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With all the proof we have that perfection does not exist, time and time again we create pedestals of aptness knowing such can not be achieved.  I am rendered speechless at the level of shock most endure when flaws are made apparent or rather the nonchalance one has toward living freely, null of judgment or inhibitions.  These pedestals are mostly molded for the people who we live vicariously through yet we stick our noses up at them when it is realized that they bleed red also.

I have become intrigued by the onslaught of criticism that Beyoncé Knowles-Carter receives.  Is it just envy? Or does she appear to be perfect, thus many hate her for it?

I must add that I can not particularly call myself a fan, but I am aware of her supreme talent, diligence and ambition.  I began to listen more closely to her music upon her 2004 Grammy performance of “Dangerously in Love.”  To be honest, her more mature and solo material struck my interest.  Her presence can not be denied.

On April 22, 2013, Rakhi Kumar wrote a letter to First Lady Michelle Obama to inform her that Beyoncé is not a role model.  The first sentence was “I’m addressing this to you because I admire you.” I can’t help but to sense a condescending tone.  It conveys that because of her admiration for the First Lady it gives her the right to dictate and presumably correct her parenting decisions for her daughters.  Michelle Obama deemed Beyoncé a role model.  The author refers to the misogynistic nature of the music industry and the revealing embroidered nipple outfit that Beyoncé wore to kick off her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour.  The problem with this argument is that it often clashes with how any woman chooses to define her femininity.

I love the title of Beyoncé’s tour; she’s parading her marriage around the world, like a never-ending honeymoon.  The promotional art, commercials and marketing is also something that I believe is clever.  If your understanding of royalty and/or the crown is that it is something reserved for only those of powdery hue, then I completely understand your disdain and declarations of whitewashing.  However, no alterations can remove the “oil wells pumping in [B’s] living room.”  The images conjure Queen Elizabeth; “the virgin queen.” Beyoncé story is quite parallel to Queen Elizabeth considering they are two women in history who accomplished unprecedented goals in both of their worlds respectively.

In my eyes, Beyoncé became legendary when she started performing and touring with an all female band.  I have this high respect for female bands and Rock-N-Rollers.  This solidified her as a contender without competition.  Such as a statement alone is inspiring and affirming that women are forces to be reckoned with.

I am also a black love, black is beautiful connoisseur.  Any and everything the factually promotes either of these mantras, I support strongly.  Furthermore, upon watching her documentary, “Life is But a Dream,” I understood that she too was a woman, just like me.  Of course, we do not share the familiarities of wealth and fame but emotionally and spiritually we are all interconnected through our shared experiences.  Although it may seem silly and trivial, the scene that resonated most with me is when Solange, Beyoncé and Kelly were singing The Cardigans “Lovefool.” My sisters and I, there are three of us, would swoon this hit record to the top of our lungs, randomly throughout our childhood.

Particularly, America encourages individualism, thus it simultaneously fuels envy; mostly due to the dynamic of the pursuit of happiness, who can be the better American?  This country’s ideology of all men are created equal in many facets is a façade.  Thus, our hearts have habits to condemn, crucify and contemn while secretly desiring the prestige and freedom in question. Society has a random, spin the bottle target ready morality when it comes to discerning piety, decadence and indecorousness.  America has a culture of bringing people up only to break them down.

Our true age of enlightenment will be the moment we become completely adept to love others for who they are, not for who we want them to be (our differences)—and to accept the complexity of this concept by simply being.