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Beyonce Symbolism

Decent Essays

The NAACP, or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was founded in 1909. Their vision was to “ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race”. Around 1909, African-Americans were denied their constitutional rights over and over. Once the Civil Rights Movement began, African-Americans began to gain rights and the NAACP fell to the back burner. In the late 20th century, the issue at hand was police misconduct. This issue gave the NAACP the spotlight again. Lots of famous figures used social media to voice their thoughts on tragedies in Baltimore, Ferguson, Miami, and many more. The famous singer, Beyonce Knowles created influence in a unique narrative. She uses obvious symbolism, …show more content…

She is able to appeal to a number of audiences and generations. She relates to men and women of all ages, genders, races, and ethnicities. She uses her social status in a way that brings controversial issues to the main stage. Beyonce has such a great influence that if she presents a topic, there is no saying how long the conversation will be. In the video for her song “Formation”, the scene starts with Beyonce on top of a sinking New Orleans cop car with floodwater from hurricane Katrina. She starts with the lyric “What happened after New Orleans?” which seems to hold a lot of emotional influence. This lyric was voiced by a YouTube sensation, Messy Mya. He was a comedic icon who was shot and killed leaving a baby shower. Beyonce uses this image and lyric to express an emotional response from the tragic destruction caused by hurricane Katrina and the death of a black …show more content…

Some of her clothing options are strategically worn to gain a certain reaction from viewers. During her video, there is a scene where she is standing outside of a building that looks like a plantation. She is wearing lots of intricate jewelry and the men behind her are dressed in simple, plain suits. The fashion choice in this scene seems to represent the time before, and the time after slavery was obliterated. As Beyonce’s video continues, she unashamedly flips off the camera. She uses this gesture to send a message of aggravation and recognition. This gesture can be interpreted in multiple ways. Beyonce could be doing it to show the anger she feels about the events that occurred in past times or to state that there is still

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