Beyoncé’s sixth album Lemonade (the name derived from “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”) from what I’ve seen and heard of it is a visually stunning spectacle.
It is Beyoncé at her most raw and open, where she tackles injustices around black womanhood, infidelity and female independence with such force that even though it makes society uncomfortable to listen, they have to sit up and take notice.
This is something that I applaud and I am all for her being a fierce woman who refuses to be silenced or shut down.
What I fail to understand and this is the real reason for my blog post is the fact that all the thinkpieces, reviews and other commentary I’ve read seem to think it's OK to use the brilliance of Lemonade as a justification for undermining the success of other women. That is an injustice in itself and needs to be stopped.
The work of artists like Taylor Swift with 1989 and Adele with 25 will of course not have the same literal cultural impact as Lemonade.
But for Adele and Taylor, their art is different. Their art focuses on womanhood in a different way but that doesn't make them any better or worse than Beyoncé. I
t just makes them different.In fact, both of those women and for that matter every woman who refuses to be bound by the shackles of oppression every girl and woman faces from birth is damn successful.
Indeed every woman who is forcibly bound by those shackles of oppression is successful too for they are doing their very best to live and breathe in the worst of situations and conditions.
Conditions where they feel and are being treated like they are a waste of space. Well, here's a public service announcement for you:
No matter what anyone tells you, you are not worthless or a waste of space. Every single girl and woman who gets out of bed in the morning and breathes is successful. Every girl who goes to school and those who are fighting for their right to or doing their absolute to make the most of what they have is worth it.
