Beyoncé Discusses Feminism with ‘Elle’: “I Don’t Understand the Negative Connotation”

Image via Elle

Beyoncé tends to let her art speak for herself. When you rule the world, you set your own rules. And Bey’s art, whether she’s flashing the word “feminism” behind her during a performance or embracing Black Panther imagery, does a pretty thorough job speaking. But Beyoncé has a new clothing line, Ivy Park, on the way, which means normal rules have been momentarily put on hold. In a new interview with Elle, she discusses the inspirations behind her fashion line and the decision to sell it at Topshop (“It’s one of the only places where I can actually shop by myself. It makes me feel like a teenager,” she says, immediately making the entire world second guess every person they’ve ever seen in a Topshop).

There’s nothing particularly revelatory that’s going to make you rush out to buy the clothes (although they sound, like most things Beyoncé-related, thoroughly thought out), but, since Beyoncé interviews are a rare commodity, the interview is obviously worth reading. And it does offer some interesting insights about Beyoncé’s music career: She notes that she was able to embrace the idea of being an artist originally because her label “underestimated” Destiny’s Child and let them write their own songs and video treatments without outside writers. She also comments on the political implications of her music, most notably her embrace during her last album cycle of the the term “feminist”:

I’m not really sure people know or understand what a feminist is, but it’s very simple. It’s someone who believes in equal rights for men and women. I don’t understand the negative connotation of the word, or why it should exclude the opposite sex. If you are a man who believes your daughter should have the same opportunities and rights as your son, then you’re a feminist. We need men and women to understand the double standards that still exist in this world, and we need to have a real conversation so we can begin to make changes. Ask anyone, man or woman, “Do you want your daughter to have 75 cents when she deserves $1?” What do you think the answer would be? When we talk about equal rights, there are issues that face women disproportionately… Working to make those inequalities go away is being a feminist, but more importantly, it makes me a humanist. I don’t like or embrace any label. I don’t want calling myself a feminist to make it feel like that’s my one priority, over racism or sexism or anything else. I’m just exhausted by labels and tired of being boxed in. If you believe in equal rights, the same way society allows a man to express his darkness, to express his pain, to express his sexuality, to express his opinion—I feel that women have the same rights.

Basically, you shouldn’t have to be a man to have your health—or your art—taken seriously. She added, in response to a question about critics who say femininity and feminism aren’t compatible, “We all know that’s not true. Choosing to be a feminist has nothing to do with your femininity—or, for that matter, your masculinity.” She also addresses the idea, popular among some protesters, that her single “Formation” is somehow anti-police, explaining that it is protest of injustice. While Beyoncé fans probably won’t find much to surprise them, the interview is obviously a must-read due to it being, you know, Beyoncé. Check out the full thing here.

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