Beyoncé's latest music video "Formation" and her follow up Super Bowl performance have caused a lot of controversy for a select few people who believe her pro-black anthem is an anti-cop song meant to incite violence towards police. This couldn't be further from the truth. "Formation" is an anthem to Beyoncé's black Southern roots. She embraces the beauty of her daughter's natural hair, hot sauce in her bag and her husband's "Jackson Five nostrils." The video itself is set in New Orleans and features shots of Beyoncé in a cop car sinking into Hurricane Katrina's leftover waters, Mardi Gras and shout-outs to Black Lives Matter and the South. She simultaneously tells her haters to f***k off, while building up other black women like herself. This isn't for her white audiences, though we can still enjoy it, and that is where some anger erupts for the #boycottBeyonce movement.
What some people fail to understand is that by showing her support for Black Lives Matter (and also dropping her video on what should have been Trayvon Martin's 21st birthday) doesn't mean she's anti-cop or anti-white. If you think that supporting a movement that is fighting against cops unjustly killing innocent black lives is wrong then honestly stop reading now and accept that you're part of the problem. Writing off the Black Lives Matter movement as some "thugs" attacking cops is inherently racist and inaccurate. Instead of worrying about how Beyoncé chooses to use her platform to bring these issues to light, consider reading up on the systematic racism this country is built on.
Another issue these boycott Beyoncé supporters had was with her Super Bowl performance. She was decked out in a Michael Jackson-inspired military jacket while her backup dancers dressed in costumes to look like Black Panther Party activists. Her dancers were all women of color, celebrating the Black Panther Party's 50th anniversary, and dancing to a song embracing blackness in the middle of Black History Month. Perfectly harmless in my opinion, but people were quick to attack Beyoncé for her "racist" performance.
Former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani believed she used her platform to promote police violence, Milwaukee County sheriff David Clarke called the Black Panthers a "subversive hate group" and Rush Limbaugh declared that the Super Bowl performance was indicative of "the cultural and political decay of our country."
Beyond critics of her political stance on such a public platform, body-shamers attacked Beyoncé's body by calling her "fat" on Twitter. Further trying to tear her down by shaming her body and crediting her near fall to her "fat ass." A lot of things are problematic about this, namely the fact that no one has the right to criticize anyone's body like that. Calling someone "fat" shouldn't be considered an insult, but because of how negatively charged the word is in our society, it's a way people tear down others in and out of the spotlight. And really, does it f***king matter? She's one of the most passionate and talented performers in the industry. Her thick thighs that people are so distraught by help her do dance moves most people couldn't even dream of attempting.
So yeah, shame and boycott her for her body, her child's hair, her husband's nose, her political beliefs, her race, her clothing choices or what she ate for breakfast this morning. Her world tour is still going to make millions, she's still going to perform on high-profile stages and she's still gonna rock her Givenchy dress.
