jennykourypopculture-blog

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Cultural Impact of Beyonce’s “Lemonade”

Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” directed by Kahlil Joseph, Melina Matsoukas, Dikayl Rimmasch, Todd Tourso, Jonas Akerlund, Mark Romanek, Warsan Shire, and Beyoncé herself, is a long-form music video from 2016 that had a large cultural impact. This video is one of many discusses how “Lemonade” almost immediately “broke the internet,” and had everyone talking about Beyonce’s work. The women on The Real specifically focus on who “Becky with the good hair” is.

"Lemonade” is structured in chapters that progress through the various stages of Beyonce finding out her husband is cheating on her to her forgiveness of him. “Lemonade” has been noted for its visual experience and empowering message for black women. I argue that Beyonce’s “Lemonade” had a large cultural impact because of its format as a long-form music video, its production by black women, and its inclusion of notable individuals, specifically with the Black Live Matter movement.

In the format of the long form music video, “Lemonade” drew the viewership of a larger audience, beyond Beyonce fans. There was a big HBO release of the visual album, which increased the demographics to which the ideas of the video were spread. As a long form music video, “Lemonade” connected the ideas, visuals, and emotions of many different songs into one cohesive viewing experience. The stages of the video, Intuition, Denial, Anger, Apathy, Emptiness, Accountability, Reformation, Forgiveness, Resurrection, Hope, and Redemption, allow the storyline to smoothly flow. This connects the individual songs, and makes each song more meaningful than if the stages of the video were strictly viewed separately. In 2016, it was discussed that Beyonce’s “Lemonade” was a contributor to the rise of the long form music video, and the use of the long form music video as an artistic medium of spreading ideas. Click here to read more on the resurgence of the long form music video in 2016.

Additionally, “Lemonade” was culturally important in that it was made by a black women for black women. Here, Miriam Bale discusses “Lemonade” and its significance as a work of black feminism. In a modern age of what many refer to as “white feminism,” Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” has a major cultural impact with its regard to black female unity and empowerment. Bale notes “What unites the black girls, the mothers and daughters, is this sweet nectar and instructions how to turn nothing into something. ‘Lemonade’ is even stronger than blood.” Beyonce includes in the video the Malcolm X quote, “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman” and offers her visual album as a means of empowering these “disrespected” individuals. “Lemonade” also visually references Julie Dash’s film “Daughters of the Dust “ through the clothing worn by the women and the rural Southern setting in some parts of the work. Bale notes that this is significant as “Daughters of the Dust” is one of the most important works of black female cinema.

In addition, “Lemonade” is impactful in its inclusion of notable female black individuals. Celebrities like Winnie Harlow, Zendaya, and Serena Williams all make cameos in the visual album. The mothers of black men affected by police violence, such as Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant, and Eric Garner, are also included in Beyonce’s work. Through this inclusion, Beyonce makes a political statement for the Black Lives Matter movement. As her work is meant to empower black women as a whole, she is displaying the strength of these women in the face of the injustice that was brought upon them. Another important black female included in “Lemonade” is Beyonce’s own daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. Just as the women who lost their sons to police violence view motherhood as a key aspect of their identities, Beyonce is showing that she is not only a strong empowered performer and singer, but also defined by her role as a mother. Beyonce is strengthening her young daughter, who will grow up to face whatever injustices are presented to black women in society.

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Negative Impact of Internet Fame on YouTube Stars

“Me At the Zoo” is a 2012 documentary about the life of Chris Crocker, a gay man in small town Tennessee who used the Internet as a means of attaining momentary stardom. The documentary outlines Crocker’s upbringing as the child of teen parents. He was raised by his religious Pentecostal grandparents who thought the “Internet turned him gay.” Crocker employed the Internet as an “awakening of the human spirit,” regularly posting videos on MySpace Videos and later YouTube for his fans. While he encountered Internet fame, Crocker also dealt with Internet bullies and trolls. I argue that the Internet is a negative space for those looking to attain Internet fame. The Internet is full of relentless bullies who hide behind their computer screens, Internet fame is arguably short-lived and less respectable than other forms of fame, and those who attain Internet fame must alter their persona to fit the advertisers who pay them.

Internet fame is met with a slew of cruel comments and death threats from hateful strangers hiding behind their computer screens. Although Crocker used the Internet as a means of escaping his oppressive homophobic surroundings to embrace himself, he was still met with a large amount of haters on the Internet. Comments against him included “Someone kill that faggot,” and “kill you and your grandmother,” as well as many slurs regarding his sexuality. This included him being referred to as a “he/she thing.” It takes a very mentally strong person to not allow these hateful remarks to affect him or her. Click here to read Gigi Falk with Thrive Global’s take on how Internet trolls impact mental health in a negative way. Falk explains that teen victims of cyberbullying are more depressed, irritable, and angry, that victims of cyberbullying are almost twice as likely to commit suicide compared to their peers, and social media posts are the most damaging of cyberbullying.

Additionally, Internet fame can be considered short-lived and less respectable compared to other forms of fame. After Crocker’s “Leave Britney Alone” video went viral, Crocker experienced his fifteen minutes of fame. He thought he was getting a television show and moved to California where he believed it was time for him to really live. Instead, his fame did not last very long, as he was seen as a “celebrity obsessed cartoon,” a role he played to get reactions from people. Crocker found himself without a television show and broke in LA, with many people trying to boycott stations that aired him. He claimed he did not know how to perform outside his bedroom. His short-lived fame was met with many comments on his failure, including from Jeffree Star. Not only was the fame momentary, but it was also disrespected by Britney Spears herself. She never gave Crocker any recognition, despite his genuine love for her and the money he had spent on her as a fan.

In addition, Internet fame is met with highly desired advertisements and sponsorships that could influence the voice of the Internet star. The documentary described this commercialization of Internet stardom as making YouTube no longer a community. These partnerships, sponsorships, and HD cameras take away some of the authenticity of star. Sponsors and commercial partners inevitably play a role in the content put out by the Internet star. The YouTube videos, which were previously only a means of personal expression, take on a commercial quality. This YouTube video by MostAmazingTop10 reveals the enormous amount of money that is made by the top 10 highest paid YouTube stars from partnerships and business deals.

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Healthy Eating for Kids

Clean eating is a lifestyle that, once taught to children, will hopefully remain with them for the rest of their lives. Setting the groundwork for healthy eating is important for a child, who will grow up to do the same for their children. Unfortunately, the modern American food industry sometimes makes it difficult for parents to provide good healthy eating examples to children. The marketing in the food industry often centers on highly processed food products, parents are sometimes misinformed regarding what is actually better for their health and their children’s health, and the effect of healthy foods on the well-being of children is sometimes underestimated.

American marketing for the food industry heavily targets the receptive minds of children. They see commercials for breakfast cereals with inviting animal mascots and notice snacks in the grocery store with their favorite television and movie characters on the packaging. The majority of these breakfast cereals are made with genetically modified corn and refined sugar. Most snacks, chips, pretzels, crackers, and gummy snacks are also made with genetically modified high fructose corn syrup or other high glycemic sugars and starches. While an unhealthy snack once in awhile is never a bad thing, pumping children’s bodies with highly processed food products is not healthy for their growing bodies. Humans are biologically wired with enzymes and biological processes capable of breaking down natural foods, including natural sugars, and absorbing the nutrients available in these foods. When foods become genetically modified, chemically produced, or coated in pesticides, they are no longer recognizable by the body the same way it would recognize a natural food. This results in the foods being stored as fat in the body, digestive issues, and internal inflammation.

I know that it can be hard to navigate through the mass of products offered at the grocery store to find the foods that are actually affordable and nutritious. Phrases like “sugar-free” and “low-fat” are used by marketers to give the impression that food items are healthier than their alternatives that contain sugar or full fat. But, if something is sugar-free how does it taste so sweet? In fact, sugar-free denotes the substitution of real sugars, that the body is capable of processing, with cheap, chemically manufactured “sugars.” Click here for more details on the effects of “sugar-free” foods on health. “Low-fat” means that fat is removed and often replaced with a higher sugar content in the food. Neither of these options are better for you than the original options, but people are fooled by the phrases into thinking they are. This is another trick children should be aware of as they browse the grocery store with their parents.

In addition to sifting through grocery store content with deceptive labelling, parents should also be aware of the large impact food has on the health of their children. Children usually have super fast metabolisms, so they are capable of eating unhealthier foods while maintaining high levels of energy and staying lean. However, these foods may still be affecting their bodies on a level undetectable to the human eye. When I was in high school, I was very active and outwardly healthy. My senior year, however, I was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune disorders that were affecting my joints, melanocytes, and digestive system. My mom suggested I stop eating gluten and dairy, two categories of food that are highly processed in America and cause inflammation throughout the body. I was almost immediately better without the use of any medications. I began focusing more on the components that make up the food we eat, the sourcing of food products, and label reading.

Similarly, in recent years, other children suffering from autoimmune, behavioral, and developmental disorders have been improving their health through enhancing their diets. I personally think it is vital that parents move past the marketing ploys aimed at their children and provide, organic, non-processed alternatives to the foods their children desire whenever possible. This will, in turn, benefit the health of their children. We should not only provide these better options for children, but also inform children when they are young how to read food labels and spot words and chemical names that signify the food item includes genetically modified or processed components. Although they may not look as pretty or taste quite as sweet or salty as the processed options, better, fresher alternatives are out there, and children will enjoy them! In this video, Benji Travis discusses some healthy kids eating tips, related to his own experience with his children:

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Misrepresentation of Women in Comics

At the Graphing Thinking Conference, representations of women, African Americans, and people of Middle Eastern origin were discussed. Panelists André Carrington, Nicole Georges, and Mohamed Hassan shared their background in comics, their current role in the comic industry, and their opinions on representation of these specific areas in comics. While I had no prior exposure to comics before the conference, I gained valuable insight on the topics of gender, sexuality, and race in comics. I argue that there needs to be better representation of women in comics. Women in comics are highly sexualized, women are represented as less important than men in super hero groups, and queer women are represented in the minority in comics.

Women in the comic book world are presented in a manner that focuses primarily on their sexuality and ignores their other positive qualities. Here, Amanda Shendruk discusses female representation as heroines in comics. While most superheroes, male and female, are given a super power in comics, the super powers depicted differ greatly with gender. Women are much more likely than men to have the power of agility, a power that has a highly sexual undertone. Men, in contrast, are much more likely than women to have the powers of strength, stamina, super eating, siphon abilities, and longevity. In line with the notion of male emotional suppression in society, male characters are also much more likely than female characters to have the power of invulnerability. Additionally, female superheroines are more likely to be seen as objects themselves, while male superheroes are usually drawn with super objects, suits, gadgets, or money of their own. At the Graphic Thinking Conference, Hassan discussed a particular comic that represented a Muslim woman. This woman’s choice to be modest in dress and not overtly sexual were constantly attacked by her American, female, sexually promiscuous roommate. This YouTube video by BuzzFeed addresses female hypersexuality in comics by having women attempt the physically impossible sexualized poses of female comic book characters, and comment on the experience:

In addition to female hypersexuality being rampant in comics, women are also presented as less important to the super hero group dynamic in comics. Shendruk expands that only about 8% of super hero teams have more female than male team members. This is an implication of male superiority in the context of the super hero group. About 30% of super hero teams have no representation of women at all. Of the teams that do have all women, the groups are given highly gendered names that almost always reference their femininity in some manner. For example, all girl heroine group names include the Holiday Girls, Lady Liberators, or Female Furies. This practice again focuses primarily on the gender and sexuality of the super heroines in comics, rather than emphasizing their strength, power, and good deeds.

While women in comics are in general highly sexualized and underrepresented in super hero groups, queer women in comics are particularly underrepresented in comics. Panelist Nicole Georges at the Graphic Thinking Conference gave her perspective on queer comic representation, as a queer woman herself. She discussed the misrepresentation of female queerness, by telling the story of her friends making a comic of her that involved her using the phrase “I love vagina.” This depiction is problematic not only because Georges herself would not use that phrase, but also because a straight woman would not likely be shown using the phrase “I love penis.” This depicts a misrepresentation of queer women in comics, a group that is already underrepresented. Click here to see a brief history of queer women in comics given by Katie Kilkenny. As shown by Kilkenny’s timeline, queer superheroines were not really represented at all in comics until the last 20 years. The process of increasing queer representation has been slow, progressing from Maggie Sawyer in 1988 to Wonder Woman and Supergirl in 2016.

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Lack of Media Accountability in the Hypersexualized Portrayal of Women

“Miss Representation” is a 2011 documentary that explores the representation of women in media outlets, including politics, news, television, and film. I argue that the American media needs to be held accountable for the projected image of women in media. Female body image is harmed by the different physical standard women are held to than men, sexually explicit and violent media portrayals of women are unhealthy for the minds of child viewers, and young boys are suffering from emotional illiteracy at the hands of media depiction of gender and sexuality.

The female body is highly scrutinized in the American media, while the male body is often held to a much lower standard of physical perfection. For example, in the news, women journalists are often objectified, and observations of the women center around her physical appearance. Young sexualized female anchors are often positioned next to older, less attractive male anchors. This was referred to in “Miss Representation” as the “grandfather with his second wife.” Similarly, in politics, some of the most powerful women in America are judged, not by their leadership skills and intelligence, but instead by their physical appearance. Hillary Clinton was portrayed as the cold-hearted “bitch” whose credentials were continuously questioned, while Sarah Palin was “pornified and ditzified.” In general, American women are pushed an unrealistic body image standard, and unfairly told through the media that female intelligence, leadership, and power are inferior to beauty and physical perfection. 

Additionally, American media is not held accountable for the degrading violent and highly sexualized depiction of women in media. “Miss Representation” discusses one sexualized image of women in media referred to as the “fighting fuck toy.” In action movies, women in lead roles are extremely sexualized, often dressed in tight and provocative outfits for the gratification of the male viewer. In addition to the “fighting fuck toy,” female sexualization extends into other genres, including children’s programming. Disney and other G-rated movies portray female characters in an overly sexual manner. Female hypersexualization in media is often paired with violence against women as well. This imagery is unhealthily exposed to children at a very young age, and violence against women is being justified in their young minds. This is a perpetuator of rape culture, and a factor contributing to the statistics that 1 in 4 girls experience dating violence in their teens and 1 in 6 are survivors of rape and sexual assault. Here, Jaimee Swift discusses hypersexualization of women in media, and proposes certain actions that can be done to end sexual exploitation of women in the media. Swift postulates using social media to bring awareness to sexualization of girls and petitioning to report media outlets that promote hypersexualization of women.

Similarly, media portrayal of gender and sexuality contributes to an unhealthy inability of boys to express emotions and seek mental help when necessary. Boys as young as 5 or 6 years old are presented a sexualized image of women that contrasts a hypermasculine, misogynistic image of men. Boys are told to “man up” and “be a man,” and taught to suppress their emotional or feminine side. They are not taught how to express themselves in healthy ways, which leads to the inability of boys to show when they are internally suffering or need mental healthcare. This emotional illiteracy is often expressed through violence and other unhealthy attempts at hypermasculinity. This trailer for the documentary “The Mask You Live In” discusses this idea of perceived masculinity as presented in media and the negative effect it has on young boys.

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Inaccurate Class Representation on TV

“Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class” is a 2005 documentary that explores the representation of working class individuals on television. The role of advertisers in shaping television content was discussed, as well as the effect of this commercial control on television portrayals of working class and marginalized members of society. I argue that the television airwaves need to be deregulated in order to show a more accurate representation of the status of working class individuals on TV. Commercialized control of television provides an inaccurate message of “moving up” in class, often fails to depict women as an economic necessity, and unfairly characterizes working class members of society in a negative light.

Television portrayal of working class individuals often involves the idea of “moving up” in social class. For example, The Jeffersons demonstrates the idea of a self-made man moving up in society. Advertiser influence in the making of television shows promotes a consumer lifestyle, and the ownership of television by a small number of large corporations limits the variety of television representation. Click here to see which media companies control each television channel. With this influence, the idea is promoted that ownership of material goods gives access to a suburban lifestyle. People are capable of “moving up” in social class, and this is marked by consumer means. Television representation of the ease of “moving up” implies that if someone hasn’t “made it,” then there is something wrong with them. This is as if these people are incapable of being successful, lack taste, or just choose to have a lower income. In reality, most Americans do not change class position and it is very difficult to transition from working class to managerial positions.

In addition to misrepresenting the notion of advancing social class, television portrayal of class also inaccurately depicts the role of women in the family structure. Although women are not excluded from television, their class position is not often addressed. Television shows like The Brady Bunch show the mother of the family to be unnecessary to the family structure in an economic sense. Most women on television are middle class stay-at-home moms with more leisurely lifestyles. In reality, the majority of women are vital for their family’s incomes, and are often employed in lower end jobs like waitressing. One TV show that was described as accurately depicting women and class was Roseanne, but Roseanne Barr was criticized in the press for pushing such a feminist and class agenda.

The regulated television airwaves also fail to depict working class characteristics accurately. The working class is often represented as disinterested in politics or, if they are involved with politics, they are right wing radicals. For example, Archie Bunker is the “collective image of the worker,” a “yahoo right wing racist.” This image implies that enlightenment is a quality of the upper class, while the working class is ignorant. Additionally, the working class is characterized by laziness on television. This Funny Or Die video sarcastically addresses the inaccurate notion that the working class is lazy.

This idea that workers are incompetent, incapable of leadership, and need supervision is wildly untrue. Deregulated airwaves could possibly lead to a more accurate representation of the working class, especially regarding movement through class, the intersection of women and class, and the characterization of the working class on television.

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Using “Like A Girl” As A Positive, Empowering Statement

“Not Just a Game,” a 2010 sports documentary with sports editor Dave Zirin, comments on the politics of sports in America. In addition to the comparison of sports to a military event, the documentary also touched on the subjects of commercial branding of sports figures, the position of race in sports, and the role of women in sports history. On the topic of gender in sports, the evolution of women from being banned in sports to being active participants in the events was outlined. Even though women are now allowed in sporting events, and often seen as strong, capable individuals, I believe that strides could be taken for women in this field. I argue that the phrase “Like a girl” should be reclaimed or redefined as a positive, empowering term. Negative connotation of this saying is unhealthy for young girls to be taught, undermines years of progress that women have made in the sports industry, and teaches boys unhealthy notions of strength and masculinity.

“Like a girl” as an insult implies to young girls that being a girl somehow makes them lesser than their male counterparts. In contrast to being told the negative meaning of the phrase, little girls should be taught that being “like a girl” is a powerful and strong attribute. It is something that is inherent to their female character and should be embraced rather than undermined. In 2014, Always started a #LikeAGirl campaign to boost female self-confidence and question the negative meaning of “like a girl.”

As shown in the video, young girls’ perception of the phrase “like a girl” is very different than adult women’s idea of the phrase. When asked to do certain actions “like a girl,” adults and boys are seen doing stereotypical flimsy, dainty, unathletic actions. In contrast, when asked to do the same actions “like a girl,” the little girls are shown being their strongest, most athletic selves. This demonstrates that girls do not inherently see themselves as weaker, but are instead unfairly taught this in their developing years. As the video states, the power and strength in women should be reinforced throughout the lives of young girls so they know that “running like a girl” really just means “winning the race.”

In addition to teaching girl inaccurate degrading notions about femininity, the negative meaning of the phrase “like a girl” also undermines the amount of hard work and dedication women have had to put in over the years to overcome boundaries against women in the sports industry. In “Not Just A Game” the struggle for women’s equality in this field was discussed. Women were originally believed to be too fragile for sports, or that sports would make them sex-crazed, insane, and infertile. These wild beliefs were used to keep women from showing the true caliber of their strength and endurance in a male-dominated arena. Billie Jean King was specifically noted as a pivotal character in the feminism in sports movement. To read about King’s amazing accomplishments as a social figure, click here. A key moment in her career was when she crushed the arrogant, sexist Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes. She proved to Riggs, who saw men completely and utterly superior to women, that she was a strong, viable tennis player. By reducing the term “like a girl” to a meaning of weakness and fragility, the hard work of King and many other fiercely competitive and talented women is also being reduced. As demonstrated by these women, playing “like a girl” means playing with strength and triumph.

Additionally, “like a girl” should be embraced as a positive phrase due to the message of masculinity it provides for young boys. When someone tells a boy that they are throwing, running, or fighting like a girl in a negative manner, they are also telling the boy that he must always be embody the stereotypical societal traits of men. These include rigidity, toughness, and masculinity. Boys are taught to suppress emotions and sometimes act violently to not be “girly.” This idea of “manning up” is also unhealthy for boys to hear. “Not Just A Game” discussed the how sports culture glamorizes male invulnerability. Football players are treated like invincible soldiers in war, while also causing damage to their bodies through the high contact sport. If “like a girl” was not seen in bad connotation, then “manning up” wouldn’t be viewed as a comparatively positive phrase.

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The Effect of Social Media Commerciality on Young Minds

“Generation Like” is a 2014 Frontline documentary that explores the relationship young people currently have with social media. Social media does provide a useful platform for interpersonal connection with family and friends, keeping up with current events, or promoting a professional agenda. However, I believe it also has potentially negative effects on the young members of “Generation Like.” I argue that the commercial aspects of social media are creating a toxic environment for young people on these social media platforms.  

One troublesome component of the commerciality of social media is the use of third party companies running celebrity accounts. For example, click here to see 15 celebrities who do not run their social media. Young people on social media often follow their favorite celebrities and other famous individuals who serve as role models for their followers. They play a large part in shaping the developing minds of many young people who follow their accounts, retweet their statements, and like their pictures. What many of these followers don’t consider, however, is that celebrity accounts are often run by people other than the celebrity. The celebrity uses social media as a branding platform and utilizes the assistance of a third party to control what is posted and how many views and likes the post gets. In “Generation Like,” the company, The Audience, is shown to run the social media accounts of burgeoning celebrities. While this may seem harmless, I believe it is not beneficial to the minds of the young social media followers. It is not healthy to be presented with a false cultivated image of the celebrities who they strive to emulate. The use of third party companies running social media accounts removes the autobiographical aspect of social media platforms that appeals to most of their users.

 An additional negative aspect of social media commerciality regards the content posted by the accounts of famous people. Even when celebrities are posting their own material, rather than using a social media controlling third party, the content is highly plotted. Ian Somerhalder’s account was used as an example in “Generation Like.” Even a seemingly innocent snapshot of Somerhalder and his dogs is scrutinized for the number of likes it receives. In this manner, posts are chosen based on what is known to produce more views or likes. This is because “the currency of likes turns into real currency.” For “Instagram celebrities,” for example, their livelihood comes from sponsorships based on the fact that they receive lots of likes. I find this component of social media to be concerning. Social media followers often feel a sense of interpersonal connection to the celebrities they follow. However, the fact that these same celebrities are using their social media as a marketing platform removes the interpersonal relationship between celebrity and fan and turns their social media interactions into a business relationship.

While social media controlling companies and controlled sponsored content both create somewhat false presentations of celebrities on social media, a third negative aspect of the monetary side of social media concerns the young people who wish to burgeon into social media stars.  More and more kids, when asked what they want to be when they grow up, respond with something along the lines of “YouTube star.” These children, after being targeted by the marketing ploys of the social media accounts they follow, ironically strive to get in on the money and fame social media sometimes brings. When navigating the vast expanse of social media in search of attention and approval, children can lose themselves in the process. Pressure to be more like the celebrities they idolize can lead to eating disorders, mental health issues, and a need to Photoshop or edit every photo they post. In this video, YouTuber LovedHappy recognizes the issues associated with quantifying self-worth based on likes and offers some inspiration against this practice:

Once young people get a taste of the money and fame social media can offer, they are trapped in the process of posting mainly what will give them likes and sponsors. In “Generation Like,” fame results in the young skateboarder moving from skateboarding videos to videos of him harassing women, and the young preteen female singer transitions from only singing videos to posting “full body” revealing pictures. Their identities they present to the public are skewed because of a need for likes, just as the social media identities of famous people are often cultivated for likes.