If I Were A Boy: A Feminist’s Lament
November 12, 2008 / 12:10 pm • By Dr. Melissa ClouthierHave you heard this song, yet? It’s sung by Beyoncé and called “If I Were A Boy”. It’s really a feminist’s lament. [Pretty pictures of the singer in the video--her official video couldn't be embedded.]
Here are some of the lyrics:
If I were a boy
I could turn off my phone
Tell evveryone it’s broken
So they’d think that I was sleepin’ alone
I’d put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she’d be faithful
Waitin’ for me to come home (to come home)
The balled itself is beautiful. It’s the guts of the song that’s troublesome. Essentially, this song is an ode to victimhood. The actual video has a woman doing what men ostensibly do. She’s turning the tables.
The point of the video is this: If a man were more like a woman, men wouldn’t be so bad. It is condescending, dismissive tripe that also happens to be wrong.
Women won’t find their power by denigrating men. No one is powerful when they are blaming someone else. They sound weak. It’s about taking responsibility for self and for actions, that a person, male or female, becomes empowered. Waiting for someone else to do the right thing or hoping someone will save you, is a sure way to stay passive and oppressed.
Cross-posted at RightWingNews and The Houston Chronicle
4 Responses to “If I Were A Boy: A Feminist’s Lament”
By Jodie on Nov 12, 2008 | Reply
I heard this song for the first time yesterday and just couldn’t believe the lyrics. If I were to catch my daughter or niece listening to this crap I would be on a soapbox for days! Nice post.
By strausseman on Nov 12, 2008 | Reply
Wow… all the worst male stereotypes in one song.
By Chris on Nov 19, 2008 | Reply
It’s a good thing she isn’t a boy, she’d give the rest of us a bad rep.
By Jason on Nov 25, 2008 | Reply
Yikes! Doesn’t this role reversal nonsense ever get boring to people?
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