Beyonce is a feminist & a humanist but I dont like or embrace any label

Ever since Elle Magazine teased the substance of Beyonce’s cover interview, I couldn’t wait to read the whole thing. I was prepared for the worst and hoping for the best, and I am actually not disappointed at all. While Beyonce has been on magazine covers somewhat consistently the past few years, this Elle piece is her first major magazine interview in… probably three years or so. While it’s not written as a traditional magazine piece, Bey still delivers some news and some notable quotes. I was mostly interested in what she had to say about the “controversy” over her “Formation” video and how she defines feminism for herself. Some additional highlights:

Deciding to embrace feminism: “I put the definition of feminist in my song and on my tour, not for propaganda or to proclaim to the world that I’m a feminist, but to give clarity to the true meaning. I’m not really sure people know or understand what a feminist is, but it’s very simple. It’s someone who believes in equal rights for men and women. I don’t understand the negative connotation of the word or why it should exclude the opposite sex. If you’re a man who believes your daughter should have the same opportunities and rights as your son, then you’re a feminist. We need men and women to understand the double standards that still exist in this world and we need to have a real conversation so we can begin to make changes. Ask anyone, man or woman, ‘Do you want your daughter to have 75 cents when she deserves $1?’ What do you think the answer should be? When we talk about equal rights, there are issues that face women disproportionately.”

She’s a humanist: “That’s why I wanted to work with [the philanthropic organisations] Chime for Change and Global Citizen. They understand how issues related to education, health, and sanitation around the world affect a woman’s entire existence and that of her children. They’re putting programmes in place to help those young girls who literally face death because they want to learn, and to prevent women from dying during childbirth because there’s no access to health care. Working to make those inequalities go away is being a feminist, but more importantly, it makes me a humanist. I don’t like or embrace any label. I don’t want calling myself a feminist to make it feel like that’s my one priority over racism or sexism or anything else. I’m just exhausted by labels and tired of being boxed in. If you believe in equal rights, the same way society allows a man to express his darkness, to express his pain, to express his sexuality, to express his opinion – I feel that women have the same rights.

Whether she can be feminine & a feminist: “We all know that’s not true. Choosing to be a feminist has nothing to do with your femininity – or, for that matter, your masculinity. We’re not all just one thing. Not everyone who believes in equal rights for men and women speaks the same, or dresses the same, or thinks the same. If a man can do it, a woman should be able to do it. It’s that simple. If your son can do it, your daughter should be able to. Some of the things that we teach our daughters – allowing them to express their emotions, their pain and vulnerability – we need to allow and support our men and boys to do as well.

The message behind “Formation”: “I mean, I’m an artist and I think the most powerful art is usually misunderstood. But anyone who perceives my message as anti-police is completely mistaken. I have so much admiration and respect for officers and the families of the officers who sacrifice themselves to keeps us safe. But let’s be clear: I am against police brutality and injustice. Those are two separate things. If celebrating my roots and culture during Black History Month made anyone uncomfortable, those feelings were there long before a video and long before me. I’m proud of what we created and I’m proud to be part of a conversation that is pushing things forward in a positive way.”

[From Elle via The Culture]

First, the “Formation” stuff… I absolutely agree with her and applaud her for sticking up for herself in the face of some really absurd criticism. You can support the police AND be an advocate for change in the way communities of color are being policed. You can be pro-police and still want to talk about police violence against civilians. You can be black and want to have a larger conversation about injustice without it turning into a Fox News hissy fit.

As for her conversation about feminism and humanism… I think taken in context, her comments make sense. This isn’t a repeat of the Meryl Streep debacle, where Meryl acted like she rejected the feminist label in favor of humanism. Beyonce is saying that yes, she’s a feminist and a humanist and she’s concerned about all of these issues at the same time.

Photos courtesy of Elle.

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