Beyonce, Chris Martin of Coldplay and Bruno Mars perform at the Super Bowl 50 for the halftime show. At the game, Beyonce publicly performed Formation for the first time. Photo Fair Use by Beyonce and Parkwood Entertainment.
By JURNEE LOUDER -News Editor
News Editor Jurnee Louder discusses why she has gotten “in formation” along with Beyonce and many other young girls.
The topic of Beyonce’s songs has been discussed several times in the past month in countless articles. Trust me–I’ve read almost every one of them. But, I don’t think a piece from a young and feminist black girl has been written, at least to my knowledge.
What people fail to realize is that this perspective, might very well be the most important, since I’m a part of a fairly young generation.
Beyonce is a hot topic, especially with conservative politicians. Is she a feminist or is she not? Is she actually proud to be black? How does her sexual image influence the minds of young girls?
This was no different when her newest song and music video, Formation, came out on Tidal.
I, along with the other five people who subscribe to Tidal, were able to get first dibs on dissecting the magical video, and I definitely did that, maybe a few hundred times.
The video opens with a scene of Beyonce, dressed impeccably, standing on a submerged cop car with “New Orleans Police” plastered across the side. For anyone, familiar with Hurricane Katrina and its impact on people, especially black people, this was already a stand out moment from the video.
There are also scenes of the south, her and her black female dancers in southern belle attire, a young black child dancing in front of cops and the New Orleans cop car sinking.
This is already a lot to digest, without even taken into account how empowering her lyrics are for black people.
In one line, she sings, “I like my baby hair with baby hair and afros. I like my negro nose with Jackson 5 nostrils.”
Upon hearing this line, I had to clutch my pearls, but in a good way. I hadn’t heard this acceptance of blackness from many mainstream artists in all of my 16 years.
I could honestly go on and on discussing the imagery and the importance of her lyrics, but the main takeaway is that this song is “unapologetically black.” Some people think this is a weird phrase, but in all honestly, it fits this situation perfectly.
Being “unapologetically black” means embracing all of the things that are a part of “black culture.” Black culture, especially being a black person from the south, means many things, but in this song, it especially refers to listening to trap music, liking cornbread and collard greens and buying Air Jordans.
Being “unapologetically black” means liking everything about you that makes you you without fear of being perceived as ghetto to others.
The song is just about having fun and loving who you are.
So, how has Formation affected me? It’s opened up some really important discussions amongst me and my friends. A lot of us have watched the video over and over, noticing something else we liked about it that we hadn’t noticed before.
But most importantly, this song is an anthem for me and my southern black sisters. Sure, other people can sing along, but I doubt that it’ll mean the same thing. For me, this song is representation. I finally see someone in the media who talks like me, eats like me and loves their blackness, like me.
For those who found the song and video offensive, then it probably just wasn’t for you.
Now, excuse me, while I continue listening to Formation and being unapologetically black.
