In class, we have been watching Beyonce's Lemonade movie. Throughout the movie, Beyonce has many quotes which reflect the stance she takes on race and gender stereotypes. Beyonce's movie is interesting to watch, because personally I have never watched a full movie of an artist's album. The movie breaks down many stereotypes by the way that Beyonce talks, and the way she acts while the song is going on. She is obviously trying to show her true beliefs while showing them in a captivating way.
I was captivated by the quotes she meticulously thought of and placed in the perfect places. The first quote that struck out to me was, "So what are you going to say at my funeral now that you've killed me? Here lies the mother of my children both loving and dead. Rest in peace my true love who I took for granted." Beyonce is stating the thoughts of many women who have been betrayed by their husbands. Beyonce is trying to say that women need to be able to stand up against their husbands if they are not being treated the way they should be.
Showing posts with label Lemonade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lemonade. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Lemon Kids
Beyonce's Lemonade is filled to the brim with abstract images and intricate color themes. Aside from being a part of the imagery what do they mean? Lemonade is an exploration of feminism, career and self across varying times and places.
Much of the visual album is based on Beyonces generational link to New Orleans, Louisiana. Fort Macomb is featured and used to display the persistence of history on the issues brought to light. Even the tunnels of the fort represented a part of history, the underground railroad.
However even with these ties there is no real divider between past and present or what is real or fake. However, there is no divider in the video that divides past from present, and what is real or fake. The visual-album flows from imagery of the bayou, to the colorful streets of New Orleans, then to Fort Macomb. In this way it portrays a dream Beyonce has to begin to solve the issues.
Much of the visual album is based on Beyonces generational link to New Orleans, Louisiana. Fort Macomb is featured and used to display the persistence of history on the issues brought to light. Even the tunnels of the fort represented a part of history, the underground railroad.
However even with these ties there is no real divider between past and present or what is real or fake. However, there is no divider in the video that divides past from present, and what is real or fake. The visual-album flows from imagery of the bayou, to the colorful streets of New Orleans, then to Fort Macomb. In this way it portrays a dream Beyonce has to begin to solve the issues.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Lemonade
Today we were watching Beyonce Lemonade album. It features some great visual as well as great musical creativity. A lot of people how have seen this on the big screen may only tell you how great the music was. It was terrific don't get me wrong but I wonder did anyone else see anything about Beyonce specifically in each song.
In each song she wears different clothes and her actions and movements are completely different. She even shifts her body language depending on how she feels in a particular song. An example I notice was when she continues to change her hairstyle. Each one has to do with African culture. Everything she did is based upon her own culture an African American. She even acts like it because in some scenes you see her walking down the street looking happy but than in a matter of seconds she smashes a car in. I believe what she is saying that Black Women can look happy and beautiful but they can get mad and angry to. I also think that is another way of her oppressed anger as well so she is showing how black people tend to have two different sides to them.
There tend to be many hidden things in each of her songs but instead of listening to just the music we have to look at everything in order to understand the true message she is trying to give us.
In each song she wears different clothes and her actions and movements are completely different. She even shifts her body language depending on how she feels in a particular song. An example I notice was when she continues to change her hairstyle. Each one has to do with African culture. Everything she did is based upon her own culture an African American. She even acts like it because in some scenes you see her walking down the street looking happy but than in a matter of seconds she smashes a car in. I believe what she is saying that Black Women can look happy and beautiful but they can get mad and angry to. I also think that is another way of her oppressed anger as well so she is showing how black people tend to have two different sides to them.
There tend to be many hidden things in each of her songs but instead of listening to just the music we have to look at everything in order to understand the true message she is trying to give us.
Trayvon Martin in Lemonade
In Beyoncé's visual album Lemonade, the first song featured was Pray You Catch Me. In this number, Beyoncé wore a black sweatshirt with the hood draped over her head for a majority of the song. At the end of this scene, she removed the hood off of her head and falls from the roof of the building. I find the significance of this article of clothing striking and not unprecedented.
Similarly, on the cover of the book Citizen by Claudia Rankine, there is a floating image of a black hood. The repetition of this symbol cannot go unnoticed, especially in the conversation about the treatment of black lives in America.
To me, this hoodie alludes to the slaying of Trayvon Martin in 2012. When he was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, he was said to have appeared "suspicious" because he was wearing a sweatshirt with the hood up. This excuse for racism did not go unnoticed and has become a symbol of the Black Lives Matter movement.
I think that in the video for Pray You Catch Me in Lemonade, Beyoncé was also alluding to this symbol of the black hoodie. Although Lemonade was mostly focused on the struggles of black women in America, the struggles of black men did not go ignored. I think that Beyoncé's utilization of this symbol in the beginning of the visual album showed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement and her support for young black men in America.
Similarly, on the cover of the book Citizen by Claudia Rankine, there is a floating image of a black hood. The repetition of this symbol cannot go unnoticed, especially in the conversation about the treatment of black lives in America.
To me, this hoodie alludes to the slaying of Trayvon Martin in 2012. When he was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, he was said to have appeared "suspicious" because he was wearing a sweatshirt with the hood up. This excuse for racism did not go unnoticed and has become a symbol of the Black Lives Matter movement.
I think that in the video for Pray You Catch Me in Lemonade, Beyoncé was also alluding to this symbol of the black hoodie. Although Lemonade was mostly focused on the struggles of black women in America, the struggles of black men did not go ignored. I think that Beyoncé's utilization of this symbol in the beginning of the visual album showed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement and her support for young black men in America.
When Life Gives You Lemons...
Beyonce's Lemonade is a work of art and a work of literature. Most believe that the inspiration comes from her relationship with Jay Z, but it is clear that the album goes much further than that. It speaks to black women, acknowledging them more than anyone else ever would.
After reading an article by Ijeoma Oluo, the larger meaning of Lemonade became very clear to me. I used to also believe that the visual album was a message to Jay Z but I was basing my opinion off of what I had heard from the media, and not actually seeing it myself to make my own decision. After seeing the first 45 minutes of the album, I still had some belief that it was about Jay Z. Though I knew there had to be another meaning, I couldn't quite figure it out on my own. I read one article and the ideas became crystal clear.
Lemonade is a message to black women across the country. It is acknowledging them and their struggle, and giving them the recognition they well deserve. Beyonce draws a Malcolm X quote: "The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman." Beyonce addresses this directly in her work and makes it her mission to change this in Lemonade. She wants the black female to be a more important and recognized figure, and does so by empowering her through strong visual and lyrical art.
After reading an article by Ijeoma Oluo, the larger meaning of Lemonade became very clear to me. I used to also believe that the visual album was a message to Jay Z but I was basing my opinion off of what I had heard from the media, and not actually seeing it myself to make my own decision. After seeing the first 45 minutes of the album, I still had some belief that it was about Jay Z. Though I knew there had to be another meaning, I couldn't quite figure it out on my own. I read one article and the ideas became crystal clear.
Lemonade is a message to black women across the country. It is acknowledging them and their struggle, and giving them the recognition they well deserve. Beyonce draws a Malcolm X quote: "The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman." Beyonce addresses this directly in her work and makes it her mission to change this in Lemonade. She wants the black female to be a more important and recognized figure, and does so by empowering her through strong visual and lyrical art.
The Power of Lemonade
Lemonade made me feel ignorant. It made me feel ignorant because I have never seen this before. I understand women in America, especially women of minorities, have a much harder time in the United States then men, but I've never seen it up close and personally. I've heard stories of women rising to power and through this current election it showed me how much people, people I mean men, are scared of a strong independent women. I feel ignorant because up until these past couple weeks, watching the film Lemonade and keeping up with our presidential election, I realized what women go through. I realized how hard it is to be a women in America, just like it is very hard to be a black, Hispanic, or Asian. I never saw what it was like for women, and now my eyes are open.
In the household I am growing up in my mother raised me with a strong iron fist. She was the ruler, and her children were her subjects. She wasn't so strict that she was doing too much, but watching her be as strong as she is just in everyday life made it seem normal to me. Especially because I live in Oak Park as well, a very equal and accepting community, I thought every women was like this. That they were strong, independent, and worked just as hard as any man would. With my father having a great amount of respect for her I thought every man respected women and thought of them as equal. She raised me not knowingly that she was blinding me because I never realized the hardships women go through. I had to sit down and talk with her about it because this is not the case. Men still treat women like they are second class to them, I just never realized it.
She makes it look so easy. She is a natural born leader. When I was younger I was confused. I always thought why does mommy have final say with our family? Watching television and being the general norm I was programmed to think that fathers ran the house, went to work, and paid the bills, while mommy stays at home and takes care of the children, cooks, and cleans. In the household I live in this is not the case. My mom has worked just as hard as my dad has, my dad just makes more money. Some nights my mother cooks and cleans, other nights my father. Some days my mother stayed home and cared for us if we were sick, some days my father.They are so in sync with each other that there were no social norms that I could see because they both did everything.
Through the past couple weeks I have seen how afraid people can get. A strong woman is out of there comfort zone. They're not used to having women in charge. I act like it's normal because all my life I have watched my mom walk around with power and how she isn't scared of any task put in front of her. She just knows everything. Watching Lemonade so far has really opened up my eyes into new light. America is supposed to be equal, equal opportunity for all. Equal for every race, immigrant, belief system, and gender. This is a dream, and through evolution of the human, it seems impossible. I thank Beyonce for opening up my eyes when I didn't even realize they were closed.
In the household I am growing up in my mother raised me with a strong iron fist. She was the ruler, and her children were her subjects. She wasn't so strict that she was doing too much, but watching her be as strong as she is just in everyday life made it seem normal to me. Especially because I live in Oak Park as well, a very equal and accepting community, I thought every women was like this. That they were strong, independent, and worked just as hard as any man would. With my father having a great amount of respect for her I thought every man respected women and thought of them as equal. She raised me not knowingly that she was blinding me because I never realized the hardships women go through. I had to sit down and talk with her about it because this is not the case. Men still treat women like they are second class to them, I just never realized it.
She makes it look so easy. She is a natural born leader. When I was younger I was confused. I always thought why does mommy have final say with our family? Watching television and being the general norm I was programmed to think that fathers ran the house, went to work, and paid the bills, while mommy stays at home and takes care of the children, cooks, and cleans. In the household I live in this is not the case. My mom has worked just as hard as my dad has, my dad just makes more money. Some nights my mother cooks and cleans, other nights my father. Some days my mother stayed home and cared for us if we were sick, some days my father.They are so in sync with each other that there were no social norms that I could see because they both did everything.
Through the past couple weeks I have seen how afraid people can get. A strong woman is out of there comfort zone. They're not used to having women in charge. I act like it's normal because all my life I have watched my mom walk around with power and how she isn't scared of any task put in front of her. She just knows everything. Watching Lemonade so far has really opened up my eyes into new light. America is supposed to be equal, equal opportunity for all. Equal for every race, immigrant, belief system, and gender. This is a dream, and through evolution of the human, it seems impossible. I thank Beyonce for opening up my eyes when I didn't even realize they were closed.
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