Beyonce Knowles: Not the Standard Role Model.

by Staff October 3, 2015 13 Comments Ent. Music News Opinion Relationships Sista Talk Weekly Columns

Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry

(ThyBlackMan.com) In school we are asked what we want to be when we grow up. Once we have an idea we tend to look for role models to pattern ourselves after. Career role models are very helpful as they give us an idea of the basic steps that are necessary to achieve said goal. If a young girl decides she wants to be a mega pop star with excellent entertainment quality, and stage presence then Beyonce is a good career role model. She works hard; no one can take that away from her. However most young women won’t, and can’t, be pop stars. If this is the case Beyoncé Knowles may not be the best role model.

When looking for a role model to pattern our womanhood after we truly ought not look to popular entertainment culture. It’s very hard to determine where they stand about certain areas of womanhood because their profession might look contradictory to the natural eye. It is not bashing, judging, nor condemnation to be able to discuss the foundation we would like to establish for young black girls. It is not wrong to want our young sistas to value their mind, confidence and esteem from within…instead of their value being such a physical entity. I won’t say Beyonce is a bad person because I do not know her, and it is my opinion that she handles her degree of stardom rather gracefully. However, I would love to see more of our black girls look towards our First Lady Michelle Obama, or other strong educated women that dominate their fields…and exude a very confident position both gracefully and intellectually.

Young girls must understand skin does not equal class nor sexy, and it sends the wrong message. Some of our young girls can’t differentiate between Beyoncé on stage verse Beyoncé the wife and mother…because of this she ought not be the standard for a role model. Being strong and independent does not mean one must cast away feminine virtue, nor have a men aren’t necessary attitude. While many of our girls may be having an I AM WOMAN Beyonce moment…I often wondered did they forget the same woman is a wife and mother. While she was being “crowned” King B…did it send a message to our young girls that the Queen position was no longer powerful? I dig her music so it isn’t a diss; we should be able to raise conscious questions and have true discussion when it comes to the forces that influence our children.

The Queen position has always been the most powerful chess piece, and it always will be such. Our young girls need real life role models that will teach them how to be their most powerful and gracious queen. It’s not about having an attitude, but having a presence that commands the respect and loyalty of a space. I want to see black girls that are so powerful and confident within that they inspire, through their standard of living, young black boys to become their strongest King selves. Our young girls need to see the sistas that mother, encourage, spiritually empower and stand along strong black men to lead a community. Every woman is her own person, and she must will her grace according to the nature of who she is individually. Yet, even with that being said feminine class and decorum is needed regardless of our individuality.

Our young girls don’t get to see that in Beyonce…we mostly see performances and listen to her music. As much as I love Beyonce I hope the sista knows that Queen B will always be stronger than King B. We don’t have to wear masculine titles to embody power nor greatness. This isn’t about being self-righteous this is about wanting to see black girls be their best selves as they will, one day, be the mothers of our community. If you want to be a mega star Beyoncé is of those to study, but to build community…she ought not be the standard.

Staff Writer; Christian Starr

May connect with this sister over at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/christian.pierre.9809 and also Twitter; http://twitter.com/MrzZeta.

0 Shares

Flip

Q'non Wade says:
June 14, 2016 at 5:08 pm
she aint nothin but a jewish cracker.
Reply
Marque Anthony says:
October 6, 2015 at 6:43 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHnOKUTwinE
Reply
Marque Anthony says:
October 6, 2015 at 6:42 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moojoNsxtyc
Reply
Marque Anthony says:
October 6, 2015 at 6:40 pm
And to thee author of this article, what kind of bs is that to think a Queen can ever be above a King? You do not understand the hierarchy of monarchy and royalty – though both Jay-Z and Beyoncé are simply puppets who have sold their souls. Wake up.
Reply
Marque Anthony says:
October 6, 2015 at 6:39 pm
Beyoncé is possessed by a demon called Sasha. Do your homework and research. She freely admits that. She only blew up all the way she got with Jay-Z because they were put together to be the hip hop puppet king and queen for the Illuminati. SHE IS NO ROLE MODEL
Beyoncé degrades women by shaking her ass for money just like a stripper. And she is alluring because she is a SIREN. Do your research about them in mythology. If you look to her and trashy Nikki Minaj and Rihanna as examples, you have already become a zombie. I dare you to do the research. Start with their own statements on youtube.
Reply
carol4 says:
October 5, 2015 at 8:51 am
Beyonce is a Roll Model because She Made it to the TOP. BOTTOM LINE DON’T HATE THE PLAYER HATE THE GAME. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU MAY WANT TO DO JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN. BEYONCE DOESN’T NEED NOTHING FROM NO ONE. SHE HAD HERS BEFORE SHE MARRIED AND SO DID HER HUSBAND. THEY BOTH TOGETHER HAVE IT GOING ON. YOU PEOPLE WHO WANT TO PULL SOMEONE DOWN NEED TO STOP. JUST BE HAPPY FOR BEYONCE. SHE’S NOT BOTHERING ANYONE. AND AS FAR AS HER DRESSING THAT TOO IS APART IF THE ENTERTAINING.ALSO THEY HAVE DESIGNING AND SEAMSTRESS IN THEIR FAMILY. SHE FOR SURE HAS BOUGHT A LOT OUT TO THE ENTERTAINING WORLD. SHE US A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN. VERY RESPECTFUL AND POLITE. BEYONCE IS A GOOD WOMAN.SO PEOPLE LET IT GO. AND HER HUSBAND ADORES BEYONCE AND VERY HAPPY. WITH ALL OF THE BAD AND NEGATIVE THINGS IN OUR WORLD TODAY YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY TO SEE GOOD AND HAPPY FOR A CHANGE. LET IT GO
Reply
Ms Dill says:
October 5, 2015 at 4:01 am
Nishka Noble, your writing skills leave a lot to be desired. Your defense of Beyonce only further supports the need for better role models.
Reply
Cedes says:
October 4, 2015 at 5:29 pm
She’s more than a popstar, mother, and wife.
Reply
Sandra G. says:
October 4, 2015 at 4:15 pm
I think we need to be very careful of who we choose to say is a role model, especially for our young people. Hard work, dedication, patience, perseverance, study and education are all important to help aid in a successful career. But are these the only thing that classifies a person as a role model? What about the person’s moral and ethical beliefs? Does performing partially nude and exposing yourself and other’s onstage while performing a trait we want little girls to follow? What about causing men/women to lust after you, singing songs about your body, cursing and using vulgar language in songs, glamorizing sex, admitting to some sort of possession before and during performance, drug use, partying and sexual immorality? I don’t think any of those things should be spoken of about anyone being a role model to young people. In fact, I think they are more harmful to impressionable young people than they are any good. I think we would “re-think” what it truly means to be a role model. Just saying.
Reply
Sandrella J says:
October 4, 2015 at 3:31 pm
Ah…the plight of the woman to be everything and still be awesome. Thank you for recognizing that there are other role models besides Beyonce AND many of those who are in pop culture today. Every awesome woman has her awesome place in making our society what it is today. I do wish that the “flashing light” would turn off every once in a while so that all may get a chance to be seen.
Reply
Justice Batiste says:
October 4, 2015 at 1:56 pm
I believe I understand what the writer is conveying. She did not bash Beyoncé, on the contrary she complimented the woman and acknowledged her grace and hard work. We are currently dealing with a lot of societal ills and one thing we as a people have to focus on is the confidence and Upliftment of our children. From reading the article it seems that the writer is stating that maybe Beyoncé is not a standard role model for young girls as we are not able to really to see her life. Wanting to see strong black girls that are confident in self and aspire to many different goals is not a bad thing. Conveying to our young ladies that it is okay to embrace a positive feminine identity is not subjugating. I agree with the writer that we don’t have to be King to be powerful. There is strength and power in our Queendom. I am a huge Beyoncé fan, and even I understand what is being conveyed here. Furthermore, the writer never said that we aren’t powerful if we aren’t wives and mothers…we just don’t get to see how that is lived out with many mega stars. If we can’t see it its hard to use them as a standard model for community because we can’t reconcile their life from their work ( art can be very subjective and even harmful in the mind youth if they don’t understand the difference between everyday reality and what they are seeing in a performance).
Looks like this was about the difference between career role models, and a standard for our community…for our children. Yes we are individuals and as women our individuality is beautiful. However, we don’t want to see our young women put themselves in a box by which they value their bodies over all else. Again this is about or youth. How is our community to grow and elevate if we can’t have real talk discussions without feeling attacked or defensive all the time. I dig the piece, and as a mentor of young black girls that are teenagers I can see what the writer is trying to say.
Reply
Nishka Noble says:
October 4, 2015 at 1:04 pm
Beyonce is a great woman. Alot of you guys and if u were suppose to put yourselfs inside her shoe could not manage. She’s an entertainer a mother a wife and one of the best female artist. You people must have an open mind n let down your gaurd. If all females were to be like michelle Obama can u image how boring the female world would be. Just stop this already
Reply
Nfa says:
October 4, 2015 at 4:05 am
Women can be anything they want. Stop trying to define us or put us in a box. Let those who want to entertainers be and those who want to be scientist be. Their choice what they aspire to. Are you saying if I am not a mother or wife or choose to be neither of those two I am not aspiring to be powerful. Just stop this. Why does society always feel the need to preach and do this to women? Please do not attempt to boundaries around what women should wear , listen to or even express themselves. Feminine class???? Ridiculous who defines this? Someone? Same ideoligy that forced women to wear bone crashing corsets to fit into acceptable feminine norms defined by society in the past. It’s been done throughout the dark ages this need to just define women. Same thinking that societies use to implement forced marriages. Its 2015 let it go and It’s offensive. We are not mindless. And have a write to define for ourselves what is our standard.
Reply