If you're following the election (which has now become almost inescapable thanks to social media--and memes), you have no doubt already heard the quotable speech Michelle Obama gave in response to Trump’s behavior towards women. Denouncing the GOP front runner’s conduct as “sexually predatory behavior”, Mrs. Obama said that “no woman deserves to be treated this way...None of us deserves this kind of abuse.” You might think that it would be difficult for people to disagree with the First Lady’s dissent of sexual assault. But shockingly--or perhaps not so surprisingly given the lengths of idiocy people have gone to defend Trump’s prejudice and bigotry--some have found strange and fallacious ways to attack the First Lady for her criticism of Trump by deflecting it onto Beyonce.
Attempting to portray the First Lady as a hypocrite, one trending meme which is now being used as key evidence by Trumpists, featured side by side photos quoting Mrs. Obama at the New Hampshire Campaign Rally and her appraisal of Beyonce as a great role model for her daughters. Citing Queen Bey’s sexually explicit lyrics, provocative costumes and performances, the meme’s creators and supporters have labeled Michelle Obama’s speech as cant. But what these rape apologists refuse to acknowledge is the difference between being sexy and being a sexual pervert.
Beyonce may sing about sex and twerk in bodysuits and fishnets on stage. But her ‘lewd’ talk and risque performances are no way comparable to bragging about sexual assault. Trump says that he can“Grab them [women] by the pussy...You can do anything.” Although some of Trump’s defenders such as Betsy McCaughey who tried to pass off Nicki Minaj lyrics as those of Beyonce have argued that his vulgar language is no different that rap lyrics--some going as far as to label his predatory behavior as a symptom of pop music--it's not the crassness of his speech that bothers people but the perverse weight of his words.
Blatantly admitting to touching and kissing women regardless of whether or not they consented, he says that “I’m automatically attracted to beautiful—I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.” While 'pussy grab' has been satirized as Trump's political tagline, that so-called bawdy word pussy does not trigger so much disgust as his disregard for consent. Beyonce doesn't even sing about pussy--not directly anyway. Contrary to what McCaughey believes, the pop musician's songs are more in line with an auditory erotica than the Trump tapes. "Baby, I know you can feel it pulse," she sings, "deep in my waterfall."
Like Beyonce, Trump could call women's genitals 'waterfalls' but that still wouldn't make what he said on those leaked tapes okay--because, as much as we like them, sexual euphemisms do not absolve sexual assault. So yes, Beyonce can sing about sex and grab herself 'by the pussy' on stage all she wants because her words and actions as an artist and performer have in no way condoned sexual assault. If anything, Queen Bey appears to be a sexually empowered woman--one who freely chronicles the emotions of sex in her songs. And if she isn't someone we shouldn't aspire to, I don't know who is.
