If I Were A Boy: A Feminist’s Lament

Have 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 MelissaClouthier.com

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