6 times Beyoncé has taught us something about ourselves and society

Queen B just launched her seventh studio album, and, as the American singer has been getting us used to in recent years, it looks like another revolution is coming. Not only musical but also social, as Beyoncé is also the queen of the right phrase, at the right time, to make an impact far beyond golds, platinum records, and millions of streams.

Since her solo debut, the former member of the girl’s band Destiny’s Child has been using her music to shake social and political structures, not only in the United States but all over the world.

While exploring the long-awaited Renaissance, it is worth reviewing some of the lessons Beyoncé has transmitted through her music so far:

If I Were a Boy (2008)

Let’s start with “If I Were a Boy”, a song produced for Beyoncé’s third studio album, “I Am Sasha Fierce”, released in 2008. Apparently a ballad about heartbreak, the song is, however, a commentary on society’s standards when it comes to men and women. Through role reversal, it attempts to question the differences in attitudes of men towards women and how these attitudes are viewed in different ways by society. Among many other things, the interesting thing about the song is that Beyoncé manages to touch on topics that are very pertinent to many women in a way that is a wake-up call to many men. In a critical way without being pushy, in a frustrated spirit, but still with the patience to explain to a man how he should treat his girlfriend.

Haunted/Ghost (2014)

Technically two parts of the same song, “Haunted” and “Ghost”, can be heard on the singer’s fifth album, “Beyoncé”, released in 2013. In both songs, Beyoncé sings about how her past and image still haunt her and how the music industry tries to dictate the rules of her life and career. Through these songs, the singer tries to convey a message that we all tend to let others tell us what we should or should not do, instead of choosing our own happiness. Here, the message is clearly one of empowerment, which is also present in the video produced for the songs, where Beyoncé portrays, in a very creative way, the (sub)conscious fears of society: from black male sexuality as a threat to the purity of white women, to female sexual freedom and also to forms of love and sex that escape heteronormative ideas.

Pretty Hurts (2014)

This is one of those songs that was written by Beyoncé herself. No wonder it is also part of the fifth album. Produced by the Australian singer Sia, “Pretty Hurts” is a pop and soul ballad that tries (and succeeds perfectly) to criticize society’s high standards of beauty and demonstrate their consequences. In fact, the song does not need very elaborate explanations. Phrases like “Perfection is a disease of a nation” and “It’s the soul that needs surgery” clearly show the message the singer is trying to convey: the importance of self-love and the dangers of the incessant search for perfection.

Flawless (2014)

This is an expression that goes beyond Beyoncé herself but which the singer helped propagate as a weapon against sexism. Also part of her fifth album, “Flawless” is probably one of the most controversial songs. This dark yet funky hip-hop song incorporates an excerpt from Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s speech to criticize society’s prejudices and demands on women and inspire them, in an almost arrogant way, to be proud of themselves and their femininity. But the singer doesn’t stop at the importance of physical appearance, but clearly criticizes the way women are still seen as inferior human beings outside the union with a man. Through phrases like “I took some time to live my life. But don’t think I’m just his little wife”, Beyoncé appeals to the importance of women maintaining their identity and their own aspirations in life, even if they dedicate themselves to their family.

Formation (2016)

This song needs no introduction. “Formation” was the first single from the artist’s sixth studio album, entitled “Lemonade”. It is an R&B with trap and bounce influences, where the singer celebrates her culture, roots, and success as a black woman. It is, once again, a successful attempt to question prejudices, but this time the singer accepts them as characteristics she is proud of. Even though Beyoncé has been including female empowerment in her songs since very early on, in “Formation”, the singer expresses her power over her cultural identity without giving importance to social criticism or stereotypes.

I would say that to understand the totality of messages in this song it is necessary to detach ourselves from our everyday reality, in many cases privileged. “Formation” is almost an anthem to all members of the black, and also queer, culture who usually bear the brunt of world politics, while encouraging activism and the fight for basic human rights such as equality.

Daddy Lessons (2016)

Included on Lemonade, “Daddy Lessons” is probably the one we all least expected to find in Beyoncé’s repertoire. Why? Because it is a country song with jazz overtones. Even though Beyoncé grew up in Texas (where country music reigns), this is not at all a style of music that the singer has been used to. However, this is undoubtedly the best style she could have found to convey the central message of the song: a self-reflection on the lack of trust in the world and in others that is passed on from generation to generation. In the song, written in collaboration with the American Wynter Gordon, and that has even had a remix with the country band Dixie Chicks, Beyoncé also dives in a subtle way into the almost abusive relationship of parents towards their daughters and the rush felt in various situations to be the perfect woman (and wife) and doubt the intentions of any man. Yet it is also a song about “going to war, about fighting evil, about shooting before you get shot,” as journalist Spenser Kornhaber described it. In “Daddy Lessons,” Beyoncé conveys how her father’s teachings, despite though, made her the strong and successful woman she is today, ready to stand up for her rights.

But the teachings that Beyoncé transmits to us through her music certainly don’t stop there. Just think of masterpieces like “Black Parade” or “The Lion King: The Gift”, which are undoubtedly tributes to black culture and artwork against racism. Exploring Beyoncé’s purposefully non-subliminal messages can be an exercise in reflecting on the world and ourselves.

Excited to see what the new Renaissance will bring us. But judging by the success of the first single “Break My Soul”, a house hit about happiness and self-love, it’s safe to say that Beyoncé is coming to “run the world” (again).