Beyonce Knowles is an extremely beautiful woman. Even if
you are not sexually excited or stimulated by her curvaceous and near-perfect
body, surely you can see the aesthetic attraction of it. If I had the body of
this woman, I would certainly want the world to know how proud I was of its
form and would happily wear some of the outfits that she seems likely to be
criticised for wearing.
An article in the Guardian newspaper last week explores
the issue of Beyonce’s sartorial choices and says that, "You have to
wonder what one of Beyoncé's biggest fans, Michelle Obama, would tell her
daughters about this outfit."
Well, here’s my helping hand should the conversation
arise between Michelle, Malia and Sasha.
Girls: Mummy! Beyonce is showing her nipples!
Michelle: Well, actually girls, she isn’t showing her
nipples at all. There’s no nudity and there’s no raunchy cleavage. What we can
see is a demonstration of the female form, which many deem to be extremely
attractive.
Girls: But isn’t it rude?
Michelle: Well, unfortunately society has seen fit to
make us believe that women’s breasts are rude when in actual fact, they should
be celebrated, enjoyed and not perpetually hidden away in secrecy pretending
they don’t exist. What Beyonce is doing here is showing that she’s all woman,
and that’s something that we should definitely celebrate. This outfit is only “rude”
because we aren’t accustomed to women being so forthright about the beauty of
their own bodies. I applaud Beyonce for furthering the cause and empowering
young women to feel positive about their bodies, especially when they are
naturally curvaceous rather than slim beyond healthiness.
And so the conversation might continue with references to
sexuality that Michelle, as a sensible woman, would respond to in accordance
with the two girls’ maturity - guided by their questions just as all sensible
responses to questions on sex should be.
The image of Beyonce here is sexual but it’s only sexual
because our society has made it so. Why shouldn’t beautiful women be free to
display their beauty, within reason, without the rest of the world thinking
they are making an explicit statement about their sexuality? And even if she
was making an explicit statement about her sexuality, then what precisely is
wrong with that?
We all know that Beyonce has had sex. She has a daughter
to “prove” that is the case. We can see, whether she is fully-clad or not, that
she has a certain sexual presence and is aware of her sexuality but that doesn’t
make her immoral or prone to promiscuity. She is as she is!
If I’m perfectly honest, I like looking at this
photograph of Beyonce. I love the fullness of her form. I adore the shapeliness
of her breasts and the rather unsubtle insinuation of the size and extent of
her nipples. I love her big hips, accentuated by the cut of the piece across
the top of her thighs. But none of this makes me want to jump on the nearest
man or woman to have full-blown intercourse. It doesn’t make me reach out for
the nearest vibrator. I just love the eroticism of it, for its own sake, and
whilst in a moment of quiet, I might refer back to such a picture, that is not
the point of my enjoyment. It’s just a very beautiful photograph of a very
beautiful woman wearing a very beautiful outfit that emphasises her very
beautiful body.
I also love the idea that the costume is a sort of 21st
Century piece of art that Klimt himself could have drawn. I like the idea that
this is something that he might have used in an updated version of his infamous
“The Kiss” drawing, with Jay Z Carter, Beyonce’s partner, clad in a matching
robe of glistening gold. In fact, I think I might suggest to the couple that, as
a glorious celebration of their togetherness, their personal sexuality and their
private intimacy with one another, they should commission someone to do a
portrait in the style of Klimt with Beyonce wearing this very outfit.
I’m sick and tired of people criticising beautiful women
for being proud of their bodies. It’s so hypocritical too. They put on their
puritanical blacks and espouse the trouble for society with an influx of these
sorts of images whilst simultaneously delighting in them, possibly enviously
looking at every part of the woman’s body, and selling their papers in the
process.
When we will realise that female empowerment will never
be realised until we are comfortable with the female form? We shouldn’t shy
away from our own beauty. We shouldn’t hide our assets for the sake of the
comfort of others if we ourselves would like to display them more prominently.
We should be able to display our assets more prominently without fear of
misinterpretation, without the possibility of someone saying we are only doing
this to attract attention from a potentially sexually aroused onlooker.
As a woman, I want to dress in a way that makes me feel
comfortable with who I am. In my most sexual days, I guess I wanted people to
know that I was happily, sexually active and if that meant I wore a top that
was slightly more revealing, then that was up to me – and FOR me! If I choose
to wear a top that exposes more of my cleavage when I am without a sexual
partner, it doesn’t mean that I’m trying to attract attention in a fit of
desperation. I’m merely wearing something that I feel comfortable in. I’ve got
big tits. I celebrate the fact. End of.
Beyonce is absolutely right to wear this outfit, and if
Michelle Obama wants to talk to her girls about such an outfit, then I hope she
might refer to the short piece of advice that I’ve provided.
Let women be women. Let women adore their own bodies
irrespective of what it does to other people. Let women choose whether they
display more of their wares than some feel is appropriate. Let’s not confuse
the joy of eroticism with the joy of sex. (They are different, and I shall
explain my opinion on that at another time.) Let’s enjoy aestheticism more
readily without being criticised for being a voyeur.
And on a final note, to the author of the attached piece,
please don’t continually refer to Beyonce as “Mrs Carter” when you are
addressing the issue of her clothing. Whether it was intended or not, it
suggests that she “belongs” to someone else and that it’s unfitting of a
married woman to bring her sexuality to the forefront of minds other than her
husbands.
