Beyonce has come out in defence of her controversial video, “Formation,” slamming critics who panned her newfound message.
“Formation”, which invokes strong Hurricane Katrina and Black Lives Matter imagery, and shows off an unexpected dose of black pride, angered many who thought Beyonce overstepped her boundaries as a singer.
Now, in an extended look at her revealing Elle magazine interview, we see the singer clarify her message and address several other hot topics such as feminism, racism and power.
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“I mean, I’m an artist and I think the most powerful art is usually misunderstood. But anyone who perceives my message as anti-police is completely mistaken,” she tells Elle magazine. “I have so much admiration and respect for officers and the families of officers who sacrifice themselves to keep us safe.
“But let’s be clear: I am against police brutality and injustice,” she adds. “Those are two separate things.”
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In some of the most candid and bold responses Beyonce has ever given, the songstress goes on to slam critics who have attacked her for unearthing longstanding sentiments of the black community. “If celebrating my roots and culture during Black History Month made anyone uncomfortable, those feelings were there long before a video and long before me,” she continues. “I’m proud of what we created and I’m proud to be a part of a conversation that is pushing things forward in a positive way.”;
Moving on to another cause that’s near and dear to her heart, Beyonce talks at length about her mission to shed a new light on feminism. “I don’t understand the negative connotation of the word or why it should exclude the opposite sex,” she shares. “We need men and women to understand the double standards that still exist in this world and we need to have a real conversation so we can begin to make changes.”
And while the “Drunk In Love” singer continues to fight for gender equality through her work with Chime for Change and Global Citizen, she stresses that she’s tired of the constant labels associated with efforts that simply favour the entire human race. “Working to make those inequalities go away is being a feminist, but more importantly, it makes me a humanist. I don’t like or embrace any label. I don’t want calling myself a feminist to make it feel like that’s my one priority over racism or sexism or anything else. I’m just exhausted by labels and tired of being boxed in,” she explains. “If you believe in equal rights, the same way society allows a man to express his darkness, to express his pain, to express his sexuality, to express his opinion – I feel that women have the same rights.”;
