Alright. Social/cultural feminist rant impending. (I do my best to keep these off the blog, but this video is too good to not share.
I remember listening to Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls)” the day it came out, feeling a frustration that I couldn’t describe. Fortunately, this lady found the words for me:
Video found via Feministing.
I have love for Beyonce, and most of her previous fem-power anthems had some merit. However, preemptive victory rallies like “Run the World” do harm to the struggle for equality. Personally, in the face of a seemingly endless barrage of federal and local anti-woman legislation, (which, thank Science, is mostly not passing) I do not feel any more empowered just because Beyonce says I am.
(Also, don’t say this song/general pop culture literacy isn’t important. The music video was posted 8 days ago and already has over 24 million views. If that’s not enough proof for crucial effect of the messages in (even the fluffiest) pop culture, I recommend you read some bell hooks.)
Edit: Here is a really interesting post about the song, if you want to read more about it.
