I know this is a day late and a dollar short. I also know it is roughly 80 pages long. I also know that this post is going to get me in a lot of trouble with the fans of Bey…..but let’s just get it out there…. I agree with Bill O’Reilly http://youtu.be/3kKZ2WBpEsM regarding Beyoncé's new music.
She does have a responsibility to our youth, especially our young girls.
I saw her as a role model of empowerment
and of substance, which is why I didn’t object to the girls listening to music
like “Single Ladies, Girls Run the World, Halo, and Love on Top”. The Beyoncé that sang at the President's inauguration, the Beyoncé full of life and class. I guess I am not used to seeing her as a sex
object. What is that the old folks say?
Give a person an inch….they will take a mile.
I have read so many reviews and heard so many talk show
hosts blasting Bill O’Reilly for correcting or questioning Beyoncé’s
behavior. Now Bill had no right in
questioning Russell Simmons but his inquiry was right on point. Bill, you will need to ask Beyoncé these
questions, not someone a) who is not her husband and b) someone who is not her
manager/publicist/mama/cousin/etc. What
struck me as hilarious in this whole interview is that Russell wouldn’t touch
the issue with a 10 foot pole. He kept
talking about mediation and Zen. (I had
to giggle.)
As I still hear conversations about how bad Bill O’Reilly
slammed Beyoncé, a grown woman, with a husband, and a child yet I also think
about the fact that Beyoncé is my daughter’s favorite performers. My daughter is a young girl of 16 with no
husband, and no children, that I know of.
In the past, although I was not a major fan, I respected her. Her growth musically; her aspirations; her
empowerment of girls. Now, I am
teetering on banning Beyoncé.
Wendy Williams (How u doin’?), who came to Beyoncé’s defense
http://youtu.be/V9UtjHmMyZ0 is totally
right in saying that Beyoncé should be allowed to express herself in any manner
that she chooses because she is grown, has a husband, and a child. Wendy is also correct in implying that it is
the parent’s responsibility to parent.
However, both ladies should realize that Beyoncé’s following is
comprised of a myriad of ages, genders, and ethnicities. Many of whom are impressionable young ladies
and that may act on the lyrics without the husband,
marriage, and the like. I was once a
young impressionable girl and yes, I made it through but with some scars and
issues to bear but my idols really helped me to make some bad choices in the
80s.
In my day (I sound like an OP (old person), Prince was the
villain with his provocative lyrics. We
however were banned from listening to him, at least at home. Prince had a large following of ages,
genders, and ethnicities but we had parents who shielded us from these things
or at least tried to do so. I still love
him and Prince is still a “Sexy….” You know the rest.
I am not mad at Beyoncé, for being who she is! Yay you! I just want her to realize that Blue
Ivy will one day have a role model or someone they look up to, which may be just as persuasive as she is and I
wonder will she morph into mommy mode when surfboarding is no big deal 15 years
from now? She will because she a woman
and a mom. She will protect her young! Don’t
be fooled. I know she will SHUT IT DOWN!
So back to my issue, during the Christmas holiday, my
daughter asked for the new Beyoncé CD.
She is a good kid, with good grades, and generally does the right thing. So we obliged her request and brought her the
CD. Yes, I did so without listening to
the music or knowing anything about its content. It had not been preview, review, listen to,
or scrutinized, just a blind purchase for a daughter we love…..wrong move mama
(where is that shield?). I thought it
would be more of the same girl empowerment music I had heard in the past.
On our way to Christmas dinner, we played it in the
car. And boy was my face red! (http://looky.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/young-miss-magazine-from-1971/)
I did not have one but both of my
daughters riding down the highway listening to some very suggestive music. We did not look at each other the entire
ride. When we arrived at our
destination, I said, “This will NOT be played on the way home” and “What was
that?” Neither girl objected nor have we
listened to it again. (It was
trashed). It is something we whisper
about in passing. “Like, I’ll make you
listen to Beyoncé”. And typically the
response is…..In the words of Jimmy Fallon “Ewwwwww”.
Let me admit, I didn’t have a clue as to what Beyoncé was
singing about. Until the oldest girl of
21 said, you can google the lyrics. Why
OH Why did I do that? Again my face was red.
So Beyoncé mission accomplished. You have created much
conversation, isolated some responsible parents of your followers, and yes, you
have been banned from our home. I was
really surprised when I heard “Bow Down”.
Sorry Bey, that act of submission will remain to be reserved for my Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ.
I just read that you joined Sheryl Sandberg, one of my
idols, in the campaign to ban bossiness when it comes to girls. Great PR move, since you just called us the
“B” word, while remaining “Flawless” to many.
Bill, I stand with you on this one. I cannot, will not expose nor condone my girls
listening to explicit music or watching sexual shows in my home. That is my choice as a parent and again, Wendy
is right I am choosing to parent. Beyoncé, your records
will continue to sell and concerts be sold out without my hard earned money but I won’t.
Bottom line, here is my plea…. “Beyoncé please sing
responsibly” my daughters are watching you.
Mi Vida
FaithWithHeels
