Essay Sample on Ain't I a Diva?: Exploring Beyonce's Phenomenon & Cultural Impact

Introduction

"Ain't I a Diva?" by Allreds has an in-depth exploration of Beyonce's phenomenon while at the same time putting forward her talents and grace as well as lessons that could be learned from it. Through Beyonce, other black women learn that they could form part of cultural changes within a society marred with racial discrimination, gender inequality, et cetera (Allred 6). This paper shall cover an in-depth examination of perspective shifts about Beyonce from the reading of Ain't I a Diva.

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Allred's Perspective of Beyonce in Ain't I a Diva?

Allred approaches the case of Beyonce's impact and role on culture with a lot of skills and a nuisance. He is aware of his privilege and position as a white male, but he proceeds to amplify the voices regarding the plights of black feminists such as gender, class, and race. Allred introduces ideas that are timelier than ever before through the introduction of writings of feminism in the music (Allred 8). Therefore, this is worthy of being read by any Beyonce fan.

Perception of Beyonce's music changes through reading the Ain't I a Diva? For instance, Allred notes a paradigm shift in the manner in which Beyonce's music had shifted in an industry that is run almost exclusively by rich white men, especially at a time when the black women were never meant to have such power in the society. Her 2013 performance was significantly earth-shattering, and this contributed to a shift in perceptions by the general public across the world

Her performance was not only a guilty pleasure but rather an access point for entertainment, politics, and education in equal measure. A critical analysis of Allred's work reveals that other than just entertaining the public, Beyonce's music could go along in teaching that creative music could stop the unfortunate occurrences over the world. Her music goes along in portraying the society and individual member's roles in it rather than mere entertainment. I had viewed Beyonce's music as mere entertainment just until the perception was changed through the reading of Allred's Ain't I a Diva?

Beyonce has highlighted additional constraints that are faced by black women by portraying positive feminism as well as different political views that place the sexuality of black women at the center. Allred's portray a diva an intersectional as he demonstrates how Beyonce has integrated the pop culture, honest conversation, and education in a manner that covers the overall trajectory of the Black women in the society. Such a presentation changed my perspective on Beyonce from a mere pop artist to begin seeing her as a transformative artist who is concerned about switching the negative societal plights of women in the male-dominated world.

Allred's workplaces the women at the central core of the struggle for sexuality empowerment within society. The engagement of female theoretical and conceptual inspirations, as well as framework, exemplifies Allred's commitment to sexuality empowerment. Allred portrays Beyonce as a practitioner and champion of black feminism; thus, it has made me decipher how videography and discography are indispensable as well as appreciate their role in enriching humanity.

Furthermore, the book presents a model of how pop music could be used to teach and disseminate relevant information to the general public, such as women empowerment within the society, as well as putting a halt to racial and gender discriminations (Rogers et al. 15). Allred also presents the various songs performed by Beyonce, where she clarifies to any doubter how she had changed the public view pints and the game generally. In the book, Beyonce notes that although it would sound like she is bragging, she surely stopped the entire world. Her recent presentations had spurred several surprises and spurred a shift in her music as compared to several of her previous music. Beyonce does not only present innovative and exciting videos but also creates cultural transformations and aha scenes that keep people guessing what would come next in the course of her presentations.

Such moments attract the attention of almost everybody across the globe, thus giving her a better platform to champion for what she feels was right (Rogers et al. 25). Pop music could become full of suspense such that it is powerfully translated to address particular political concerns within the country and across the world. Allred notes that Beyonce's music is accompanied by a series of Aha moments that are more educative alongside being mere educational pieces (Allred 16).

Personal Reflection of Ain't I A Diva?

Beyonce's linkage of sexuality, race, gender, and pop culture is fantastic and in line with addressing political concerns within the society. It was a misnomer for Beyonce to think that she was being politicized, especially for a white man like Allred because the work that she did, especially in the industry where the white men hold a majority of power was by itself political (Rogers et al. 14).

Kevin Allred approaches the topic of black women's experiences with a lot of skills and nuance. He is aware that the matter would have been discussed better by an experienced black woman or rather a black feminist (Allred 6). That is why he begins by laying out the methodology for his work by alluding to the fact that he would be citing black women throughout the work. This prepares the reader psychologically regarding the content expectation of the work. He is also much aware of his privilege and position as a white man who is amplifying the feminist voices of the blacks through thematic areas such as class, race, and gender. Kevin Allred is much privileged to be white with access to mechanisms of politically subverting the overrepresentation of the white voices even though he is also white (Allred 11). He also believes that listening to Black women would be central to the building of a better world. Such an introduction makes it fascinating and promising to the black feminists and particularly (Allred 26).

The reference to the Sunday Live skit, 'The Day Beyonce Turned Black' by Kevin Allred insinuates that Beyonce's fans did not have any feeling that Beyonce would have thought of seeking for freedom for Black American women (Rogers et al. 15). However, it is almost impossible to listen to Beyonce's music without taking into cognizance the black womanhood and feminist thematic concerns within her work. Although her presentations were political, Boyance made them in a manner that anybody could not politicize her, especially the white Americans (Allred 9). In white society, to begin with, doing a piece of work as a Black woman was inherently political. At first, Beyonce seemed to have neutral political stands, but her audiences viewed her work as political, particularly concerning issues such as gender, race, and sexuality. The pop culture and feminism blended well with the political aspects of Beyonce's presentations (Allred 6).

The statement by Allred, which mentions that Beyonce and Jay Z were setting up a fairy tale could be true because all the aspects of Lemonade suggest that Beyonce's voice is one in which people hear their own stories. Since her early life, she had aspired to earn the superhero status, especially when she told the tale named Destiny's child (Allred 10). In Lemonade, she lives up to each point of the superhero status when she murders everybody as the world witnesses. The significant connection between Halberstam's work and Lemonade is that both the arguments tend to explore the aftermath of persistent denigration of the blacks, especially by systemic racial segregation in America (Rogers et al. 11). The two pieces then offer a futuristic response to such disconnections through the focus on the interplay between human emotions, culture, and black history (Allred 8). However, Beyonce's position tends to be more of o hyper-capitalist sexualized pop star, which could be left bare for various critiques. The films such as Lemonade degrades the idea of Halberstam of the end of a marriage, because for instance, in Lemonade, Beyonce presents a couple who kisses and stay together at the end of the presentation.

Even though romantic love appears to create pain for Beyonce, the Black sisterhood imagery that runs through Lemonade is an image of comfort. For instance, there are some scenes in Lemonade that evoke the idea that all the black women coven is healing one another and creating much magic out of tragedy. Beyonce celebrates the black styles ranging from hairstyles to skin tones and fashion in a very appealing and straightforward manner. It clearly shows Beyonce's general appreciation for the Black women (Rogers et al. 13)

Works Cited

Allred, Kevin. Ain't I a Diva?: Beyonce and the Power of Pop Culture Pedagogy. , 2019. Internet resource.

Rogers, Holly, Carol Vernallis, and Lisa Perott. "Beyonce's Lemonade: She Dreams in Both Worlds." Film International (2016).