Beyonce Lemonade

I found the presentation given on Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' visual album to be really interesting. I liked that we went over and learned vocabulary and the different people who played roles in Beyoncé's work. People tend to say that in society today it is a 'Man's World', so when we discussed the ways that Beyoncé's directors incorporated that in her visual album I was able to better understand some of the scenes she produced. For example, when I first watched the album I was confused about the meaning behind the monster truck and the football field. Now it makes more sense knowing that the purpose was to convey to the audience that a woman can take on these so called 'manly' situations as well. I also came in to the presentation sure that the album was about how Jay-Z cheated on her, so when we found out it was just a persona I was a little taken back, and had to re-evaluate the work. To be honest, the visual album seemed to have been very thick with symbolism and it became evident when after the 2 hours, we still had not covered everything. I also really liked how the director placed Beyoncé in a garage and on a bus for some of her scenes, it was quite empowering to see a woman take so much authority in places that would otherwise be dangerous for women. But that was not her only way of taking authority. The way the directors incorporated "the gaze" in a scene very similar to the scene from "Pretty Woman" was powerful, as well as the line where she states "when he f*** me good, I'll take his ass to Red Lobster".  In most of the album the gender roles were reversed in order to convey the message that women can be the ones taking control now too.

Although I found the work to be powerful and interesting, I do not think it is a work the represents feminism or has anything to do with Beyonce. At the end of the day, to the average listener the entire album is centered around a man. None the less has to do with Beyoncé. Mrs. Nardone is obviously someone who cherishes Beyoncé and I can respect that, I just don't see it as realistic. Beyoncé does not write most of her own music nor did she direct the album. She is merely a representation of the figure that all the producers and writers have created. I think those are the people who should get the credit for Lemonade, rather than Beyoncé.