MISS BRIHAVIN': If we treated all women the same way we treat Beyoncé

From left, Beyonce, Chris Martin of Coldplay, and Bruno Mars perform during the halftime show at Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group/TNS)
From left, Beyonce, Chris Martin of Coldplay, and Bruno Mars perform during the halftime show at Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group/TNS)


Bri Kirkham is a senior telecommunication and journalism news major and writes ‘Miss Brihavin' for The Ball State Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of The Daily. Write to Bri at bmkirkham@bsu.edu.

Beyoncé. Beyoncé. Beyoncé.

What did we do to deserve her?

On Feb. 6, she dropped the music video for her song “Formation.” It is politically and racially charged and entertaining as hell. She addresses Hurricane Katrina, police brutality and systemic racism all in under five minutes

Then, on Feb. 7, she blessed us yet again with her Super Bowl halftime show. Her dancers were dressed in Black Panther attire and sported 1970s afro hairstyles.

Of course, this was all leading up to the announcement of her new tour. Her marketing team is ingenious.

I really appreciated the Beyoncé coverage I saw this weekend. I think the mainstream media did a fine job covering her video release and Super Bowl performance, all while acknowledging her racial themes and motives.

Of course, some outlets centered their focus on Beyoncé “almost falling” during her performance. Others claimed she unfairly stole the show from Coldplay. This is unsurprising, though, as some entertainment outlets center their focus on celebrities’ (especially women celebrities) failures.

Luckily, the general public doesn’t pay attention to Beyoncé critics. She is one of the few women in entertainment who are allowed to be aggressive. She’s earned it. She’s paid her dues.

Other women, however, aren’t as lucky.

For example when Nicki Minaj called out the VMAs this summer for excluding women of color in their nominations for Video of the Year, she was criticized by the media and by the general public on social media.

Brianna Kirkham

I’m not sure why Beyoncé is so untouchable, but it is definitely a societal phenomenon. What has she done to earn the right to do and say whatever she wants without backlash from the fans?

Society treats Beyoncé like they treat most men.

Kanye West can do and say whatever he wants (as long as he leaves Taylor Swift alone), but his wife can’t do the same without being publicly scrutinized.

I’m not trying to take anything away from Beyoncé, or say she doesn’t deserve our endless praise — because she definitely does. I just think the world would be a better place if we treated all women in entertainment the same way we treat Beyoncé.

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