Beyoncé speaks directly to one woman's experiences with love
Beyoncé's Lemonade is a concept album about infidelity, betrayal, love, and how all those experiences are different for black women.
Spoken word artist Paulina O'Kieffe watched the film that accompanied the album five times the night it was released and for — the most part — she found its messages uphold what she knows, as a black woman, about love.
"We are always too 'something', too subservient, too loud, too whatever," she says, "Loving us never works out because of us. Therefore, it's easy to throw whatever standard of love at us and we are supposed to accept that because at the end of the day we're here to have sex with you or raise your children or populate the black family or hold up the world."
The message of "Sorry" was something O'Kieffe says she never followed through with in her own relationships. She calls it an "eye opener" that not being sorry or making the extra effort to make it work when you're a black couple is an acceptable option.
"Beyoncé's Lemonade is a concept album about infidelity, betrayal, love, and how all those experiences are different for black women."
Why can't it just be women? Any woman [or even man perhaps] could relate to 95% of the album due to its subject matter alone.
All lives matters teas. Black women have unique struggles and Bey wanted to specifically bring that to light.
That's part of why stuff like this is important -- minorities are forced to live an existence where white is the default and most of the time we have to make our own things like books, films, magazines, tv channels etc. to see ourselves reflected in the things that we consume, that we are taught and have some semblance of feeling like we belong somewhere. And it's so sad and frustrating that when we do this, it's seen as unfair or alienating because so many white people can't conceive of -- even for the shortest time -- being the outsiders without considering the fact that THAT is what the norm is for a minority.
Why can't someone that isn't black enjoy an artpiece discussing the black experience and learn from it and accept that? If they can't relate to every single aspect, why can't they just hear it and appreciate what black women are bringing to the table?
All lives matters teas. Black women have unique struggles and Bey wanted to specifically bring that to light.
That's part of why stuff like this is important -- minorities are forced to live an existence where white is the default and most of the time we have to make our own things like books, films, magazines, tv channels etc. to see ourselves reflected in the things that we consume, that we are taught and have some semblance of feeling like we belong somewhere. And it's so sad and frustrating that when we do this, it's seen as unfair or alienating because so many white people can't conceive of -- even for the shortest time -- being the outsiders without considering the fact that THAT is what the norm is for a minority.
Why can't someone that isn't black enjoy an artpiece discussing the black experience and learn from it and accept that? If they can't relate to every single aspect, why can't they just hear it and appreciate what black women are bringing to the table?
All lives matters teas. Black women have unique struggles and Bey wanted to specifically bring that to light.
That's part of why stuff like this is important -- minorities are forced to live an existence where white is the default and most of the time we have to make our own things like books, films, magazines, tv channels etc. to see ourselves reflected in the things that we consume, that we are taught and have some semblance of feeling like we belong somewhere. And it's so sad and frustrating that when we do this, it's seen as unfair or alienating because so many white people can't conceive of -- even for the shortest time -- being the outsiders without considering the fact that THAT is what the norm is for a minority.
Why can't someone that isn't black enjoy an artpiece discussing the black experience and learn from it and accept that? If they can't relate to every single aspect, why can't they just hear it and appreciate what black women are bringing to the table?
All lives matters teas. Black women have unique struggles and Bey wanted to specifically bring that to light.
That's part of why stuff like this is important -- minorities are forced to live an existence where white is the default and most of the time we have to make our own things like books, films, magazines, tv channels etc. to see ourselves reflected in the things that we consume, that we are taught and have some semblance of feeling like we belong somewhere. And it's so sad and frustrating that when we do this, it's seen as unfair or alienating because so many white people can't conceive of -- even for the shortest time -- being the outsiders without considering the fact that THAT is what the norm is for a minority.
Why can't someone that isn't black enjoy an artpiece discussing the black experience and learn from it and accept that? If they can't relate to every single aspect, why can't they just hear it and appreciate what black women are bringing to the table?
I wasn't asking about it to offend anybody or anything. I like your perspective on it and that's what I was asking for. I can relate to the music she made even though I'm white... and didn't really think every song on the album was explicitly for black females [because it's not explicitly for anybody, it's for anybody to interpret any way they want], that's all. the themes that are on the album is something anybody can relate to.
I read someone else say Solange's album was more of a black female album
All lives matters teas. Black women have unique struggles and Bey wanted to specifically bring that to light.
That's part of why stuff like this is important -- minorities are forced to live an existence where white is the default and most of the time we have to make our own things like books, films, magazines, tv channels etc. to see ourselves reflected in the things that we consume, that we are taught and have some semblance of feeling like we belong somewhere. And it's so sad and frustrating that when we do this, it's seen as unfair or alienating because so many white people can't conceive of -- even for the shortest time -- being the outsiders without considering the fact that THAT is what the norm is for a minority.
Why can't someone that isn't black enjoy an artpiece discussing the black experience and learn from it and accept that? If they can't relate to every single aspect, why can't they just hear it and appreciate what black women are bringing to the table?
I agree. A black woman faces struggles different from a white woman. But if white is the default, you have to embrace who you are that makes you different. I actually do enjoy Beyonce's music but sometimes I find it hard to take her message of black lives matter seriously when she is dying her hair blonde and relaxing it and singing lyrics about being "mixed". It's sad when there are tumblrs dedicated to "light skin" boys and girls. Which is why I'm happy she wore braids on the cover of Lemonade. I just get the feeling the black community doesn't "relate" to Beyonce but rather see her as a prize or shining model of the "best" type of black. Though I realize it's not her fault she was propelled to stardom and become the spokesperson for the black community, which I'm sure had a bit to do with her lighter complexion. I just have a hard time hearing from Beyonce has it rough
I wasn't asking about it to offend anybody or anything. I like your perspective on it and that's what I was asking for. I can relate to the music she made even though I'm white... and didn't really think every song on the album was explicitly for black females [because it's not explicitly for anybody, it's for anybody to interpret any way they want], that's all. the themes that are on the album is something anybody can relate to.
I read someone else say Solange's album was more of a black female album
I got ya. And I've seen some people try saying that this is only for black women and only black women and I don't agree with that either. It's about black women and Bey's experience as a black woman and wanting to share that and have it heard by everyone. It's productive when people can try and understand people that don't share the exact same background even if they may not necessarily understand everything.
And I disagree with that assessment of ASATT -- Solange's album focused more on the general black experience; Bey's is more focused on the black female experience. They're almost like companion pieces in a way though. But Solange is a black woman raising a black son -- she understandably focused on experiences of black men as well; Bey has a daughter in mind. Which reminds me, this is cute too -- saw it on Paulina's Insta looking at some of her clips and meant to post in the OP:
Quote:
When little black girls see themselves represented in art and mainstream media...trying to convince them that they aren't beautiful will become an impossible task. ��
I agree. A black woman faces struggles different from a white woman. But if white is the default, you have to embrace who you are that makes you different. I actually do enjoy Beyonce's music but sometimes I find it hard to take her message of black lives matter seriously when she is dying her hair blonde and relaxing it and singing lyrics about being "mixed". It's sad when there are tumblrs dedicated to "light skin" boys and girls. Which is why I'm happy she wore braids on the cover of Lemonade. I just get the feeling the black community doesn't "relate" to Beyonce but rather see her as a prize or shining model of the "best" type of black. Though I realize it's not her fault she was propelled to stardom and become the spokesperson for the black community, which I'm sure had a bit to do with her lighter complexion. I just have a hard time hearing from Beyonce has it rough
I don't think choosing to wear her hair straight or any color she likes negates her BLM message or anything related to her experience as a black woman. Beside the point anyway as she's worn her hair in a variety of textures, styles and colors throughout her career. Where is she bragging about being mixed -- she talks about her mother Creole heritage and she has admixture, but she doesn't claim to be of mixed race. Yes, there are color complex issues within the black community, but I don't see how that is an issue with Bey and I dislike people assuming that lighter skinned black women have it easier or don't have a place to speak on their struggles because they're assumed to be privileged over darker skinned black women; I agree that there needs to be far more representation of deeper hued black women, but I don't think shutting down fairer skinned black women is the way to correct that problem. But, I digress -- a good read on that topic is The Color Complex; you should check it out if it's an area of genuine concern for you.
All lives matters teas. Black women have unique struggles and Bey wanted to specifically bring that to light.
That's part of why stuff like this is important -- minorities are forced to live an existence where white is the default and most of the time we have to make our own things like books, films, magazines, tv channels etc. to see ourselves reflected in the things that we consume, that we are taught and have some semblance of feeling like we belong somewhere. And it's so sad and frustrating that when we do this, it's seen as unfair or alienating because so many white people can't conceive of -- even for the shortest time -- being the outsiders without considering the fact that THAT is what the norm is for a minority.
Why can't someone that isn't black enjoy an artpiece discussing the black experience and learn from it and accept that? If they can't relate to every single aspect, why can't they just hear it and appreciate what black women are bringing to the table?
All lives matters teas. Black women have unique struggles and Bey wanted to specifically bring that to light.
That's part of why stuff like this is important -- minorities are forced to live an existence where white is the default and most of the time we have to make our own things like books, films, magazines, tv channels etc. to see ourselves reflected in the things that we consume, that we are taught and have some semblance of feeling like we belong somewhere. And it's so sad and frustrating that when we do this, it's seen as unfair or alienating because so many white people can't conceive of -- even for the shortest time -- being the outsiders without considering the fact that THAT is what the norm is for a minority.
Why can't someone that isn't black enjoy an artpiece discussing the black experience and learn from it and accept that? If they can't relate to every single aspect, why can't they just hear it and appreciate what black women are bringing to the table?
I think the point is that the music itself is not particularly exclusive or exclusionary. Listening to the album starting from "Pray You Catch Me," there's nothing in the lyrics that says it's about black women alone, and it runs through the course of the entire album - till Formation, which is an entire different story. But the main narrative is infidelity, not infidelity to a black woman.
A Seat At The Table is an example of an album that is explicitly about blackness in its lyrical content .
Now, if we're talking about the Lemonade visuals, that's a different story. There's heavy content relating to black culture there, specifically black women. But even that is not really about cheating on black women.
It's specifically about the film as stated in the first lines of the OP:
Quote:
Spoken word artist Paulina O'Kieffe watched the film that accompanied the album five times the night it was released and for — the most part — she found its messages uphold what she knows, as a black woman, about love.
The film absolutely is about a black woman's experience. And every part of the film walks through phases of a strained relationship with other things intertwined through the eyes of a black woman from the very first spoken word segment:
"Intuition"
I tried to make a home out of you, but doors lead to trap doors, a stairway leads to nothing. Unknown women wander the hallways at night. Where do you go when you go quiet?
You remind me of my father, a magician ... able to exist in two places at once. In the tradition of men in my blood, you come home at 3 a.m. and lie to me. What are you hiding?
The past and the future merge to meet us here. What luck. What a f*cking curse.
Also the spoken word artist that was interviewed was the one discussing that it was how SHE related to that as another black woman and how she connected it to HER experiences.
