By now, I'm sure pretty much everyone has heard at least some of Beyoncé's new album, "Lemonade." She dropped it last week, and since then it's been breaking records. The main theme appears to be about marital infidelity, such as in "Don't Hurt Yourself," when Bey says, "If you try that s**t again, you're gonna lose your wife," and subsequently throws her wedding ring. However, there's definitely much, much more to the album.
Sure, the songs are pretty catchy and fun to sing and seem very empowering for women everywhere in terms of treasuring ourselves and not taking anything from unfaithful men. But truly, "Lemonade" isn't for all women. It's for black women. And that is completely fine and necessary.
The black female empowerment message is much easier to see in the "Lemonade" film. All of the videos are starring black women, such as Serena Williams, Zendaya Coleman, Amandla Stenberg, Winnie Harlow, Sybrina Fulton, and Lesley McSpadden. All of these women have experienced what it is to be "the most disrespected [women] in America" (A break in the video for "Don't Hurt Yourself" with this excerpt from Malcolm X). The film is riddled with traditional dress and hairstyles, as well as shots from the South, where Bey was born.
All of this culminates in an album that is 100 percent for black women. It was not made for white women, or anyone else. This album was made for and by black women. Before everyone starts pouting, hear out why this is important. The media is so whitewashed, we rarely see black women in more than caricatures. Beyoncé decided to show the world what a black woman is: a woman. She showed the intricacies, feelings, and humanity of black women because no other media outlet would. She recruited Serena Williams, who has been ridiculed for her body type, to dance seductively throughout the video for "Sorry" and she looks stunning.
In the video for "Forward," a solemn James Blake sings while a series of black women are shown, holding pictures of black men that are no longer with them. Among those featured are Sybrina Fulton and Lesley McSpadden, the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown.
So, yes, while the album is musically catchy and fun, its undertones are much more serious and important. It touches on the oppression of black women, of black culture, and the murders of black men. So to all my fellow white people: you can, of course, enjoy "Lemonade," but do not think it's for you. You can appreciate the album without trying to identify with it. "Lemonade" is for black women, not you.
