserve, then I decide to leave. I do not want to feel like I am the Beyoncé from "Pray You Catch Me" for the rest of my life. It is appropriate to be angry and upset, but at the end of the day, whatever your reaction is to a certain situation affects you. If the other person did something to harm you, whether it be emotionally or physically, how you act afterward is what matters most. The power you give someone over your emotions is vital.
Although we should not be static, it is necessary to leave the situation for a time in order to establish the seriousness of the situation. If the person does not respect you, do not let them disrespect you repeatedly. Be stern. My favorite verse from "Sorry" is, "Now you want to say you're sorry. Now you want to call me crying. Now you gotta see me wilding. Now I'm the one that's lying. And I don't feel bad about it. It's exactly what you get. Stop interrupting my grinding. I ain't thinking 'bout you." Show the person who is not taking you seriously that you mean business. I am not advising you to go and cheat on them to get even or to wish them harm. That would not be the correct way to respond to the negativity. The best way to deal with that situation would be to cease contact with them and to go about your life like nothing happened. They will reap whatever they sow. Do not feel guilty for cutting them off, either. If they continuously offend you, or harm you in any way, and then manipulate you into staying because they "were just joking", then that is a sign of abuse. Love yourself and insist on being treated like the Queen or King you are. You are lit.
